298 SCOMBEROIDES. 



to it, is its having been taken in a small pond of fresh water, 

 fifty miles from sea, and where no salt water ever came. I 

 imagine it was transported thither by some sea-fowl, which 

 swallowed it while in the ovum, and subsequently deposited 

 it in this pond. The monoceros was taken with a bucket, at 

 a time when a number of large sharks were around us ; it is 

 a very stupid fish, suffering itself to be knocked several times 

 with the bucket, without attempting to remove ; the sharks 

 also frequently rubbed against it, but it paid no attention to 

 them. 



The worm is the first of the kind, I have ever met with ; 

 it was found in a living state, in the maw of a flying fish 

 which came on board, but whether it was taken for food, or 

 preyed upon the fish itself, I could not determine. At the 

 time the monoceros was taken, as above mentioned, there were 

 great numbers of dolphin swimming among the sharks with 

 perfect familiarity ; and although the latter were so ravenous 

 that we took five of them from seven to twelve feet long, 

 they did not manifest the slightest disposition to molest the dol- 

 phins; a circumstance which confirms me in the belief I had 

 long entertained, that the stories of sharks catching dolphins 

 were merely fabulous. 



The shark holds about the same position among fishes, as 

 the vulture among birds excessively greedy, but seldom at- 

 tacking any thing but carrion. Another reason for this belief 

 is the difficulty of a shark's seizing any object above him, in 

 consequence of the upper jaw projecting so far beyond the 

 lower ; a conformation which obliges him to turn over, in or- 

 der to secure his prey. Any fish, during this act, could make 

 its escape with ease. Man does so with less readiness, be- 

 cause, being out of his element, he cannot manage himself with 

 so much facility. I would here mention that one of the sharks 

 was entirely different from any which have before come under 

 my observation, and might be called a most beautiful fish, pos- 

 sessing none of that clumsiness of shape or motion, which is 

 characteristic of the species ; but by no means inferior in vo- 



