THE SHARK. 39 



the shark on this ground. The Maori has always been re- 

 garded as a remarkably fine specimen of a savage, and his 

 liking for " missionary " has never been seriously imputed to 

 him as a grave failing. Man's likes and dislikes are un- 

 fortunately sadly tinged with selfishness. Many men go to 

 sea, and therefore the man-eating propensities of the shark 

 excite in us a feeling of indignation. The proportion of 

 men who went out as missionaries to the Maori was so 

 small as to be altogether inappreciable, and the majority 

 therefore regarded the weakness of the Maori for them from 

 a purely philosophical point of view. 



Fortunately for the inhabitants of these islands, the 

 aversion of the shark to cold water is as much marked as is 

 that of the occupants of the casual wards of our workhouses ; 

 and the consequence is that the larger and more dangerous 

 species are very seldom met with on our coasts, and upon 

 the rare occasions when they visit us, are in so low and 

 depressed a state of mind from the cold that their appetites 

 appear to be wholly in abeyance, and there is no record 

 of a bather having been devoured at any of our seaside 

 watering places. 



The eye of the shark is small, long, and narrow, closely 

 resembling that of a pig. All observers have agreed in 

 attributing to it a sly and malicious expression, but this must 

 to some extent be taken as a flight of fancy. The only real 

 reason for attributing to the shark a savage disposition is that, 

 like the wolf, it has no pity whatever for a comrade in distress, 

 and a wounded shark will be instantly attacked and devoured 

 by its companions. This is, indeed, an evil trait in the crea- 

 ture, and can be excused only on the ground of its prolonged 

 fasts, and the overmastering demands of its appetite. 



