182 TEE SHARK FAMILY. 



there above the water. After a little hesitation, caused by 

 the appeal of his shipmate, and a short prayer, he jumped 

 over. The splash occasioned by his doing so caused the 

 sharks to disappear, and the man in the boat well knew that 

 they were in search of his comrade. Immediately after- 

 wards, three of them passed the boat towards him. 



With the greatest anxiety the sailor in the boat watched 

 his messmate : he swam well, kicking and splashing as he 

 went, to frighten the sharks. Once he beheld one of them 

 close to him ; but he only swam the faster, and kicked more 

 vigorously. The wind had freshened, the brig was sailing 

 more fleetly, his cries were unheard by the crew, and he began 

 to think he must yield himself a prey to the sharks. At last 

 he saw a man look over the side of the vessel ; he held up 

 both his hands, jumped up in the water, and was at length 

 seen. A boat was got out, the brave swimmer was picked 

 up, and was soon joined by his comrade on board the brig. 

 The sharks were defrauded of their prey. The two sur- 

 vivors of the Magpie were tried by a court-martial, and as a 

 reward for their perseverance, industry, and obedience to 

 their commander in circumstances of such peculiar peril, 

 promoted to be warrant officers. 



To this family of the sharks, belongs the blue species, 

 to which we have alluded, and which visits the coasts of 

 England, during the pilchard and herring fishery, but whose 

 chief residence is the Mediterranean. It is about seven feet 

 long. The whole of the upper part is of a slate-blue color, 

 and the under side nearly pure white. 



The Hammer-headed species are distinguished, as the 

 name implies, from each side of the head being extended — 

 hammer-shaped — into a kind of branch, which has the eyes 

 at the outer extremity. Its habits are of the family charac- 

 ter, and it never hesitates to attack man whenever an op- 

 portunity offers. The Smooth Shark is so named from the 

 smoothness and softer nature of its skin than its other rela- 



