272 



HISTORY OF FISHES. 



where these animals are found in great abun- 

 dance, numbers of the negroes, who are oblig- 

 ed to frequent the waters, are seized and de- 

 voured by them every year. The people of 

 these coasts are firmly of opinion, that the 

 shark loves the black man's flesh in prefer- 

 ence to the white, and that when men of dif- 

 ferent colours are in the water together, it 

 always makes choice of the former. 



However this be, men of all colours are 

 equally afraid of this animal, and have con- 

 trived different methods to destroy him. In 

 general, they derive their success from the 

 shark's own rapacity. The usual method of 

 our sailors to take him, is by baiting a great 

 hook with a piece of beef or pork, which is 

 thrown out into the sea by a strong cord, 

 strengthened near the hook with an iron chain. 

 Without this precaution, the shark would 

 quickly bite the cord in two, and thus set 

 himself free. It is no unpleasant amusement 

 to observe this voracious animal coming up 

 to survey the bait, particularly when not 

 pressed by hunger. He approaches it, ex- 

 amines it, swims round it, seems for a while 

 to neglect it, perhaps apprehensive of the 

 cord and chain ; he quits it for a little ; but 

 his appetite pressing, he returns again ; ap- 

 pears preparing to devour it, but quits it once 

 more. When the sailors have sufficiently di- 

 verted themselves with his different evolu- 

 tions, they then make a pretence, by drawing 

 the rope, as if intending to take the bait 

 away : it is then that the glutton's hunger ex- 

 cites him ; he darts at the bait, and swallows 

 it, hook and all. Sometimes, however, he 

 does not so entirely gorge the whole, but that 

 he once more gets free ; yet even then, though 

 wounded and bleeding with the hook, he will 

 again pursue the bait until he is taken. 

 When he finds the hook lodged in his maw, 

 his utmost efforts are then excited but in vain, 

 to get free ; he tries with his teeth to cut the 

 chain : he pulls with all his force to break 

 the line ; he almost seems to turn his stomach 

 inside out, to disgorge the hook : in this man. 

 ner he continues his formidable though fruit- 

 less efforts ; till, quite spent, he suffers his 

 head to be drawn above water, and the sail- 

 ors, confining his tail by a noose, in this man- 

 ner draw him on ship-board, and despatch 

 him. This is done by beating him on the 

 head till he dies ; yet even that is not effected 

 without difficulty and danger ; the enormous 

 creature, terrible even in the agonies of death, 

 still struggles with his destroyers ; nor is 

 there an animal in the world that is harder to 

 be killed. Even when cut in pieces, the 

 muscles still preserve their motion, and vibrate 

 for some minutes after being separated from 

 the body. Another method of taking them, 

 is by striking a barbed instrument, called a 



fizgig, into his body, as he brushes along by 

 the side of the ship. As soon as he is taken 

 up, to prevent his flouncing, they cut off the 

 tail with an axe, with the utmost expedition. 



This is the manner in which Europeans 

 destroy the shark ; but some of the Negroes 

 along the African coast, take a bolder and 

 more dangerous method to combat their terri- 

 ble enemy. Armed with nothing more than 

 a knife, the Negro plunges into the water, 

 where he sees the shark watching for his 

 prey, and boldly swims forward to meet him: 

 though the great animal does not come to pro- 

 voke the combat, he does not avoid it, and 

 suffers the man to approach him ; but just as 

 he turns upon his side to seize the aggressor, 

 the Negro watches the opportunity, plunges 

 his knife into the fish's belly, and pursues his 

 blows with such success, that he lays the ra- 

 venous tyrant dead at the bottom : he soon 

 however returns, fixes the fish's head in a 

 noose, and drags him to shore, where he 

 makes a noble feast for the adjacent villages. 



Nor is man alone the only enemy this fish 

 has to fear : the Remora, or Sucking-fish, is 

 probably a still greater, and follows the shark 

 every where. This fish has got a power of 

 adhering to whatever it sticks against, in the 

 same manner as a cupping-glass sticks to the 

 human body. It is by such an apparatus 

 that this animal sticks to the shark, and drains 

 away its moisture. The seamen, however, 

 are of opinion, that it is seen to attend on the 

 shark for more friendly purposes, to point him 

 to his prey, and to apprise him of his danger. 

 For this reason it has been called the Shark's 

 Pilot. 



The shark so much resembles the whale in 

 size, that some have injudiciously ranked it 

 in the class of cetaceous fishes ; but its real 

 rank is in the place here assigned it, among 

 those of the cartilaginous kind. It breathes 

 with gills and lungs, its bones are gristly, and 

 it brings forth several living young. Belonius 

 assures us, that he saw a female shark pro- 

 duce eleven live young ones at a time. But 

 I will not take upon me to vouch for the ve- 

 racity of Rondeletius, who, when talking of 

 the blue shark, says, that the female will per 

 mit her small brood, when in danger, to swim 

 down her mouth, and take shelter in her belly. 

 Mr Pennant, indeed seems to give credit to 

 the story, and thinks that this fish, like the 

 oppossum, may have a place fitted by nature 

 for the reception of her young. To his opin- 

 ion much deference is due, and is sufficient, at 

 least, to make us suspend our dissent ; for 

 nothing is so contemptible as that affectation 

 of wisdom which some display, by universal 

 incredulity. 1 



1 Sharks, as well as the Ray tribe, bring forth their 



