ACANTHOPTERYGII. 103 



before and after, these hateful fishes were perpetu- 

 ally stealing round the ship, he does not recollect 

 ever having seen a Shark of any considerable size, 

 without one or more of these Pilots attending him. 

 This little creature generally keeps his station just 

 over the head of the Shark, but sometimes over one 

 of the pectoral fins, within an inch or two of his 

 body, turning when he turns, stopping when he 

 stops, and never leaving him, except to swim a-head 

 to examine some bait. Having examined it, he 

 instantly returns and resumes his place. It would 

 really appear as if some communication took place 

 between them, for the Shark, who before seemed 

 quite unaware of the proximity of any food, on 

 the return of the Pilot-fish instantly quickens his 

 motion, and bustles towards it. But an instance 

 still more conclusive is recorded in Griffith's Cuvier, 

 furnished by Col. Hamilton Smith. " Captain Ri- 

 chards, R.N., during his last station in the Medi- 

 terranean, saw on a fine day a Blue Shark, which 

 followed the ship, attracted perhaps by a corpse 

 which had been committed to the waves. After 

 some time a shark-hook, baited with pork, was 

 flung out. The Shark, attended by four Pilot-fish, 

 repeatedly approached the bait ; and every time that 

 he did so, one of the Pilots preceding him was dis- 

 tinctly seen from the taffrail of the ship to run his 

 snout against the side of the Shark's head to turn 

 it away. After some farther play, the fish swam 

 oif in the wake of the vessel, his dorsal fin being 

 long distinctly visible above the water. When he 



