142 



ALONG THE FLORIDA REEF. 



shark's been fool in' 'round here all day waitin' 

 to be cotched," said Paublo. 



Further inquiry developed the fact that a 

 dead cow had been thrown overboard, and as it 



drifted away the men 

 observed several large 

 sharks about it, pull- 

 ing it beneath the 

 surface, then releas- 

 ing it, when it would 

 shoot up again, fol- 

 lowed by the savage 

 throng. But it was 

 too late to undertake 

 so serious a task, and 

 the sport was deferred until another day. 



The young naturalists not only delved among 

 the wonders of the shallow reef, but, by using a 

 dredge which the doctor had made, they raked 

 the bottom in deep water beyond the outer reef, 

 obtaining many strange and interesting creat- 

 ures delicate crabs and sponges, pectens of an 

 intense vermilion hue, and one crab, also found 

 in shoal water, so blue that it looked like a gem. 



Scallop. 



