UNDER SEA WITH HELMET AND CAMERA 



tack by sharks. He said, "There are three-cornered bricks in New York 

 City and there are men who throw them. You are about as Hkely to be 

 bitten by a shark as you are to be struck by a three-cornered brick while 

 strolling on Fifth Avenue." Mr. Fenimore Johnson was a bit more ex- 

 plicit. He said, "Do not dive if you have an open wound or a fresh 

 scratch deep enough to have drawn blood on any part of your body. 

 Sharks and Barracuda can smell an infinitesimal quantity of blood, and 

 it attracts them toward its source. Sharks are not attracted by a black 

 object. It is therefore a good precaution to wq^t black clothing when 

 under sea." On learning this, I had a pair of duck trousers dyed black, 

 and bought a black shirt. With this new uniform, I made my last descent. 

 I did not sustain a single sharkbite! 



Nothing that has been said above is intended to imply that there is 

 no danger to the diver from sharks. Generally speaking, there is danger 

 a-plenty. But I have not courted it. My photography has improved with 

 each experience and there is plenty more to do in the beautiful sea gar- 

 dens before I will be satisfied. It will be a long time before I expect to 

 become bored with this peaceful occupation and begin to go down to 

 greater depths and to put bait around me in order to photograph sharks. 



Now for the other side of the picture. 



There are many varieties of sharks. Some are harmless. My study of 

 the natural history of the sea has been superficial. I have not yet learned 

 to distinguish the varieties of which according to Young and Mazet in 

 their book Shark/ Shark/, there are eighteen principal ones, some of 

 which are quite harmless. I do not care to meet any of them. And if I 

 did, it is quite certain that I would not take the time to identify his 

 species. Incidentally the book above mentioned is full of thrills about 

 battles with sharks. The question, "Do sharks eat men?" is convincingly 

 answered in the affirmative, and the chapter is accompanied by some 

 gruesome authentic photographic illustrations. But the question "Under 



n82] 



