132 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



Monstrous rays are found in Australia, the small 

 ones — sting-rays they are called — being a great 

 nuisance to bathers. They bury themselves in 

 the wet sand, and are not detected until you step 

 on them. Once in Sydney I trod on one with my 

 naked foot, when, whipping round its tail, it buried 

 its horrible spikes into my flesh, the pain being 

 agonising, like a scorpion's sting. 



Australia is the home of sharks, tiger, carpet, 

 blue-points, fox or threshers, grey nurse, 

 hammerheads, &c., all voracious and objection- 

 able, varying in size, and sometimes attaining to 

 enormous proportions. 



Sailing one day in a small boat in Sydney 

 Harbour, off Dawes Point, I was attracted by 

 something unusual going on aboard a small 

 brigantine at anchor. Ranging alongside I found 

 the whole crew desperately fighting a shark that 

 they had deeply harpooned ; but all their efforts 

 seemed to have no effect in bringing the beast 

 nearer. At last it came up to the surface, gave 

 a mighty roll, bent the harpoon double, snapped 

 the line, and got away. I had a splendid sight of 

 it, and have no hesitation in saying it was thirt}'- 

 five feet long, and that in the thickest part its body 

 was as large as a bullock's. 



Some people assert that sharks are not 



