Class IV. BASKING SHARK. 105 



one foot ; peroral fin, four feet ; ventral, two 

 feet : the upper lobe of the tail, five feet ; the 

 lower, three. 



They will permit a boat to follow them, with- 

 out accelerating their motion, till it comes almofl 

 within contad ; when a harpooneer flrikes his wea- 

 pon into them, as near to the gills as pofilble. 

 But they are often fo infenfible, as not to move till 

 the united ftrength of two men have forced in the 

 harpoon deeper. As foon as they perceive them- 

 feives wounded, . they fling up their tail and plunge 

 headlong to the bottom j and frequently coil the 

 rope round them in their agonies, attempting to 

 difengage the harpoon from them, by rolling on 

 the ground, for it is often found greatly bent. 



As foon as they difcover that their efforts are in 

 vain, they fwim away with amazing rapidity, and 

 with fuch violence, that there has been an inflance 

 of a vefTel of feventy tons, having been towed away 

 againft a frefh gale. They fometimes run off with 

 two hundred fathoms of line, and with two har- 

 poons in them -, and will employ the fifhers for 

 twelve, and fometimes twenty four hours before 

 they are fubdued. When killed, they are either 

 bawled on fhore, or if at a difbance from land, to 

 the vefTel's fide. The liver (the only ufeful part) 

 is taken out, and melted into oil in kettles pro- 

 vided for that purpofe. A large fifh will yield 

 eight barrels of oil ; and two of v/orthlefs fedement. 



The filhers obfcrved on them a fort of leech of 



a reddifh 



