July, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
347 
Drawn bv H. B. Tschtidy, under the '(Tfrection oj R. C. Murphy. 
A free-swimming species of hammerhead shark, not peculiarly characteristic of 
either the bottom or the surface of the sea. In its ability to travel with the greatest 
freedom at various levels, and to turn, rise, or descend with extraordinary quickness, 
the strange cut-water of its flattened head is an organ of special efficiency. 
enee at arm-pit of pectoral 18 ft.; length 
of pectoral 6 feet; width of pectoral, 
31^ feet; dorsal, not seen; width at 
caudal notch, origin of tail, 20 inches; 
width of tail, 7 feet; weight, over 2 tons. 
“I consider it highly probable that 
this large shark was the mother of the 
young ones taken, and that she had given 
birth to them near Cape Lookout in May. 
These are points which make the pres- 
ence of this species here still more inter- 
esting. 
“The white shark is a more general 
feeder than the hammerhead, but sub- 
sists largely upon fishes of its own catch, 
and in four small examples, which I 
have recently examined, the only recog- 
nizable material contained in their 
stomachs was Cynocion regalis (weak- 
fish), and menticirrhus americanus 
(whiting). As they reach greater age 
they show a disposition to specialize on 
other food, which is often sea turtles. 
In my opinion few white sharks ever 
attack man or look on him as food, but 
a white shark having once done so by 
chance, that individual immediately be- 
comes very dangerous. 
“I hope I will be pardoned for intro- 
ducing into a scientific paper of this 
nature my first two adventures with the 
white shark. In 1903, in the Bight of 
Cape Lookout, North Carolina, I was 
out in a very small skiff harpooning tur- 
tles, and armed with rifle light harpoon, 
and heavy knife, when an 18-ft. shark, 
easily recognizable as this species, 
charged, halting only when in contact 
with my skiff, where, with its large 
staring eyes watching my every move, it 
lay for some seconds almost motionless 
with part of its back exposed above the 
surface, while I crouched with finger on 
the trigger of the high-powered rifle, 
aimed in front of the first dorsal fin. The 
shark then began a series of rapid revo- 
lutions turning several times on its back 
while circling the skiff, into w'hich it 
splashed much water. It then retired to 
a distance approximately a hundred 
yards and then, turning, charged at great 
speed directly at the skiff, when sudden- 
ly in the line of its attack a large logger- 
head turtle came to the surface and was 
seized in the jaws of the shark, which I 
heard crushing through the shell of the 
turtle. I am convinced that this shark 
had satisfied himself that I was suitable 
for food and had only retired to acquire 
speed for leaping into the skiff and seiz- 
ing me, and that the coming tj the sur- 
face of the turtle at that instant was all 
that saved me from a dangerous, knife 
to shagreen fight. 
“My second adventure with the wFite 
shark occurred some years later, and al- 
though it contained an instant of close- 
in fighting, yet it was much less danger- 
ous, for I was then trained and steadied 
by having won many knife fights with 
sharks and large rays. After trying for 
an hour to approach within harpooning 
distance of a large man-eater which was 
swimming in shallow water near the 
scene of my former encounter, I got 
over-board in a depth of five feet of 
water and had the boat retire to a dis- 
tance of a hundred yards with the coil 
of rope, which was attached to the har- 
poon which I had with me. I also took 
with me half a bushel of crushed and 
broken fish to attract the shark, which 
was then swimming on or near the sur- 
face, half a mile to leeward of me. Soon 
the shark could be seen zig-zagging its 
course toward me, by crossing and re- 
crossing the line of scent from the broken 
fish, just as the bird-dog follows up the 
scent of quail. With harpoon poised I 
crouched low, trusting that its approach 
would be continued in this manner until, 
by a long cast, I could fasten my harpoon 
in its side. The scent of the broken fish, 
however, was so strong that they were 
definitely located, and the shark charged 
from a hundred feet away with a speed 
which has to be seen to be appreciated. 
I met the onrushing shark by hurling my 
harpoon clear to the socket into it, near 
the angle of the jaw, and, as the iron en- 
tered its flesh, the shark leaped forward, 
catching me in the angle formed by its 
head and the harpoon handle, which 
caught me just under the right arm, 
bruising me badly, while my face and 
neck were somewhat lacerated by coming 
in contact with the rough hide of the 
side of its head. As my right arm was 
free, it was a great chance for using the 
heavy knife, with which I was armed 
had my tackle been strong; but the force 
of the blow snapped the poorly-made 
harpoon at the socket and the shark es- 
caped, although it carried its death 
wound. I never again employed the 
same black-smith to forge my harpoons, 
but that poorly-made iron surely brought 
to a sudden ending a most exciting situa- 
ti:n.” 
TIGER SHARK 
U-p HIS is an abundant and widely 
distributed shark, very easily 
identified by its big head and 
tapering body, spotted color, and unique 
teeth. It is doubtless due to its large 
size and the consequent difficulty of han 1- 
ling specimens that it seems to be im- 
perfectly described in current literature. 
... It is with much pleasure therefore, 
that I publish a photograph which shows 
the character of the fish very well. 
“The stomach of an adult taken near 
Cape Lookout contained the most varie 1 
assortment of food that I have ever foun 1 
in any shark, consisting of parts of three 
very large stone crabs, one bird, the 
small diver called locally water-witch, 
and other unidentified substances. Its 
liver was 7 ft. in length, and rich in oil, 
(actual yield, 15 gallons). Eye, the 
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 383) 
Drawn by H. B. Tschudy, under the direction of R. C. Murphy. 
White Shark or Man-eater 
This fish is one of the largest, and undoubtedly the most dangerous, of sharks. It 
is a rare, tropical species, but immature examples are taken occasionally in northern 
waters. A small specimen was captured in New York Harbor shortly after the de- 
struction of life by sharks in igi6. 
