220 
SHARK. 
ror of the rest of its inhabitants, as well as to the 
human race ; whose bodies have been too fre- 
quently buried in the stomach of this formidable 
creature. 
The mouth of this animal exposes to our view a 
most terrific arrangement of teeth. They are oi a 
wedge-shaped figure, very sharp-pointed, and ser- 
rated on the sides : from three to six rows of these 
terrible instruments of destruction are planted in 
each jaw, and the shark has the power of erecting or 
depressing them at pleasure. 
This species sometimes exceeds the length of 
thirty feet. The head is large and of a depressed 
shape; the mouth and throat enormously wide, 
and capable of swallowing a very large body ; but 
as the mouth is placed far beneath, the shark is 
obliged to incline very much on one side to seize 
his prey : the eyes are large, and the back broad 
and flat ; the tail, which is exceedingly strong and 
active, is of a semilunar form, but the upper pait is 
longer than the lower. The creature is enabled to 
swim with great swiftness on account of his large 
pectoral fins. The whole body is of a light ash 
colour. 
This insatiable plunderer is extremely fond of hu- 
man flesh, and will follow ships in warm climates 
to catch whatever may chance to fall overboard : a 
man who meets with this misfortune is said to 
perish without redemption, and it is singular that 
the same remark should have been made respecting 
this creature as of beasts of prey ; namely, that he 
