THE SHARK FAMILY.
Diver Battling with a Shark.
Diver Battling with a Shark.
Diver Battling with a Shark.
The Sharks, like the Raias, have their mouth furnished with jaws, and for this reason they are classified in the same group of Cartilaginous Fishes, as distinct from the Lampreys and the Sturgeons. This family includes not only the Sharks, but the Dog-fishes, Hammerheads and the Saw-fish. All the species have a lengthened body, merging into a thick tail and a rough skin.
The Shark becomes the terror of the sea almost as soon as it is born. At first it eats the Cuttle-fish, Molluscs, etc., then the Flounders and Cod-fish. But the prey which has the greatest charm for him is Man. He will even attack a diver in the strong diver’s costume, and in the waters where these “Hyenas of the Seas,” (as the Sharks are sometimes called) are to be found, the divers find it necessary to make special preparations for fighting them.
When the diver is eagerly engaged with his work, he sees suddenly a great shadow fall on the bottom of the sea and he immediately recognizes with horror thespindle-shaped body of the Man-eating Shark. The head is flat; the fore-part of the snout is projected forward; the wide mouth, pushed far back, is supplied with sharp triangular teeth.
The bold robber has seen the diver and comes at him. If he loses his coolness, he will be the spoil of the greedy Shark. He draws his dagger, which he carries with him for such an event. Dexterously he avoids the animal and stabs him deep with the dagger. A great stream of blood stains the water. In his death struggles the mighty animal threshes the water with his great fins and seeks safety in flight. Then another Shark approaches, and again must the diver fight a life and death battle. He is successful in making this enemy also incapable of fighting; then completely exhausted, he gives the signal to be drawn up. But the diver is not always fortunate enough to overcome the horrible animals. He is sometimes terribly torn by the daring Man-eaters.
The back and sides of the Shark are of an ashy brown; beneath it is faded white. The head is flat, and terminates in a nose slightly rounded. Its terrible mouth is in the form of a semi-circle, and of enormous size; the contour of the upper jaw of a Shark of ten yards length being about two yards wide, and its throat being in proportion to this monstrous opening.
When the throat of the Fish is open we see beyond the lips (which are straight and of the consistency of leather) certain plates of teeth, which are triangular and white as ivory. If the Shark is an adultit has in the upper as in the lower jaw six rows of these murderous arms, an arsenal ready to tear and rend its victim. These teeth take different motions according to the will of the animal; and obedient to the muscles round their base, by means of which it can erect or retract its various rows of teeth, it can even erect a portion of any row, while the others remain at rest in their bed. Thus this far-seeing tyrant of the ocean knows how to measure the number and power of the arms necessary to destroy its prey. For the destruction of the weak and defenceless, one row of teeth suffices; for the more formidable adversary it has a whole arsenal at command.
The eyes of the Shark are small, and nearly round; its scent is very subtle; its fins are strong and rough. The tail is possessed of immense power, and is capable of breaking the limb of a robust Man by a single stroke.
He seeks eagerly for human flesh, and haunts the neighborhood where it hopes to find the precious morsel. He follows the ship in which his instinct tells him it is to be found, and makes extraordinary efforts to reach it. He has been known to leap into a boat in order to seize the frightened fishermen; he throws himself upon the ship, cleaving the waves at full speed to snap up some unhappy sailor who has shown himself beyond the bulwarks.
He follows the course of the slaver, watching for the horrors of the middle passage, ready to engulf the Negroes’ corpses as they are thrown into the sea. Commerson relates a significant fact bearing on the subject. The corpse of a Negro had been suspended from a yard-arm twenty feet above the level of the sea. A Shark was seen to make many efforts to reach the body, and it finally succeeded in securing it, member by member, undisturbed by the cries of the horror-stricken crew. In order that an animal so large and heavy should be able to throw itself to this height, the muscles of the tail and posterior parts of the body must have an astonishing power.
The mouth of the Shark being placed in the lower part of the head, it becomes necessary to turn itself round in the water before it can seize the object which is placed above him. He meets with men bold enough to profit by this conformation, and chase this formidable and ferocious creature. On the African coast the Negroes attack the Shark in his own element, swimming towards him, and seizing the moment when he turns himself to rip him up with a sharp knife. This act of courage and audacity cannot, however, be said to be Shark-fishing.
The fishing operation is conducted as follows: Choosing a dark night, a hook is prepared by burying it in a piece of lard and attaching it to a long and solid wire chain. The Shark looks askance at this prey, feels it, then leaves it; he is tempted by withdrawing the bait, when he follows and swallows it gluttonously. He now tries to sink into the water, but, checked by the chain, he struggles and fights. By-and-by he gets exhausted, and the chain is drawn up in such a manner as to raise the head out of the water. Another cord is now thrown out with a running knot or loop, in which the body of the Shark is caught near the tail. Thus bound, the captured Shark is soon lifted on deck, where he is put to death with great precaution as there is still great danger from his bites and the fierce blows of his tail.
THE DOG-FISH.
DOG-FISH.
DOG-FISH.
DOG-FISH.
The Dog-fish, which sometimes attains the length of between three and four feet, is exceedingly voracious. It feeds upon other fish, of which it destroys great quantities; it does not hesitate to attack the fishermen, and especially bathers in the sea. It places itself in ambush, like the Raias, in order to attack its prey.
The flesh of the Dog-fish is hard, smells of musk, and is rarely eaten; but the skin becomes an article of commerce, and is known as shagrin, being, like the skin of the Shark, used for making spectacle-cases and for other ornamental purposes, for which its green color and high polish recommend it.
There is a smaller species than the preceding, which haunts rocky shores, where it lies in wait for its prey. Its spots are larger and more scattered, and its ventral fins are nearly square. It feeds on Molluscs, Crustaceans, and small Fishes.
THE HAMMERHEAD.
The Hammerhead is chiefly distinguished by the singular form of its head, which is flattened horizontally, and the sides prolonged, giving it the appearance of the head of a hammer. The eyes of this Fish are placed at the extremity of these hammer points of the head; they are grey, projecting, and the iris is gold-colored. When the animal is irritated, the colors of the iris become like flame, to the horror of the fishermen who behold them.
Beneath the head and near to the junction of the trunk is the mouth, which is semi-circular, and furnished on each jaw with three or four rows of large teeth pointed and barbed on two sides.
The most common species in our seas is long and slender in the body, which is grey, and the head is black. It usually attains the length of eleven or twelve feet, weighing occasionally nearly five hundred pounds. Its boldness and voracity, and craving for blood, are more remarkable than its size. If the Hammerhead has not the strength of the Shark, it surpasses it in fury; few Fishes are better known to sailors in consequence of its striking form. Its voracity often brings it round ships and near the coast. Its visits impress themselves on the memory of the sailor, and he loves to relate his hair-breadth escape from the meeting.
The Saw-fish is distinguished from all other known Fishes by the formidable arm which it carries in its head. This weapon is a prolongation of the nose, which, in place of being rounded off or reduced to a point, forms a long, straight, strong, sword-like termination, flat on both sides, and on the two edges furnished with numerous strong teeth, giving the appearance of a double saw, or one with teeth on both edges.
Thus armed, the Saw-fish—the length of which is from twelve to fifteen feet—fearlessly attacks the fiercest inhabitants of the ocean. With this threatening weapon, sometimes two yards in length, it dares to try its strength with the Whale, and in a combat between the two, the Saw-fish is usually victorious.
The Saw-fish is sometimes called the Sword-fish because of the sword-shape of its long saw, but it should be remembered that these Fishes are entirely distinct, for the Saw-fish belongs to the class of Cartilaginous Fishes, while the real Sword-fish, whose sharp sword is strong and smooth—without the saw-like teeth—is found among the Osseous or bony Fishes in the Mackerel family.