when the shark darted upon him from the deep, and snapped off his leg.

In the pearl fisheries of South America, every Negro, in order to defend himself against these animals, carries with him into the water a sharp knife, which, if the fish offers to assault him, he endeavours to strike into its belly; on which it generally swims off. The officers who are in the vessels, keep a watchful eye on these voracious creatures; and, when they observe them approach, shake the ropes fastened to the Negroes, in order to put them on their guard. Many, when the divers have been in danger, have thrown themselves into the water, with knives in their hands, and hastened to their defence but too often, all their dexterity and precaution have been of no avail.

Such is the frightful rapacity of this animal, nothing that has life is rejected. But it seems to have a peculiar enmity to man: when once it has tasted human flesh, it never desists from haunting those places where it expects the return of its prey. It is even asserted, that along the coasts of Africa, where these animals are found in great abundance, numbers of the negroes, who are obliged to frequent the waters, are seized and devoured by them every year. The people of these coasts are firmly of opinion, that the Shark loves the black man's flesh, in preference to the white; and that when men of dif

ferent colours are in the water together, it al ways makes choice of the former.

ger.

However this be, men of all colours are equally afraid of this animal, and have contrived dif ferent methods to destroy him. In general, they derive their success from the Shark's own rapacity. The usual method of our sailors to take him, is by baiting a great hook with a piece of beef or pork, which is thrown out into the sea by a strong cord, strengthened near the hook with an iron chain. Without this precaution, the Shark would quickly bite the cord in two, and thus set himself free. It is curious to observe this voracious animal coming up to survey the bait, particularly when not pressed by hunHe approaches it, examines it, swims round it, seems for a while to neglect it, perhaps apprehensive of the cord and the chain: he quits it for a little, but his appetite pressing, he returns again-appears preparing to devour it, but quits it once more. When the sailors have sufficiently observed his different evolutions, they make a pretence, by drawing the rope, as if intending to take the bait away; it is then that the glutton's hunger excites him; he darts at the bait, and swallows it, hook and all. Sometimes, however, he does not so entirely gorge the whole, but that he once more gets free; yet even then, though wounded and bleeding with the hook, he will again pursue the bait until he is taken. When he finds the hook lodged in his

maw, his utmost efforts are then excited, but in vain, to get free. He tries with his teeth to cut the chain; he pulls with all his force to break the line; he almost seems to turn his stomach inside out to disgorge the hook: in this way he continues his formidable though fruitless efforts; till quite spent, he suffers his head to be drawn above water, and the sailors confining his tail by a noose, in this manner draw him on ship board, and dispatch him: yet even that is not effected without difficulty and danger; the enormous creature, terrible even in the agonies of death, still struggles with his destroyers; nor is there an animal in the world that is harder to be killed. Even when cut in pieces, the muscles still preserve their motion, and vibrate for some minutes after being separated from the body. Another method of taking him, is by striking a barbed instrument, called a fizgig, into his body, as he brushes along by the side of the ship. As soon as he is taken up, to prevent his flouncing, they cut off the tail with an axe, with the utmost expedition.

This is the manner in which Europeans destroy the Shark; but some of the Negroes along the African coast, take a bolder and more dangerous method to combat their terrible enemy. Armed with nothing more than a knife, the Negro plunges into the water, where he sees the Shark watching for his prey, and boldly swims forward to meet him; though the great animal

does not come to provoke the combat, he does not avoid it, and suffers the man to approach him; but just as he turns on his side to seize the aggressor, the Negro watches the opportunity, plunges his knife in the fish's belly, and pursues, his blows with such success, that he lays the ravenous tyrant dead at the bottom: he soon, however, returns, fixes the fish's head in a noose, and drags him to shore, where he makes a noble feast for the adjacent villages. Thus do boldness and address, triumph over strength and ferocity.

The South Sea islanders, also, are not in the least afraid of the Sharks, but will swim among them without exhibiting the least signs of fear. "I have seen," says Captain Portlock, "five or six large Sharks swimming about the ship, when there have been upwards of a hundred Indians in the water, both men and women: they seemed quite indifferent respecting them, and the Sharks never offered to make an attack on any of them, and yet at the same time would seize our bait greedily; whence it is manifest that they derive their confidence of safety from their experience, that they are able to repel the attacks of those devouring monsters.

Nor is man alone the only enemy this fish has to fear: the Remora, or Sucking Fish, is probably a still greater, and follows the Shark every where. This fish has got a power of adhering to whatever it sticks against, in the same man

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