The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-11-08
Sharks.

A volume could be written about the
habits and traits of tropical sharks. In
the teeming fish-life of these torpid
waters they find abundant food, all the
more easily captured because of the
transparency of the sea. 1t follows
that there is an enormous development
of shark-life, both as to number and
species, as compared with more temper
ate ocean climes. In his relations
with the fisherman, the shark is 4 vile
marplot. You may be gleefully haul
ing in fish after fish, and congratulate
ing yourself on an hour or two of sport
Suddenly, just as you have started
four-pounder upward, you see a gleam-
ing white flash. Pull rapidly as you
will, but you pull in vain. Thirty feet
more of line, it may be, are drawn in,
when the hook seems to strike a rock.
Perhaps the check is but momentary;
then on drawing in you find only the
head of handsome fish, whose body
has gone into Mr. Sharks NAV. But
more likely you have put to much strain
on the line. and in that case the shark,
fearing the escape of the prey, has
bolted fish, hook and sinker, SO that
only the severed line comes back. The
negro fishermen, with the aid of their
water-glasses, have been able to make
thorough study of The habits of these
pirates of the deep, and give the shark
high character for cunning. AS these
negroes aver, a shark will sometimes
follow boat for mile until it comes
to anchor. Then, lying in the shadow
of subaqueous rock, so rs not to fright
en- the fish from biting, the shrewd fell
lDz,y Il
victim begins his ascent. With q hun
cry shark around, not more than one
of three hooked fish ever reaches the
rail, and there is proportionate and
ycxatious loss of hooks and sinkers.
After his novel fishing is ended, the
shark rids himself of these impediments
by rubbing his nose and lips against
projecting rocks. Sharks of the mod
crate size of ten or twelve feet may
sometimes be caught with rope and a
huge hook hung by chain. But even
then they have Il clever way of follow
ing up the line, turning on the back,
and by q side snap of the teeth cutting
the cord as cleanly as with knife. The
larger and tiercer species of tropical
shark, from twenty-five TO thirty feet
long, have never been caught here by
line. and the negroes tell wondrous tales
as to the chain hooks and huge cords
broken in tackling the big fellows. We
have had lately here an illustration of
their voracity. A negro sailor had
caught one day an ordinary shark ten
feet in length and weighing some $50
pounds. He left the creature over
night on line attached to his boat.
The next morning only the head was
found. It had been severed from his
body by a single clean cut just behind
the gills. AS rule, when once the
shark gets actively at work around the
line, the legitimate sport ends for that
anchorage, in fifteen or twenty minutes,
as the fish fly to the rocks for protec-
ton. But sometimes the fishermen,
tying together bottle and piece oi
iron, drop it down ON cord attached
to the boat. The rise and fall of the
craft on the waves keeps up i constant
tinkling below. and, as water is a good
ound-conductor, the sharks flee in ter
ror. A ray of sunlight cast downward
through the water-glass often has a
similar effect.-Nassau (Bahansa) Cor.
| NeU York Post.