The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-03-03
Sharks.

Sharks, as rule. have round bodies.
Pointing with his stick TO large illus
tration of shark on the screen. the
Professor desired his audience to note
that the month was away down under
meath the head. instead of ut the ante
rior of the head, rs in most fishes. The
most marked characteristic of sharks is
their voracity. They will eat anything
that comes in their way, and their laws
are provided with numerous sets of
teeth, SO that as soon ~ one set are
torn out or rendered worthless, another
set takes their place.
The lecturer held up to view the laws
OF good-sized shark, and explained
that the teeth were set in u tough but
very durable cartilage. The teeth of
most sharks will come out very easily
The size to which sharks grow can be-
judged by their teeth. In the laws en-
hibited by Professor Bickmore the teeth
were about as large as mans thumb
nail, but tho Professor showed n large
tooth which he said must have belonged
to shark 30 or 80 feet long. The tooth
was about six inches long. and was
found in a phosphate bed in South
Carolina. The teeth of some sharks,
particularly the man-eaters, are sharp
and pointed like spikes, while the teeth
of another class of sharks are set into
the jaws tlat like paving stones.
In spare hour on board ship a sailor
will take rs much satisfaction in sharp
ening shark hook rs barber does in
strapping razor. After shark is
captured and hauled aboard the vessel
the sailors cut it up into rs many small
pieces as possible before throwing it
overheard. Sharks are as tenacious of
life rs cats, and it is necessary to cut
them all to pieces in order to kill them
On one occasion some sailors caught a
good-sizod shark, and, after getting it
on deck, dispatched it, as they thought.
They cut Sut one entire side of its
mouth and threw the mangled carcass
back into the water. A little while
afterward they caught the same shark,
apparently rs full OF life and mischief AS
ever.
The shape and pccmlinritie, Of tue
thrashing shark were shown and de-
scribed. This fish has Il tough and ugly
looking tail longer than The body, with
which it thrashes and disab!cs its enc
mics. Ii Is formidable and RELENTLESS
adversary of the whale, and hunts the
lcviathan of the deep in company with
the sword-iish. "Theso fish travel in
packs like wolves" said the Professor
When whale is attacked the sword
iish 20 down under it, and by prickiug
and cutting it in the belly they force
the monster to rise to the surface of the
water Then the thrashing sharks raise
their tails and lash the whale across
the back. The sword-tish and the
sharks keep up their combined assaults
until their mammoth, but us against
them. powerless adversary is dead.
The only part of the whale that is
eaten by the thrashing sharks is the
tongue. 1t is not known that the sword
fish eat any part OF whale. They APP
pear TO join with the thrashing sharks
in assaulting whales only out of pure
viciousness with all their voracity.'
the lecturer said, 1.-THE sharks are en-
titled to the credit of caring for one an
other. Young sharks are watched and
protected by the older ones" Professor
Bickmorc next took up the rays or
skates, and pointed out the principal
of theses fishes. Some
rays, he said, were regular electric bat
teries, which could produce currents of
from their body of sufficient
power to knock a strong man down.
From letter by Professor Bickmore.