The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-08
A WHALE SHARK.
A Rare Catch in the Waters Of Monte
rsy Bay.

From the New York Advertiser.
Monterey, Cal, May 14.-Monterey
Bay, the attractive inlet opposite the old
town Of that name, so interesting for its
historic associations-is fast earning a
reputation for the remarkable animals
found there. Last month a huge octo-
pus was caught that had a spread of
nearly twenty-five feet, aud now what is
said TO be the largest shark ever taken in
Northern Pacific waters has been
captured in this locality.
The bay has long teen famous as a fish
ing station, and several Chinese and Port
uguese fishing settlements have grown up
mere. The fisheries are carried on by
seines 10 large extent, and in a com
paratively delicate net this monster was
enmeShed. The men set the seine at
night and in the morning found that it
had disappeared. The assumption was
that whale possibly had fouled it, but
after considerable search a part OF the
net was deserted on the surface held up
by tangled mass of floats. This was
hauled in, and TO the iishermen's amaze
ment some enormous body was found
wound in it. 1t took several hours to un-
roll it, and finally, when the coils of the
net had been pulled aside, a shark ap-
pcared that was at least forty feet in
length, by all odds the largest fish ever
seen by any Of the fishermen or any
habitue of California waters,
The monster had run into the bay dur
ing the night, and been caught in the net,
and would, in all probability, have gone
completely through it had IL not been de-
moraiized at the contact. 1t undoubtedly
began series Of terrific lunges, and
rolled over and over, completely entang-
ling itself in the net which proved its
shroud. The big fish was fairly trapped,
Nd. .,.,T1
the shore. IL was landed in the surf,
where it presented a most striking APP
pearance. From distance it might have
been taken for whale, O enormous were
its proportions.
The shark, If man cater, might have
dlned upon twenty men, but 1T was a
harmless variety known as the basking-
shark, Cethorinus. It's mouth is large,
indeed enormous, but the throat is SO
small that only the smallest animals can
be eaten. Thus the big shark lives upon
such food as iclOytishCs ana various pelagic
animals. 1t has habit of floating at the
surface, exposing its back to the sun, and
is often taken for q whale. Indeed, the
resemblance between this gigantic fish
and its milk giving ally, so far as size IS
concerned, does not end here. The
whale is the largest Of living creatures,
and obtains its food by strainng
AAAhubG hAlllLliAo {liAO It's olOildCH luiOuEu
rows of bOue-the whaloboue OF com
merce On the gills OF the big shark are
curious fringes of bone something like
that of the whale, which serve similar
purpose. The shark probably opens it's
mouth and rushes into schools of small
fishes. straining the water out through
the frnges of bone, the latter catching
the food which passes into the throat.
The Monterey shark ruined n valuable
seine, but was worth five or six hundred
dollars as a specimen, as no museum in
the world has large and perfect one.
The skin will probably be preserved for
some ms tuition of science.
The basking shark has never been fol-
lowed by fishermen on the Pacific coast,
but in Now England waters it was, 100
years ago, common object and prolific
source Of income TO the fishermen, who
gave it so much attention that the fish is
almost extinct in the North Atlantic,
specimens being seen only on rare occa-
siOns.
In the South Pacific there is large
shark, the Rhinodon, that equals this
Monterey shark in size. and is perhaps
more ferocious in appearance, as it is
striped or spotted. IT is more active in
its habits, and has frequently been
known TO demolish the boats of fish err
men