Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-10-04
,r on the Mediterranean Who left :

MIN Ut some OI tue Crew, Wuo staEsssu
to row out to meet the swimmer;
but before they reached the spot
the shark had seized him and cut
him in two.
The little shark or dogfish Of the
New England coast has not very
sayory reputation in these waters.
/ have seen them il such schools
that it was impossible to throw a
line without their biting it. They
appeared to be starving and on one
occasion bit q sail into shreds that
was hanging overheard.
These ravenous fish appear so
suddenly that recall one day one
could not be seen in that portion of
the coast and the next day the fish
ermen all gave up their regular fish
lug and devoted themselves to dog
fishing, bringing the fish in by the
boat load.
At such times it is extremely dan
gerous to fall overheard, and nu-
merous fatalities point to the con-
clusion that these little sharks are
as dangerous as q man eater. On
one occasion some children were
playing about the deck of schoon-
er when one fell overheard, and by
the time the crew reached the side
the body was surrounded by q living
ball of dogfshes and torn in pieces.
A fisherman, having left his dory
anchored in cave during a run of
these fish, swan out to it and was
caught by them and killed in sight
Of his friends on the beach, who
could not aid him.
So Insignificant q thing as shell
would not be believed to be q men,
ace to human life, yet several shells
have earned regulations as man.
traps. Among these is the great
clam that is often seen about the
residences in the suburbs of San
Francisco.
This mollusk lies deeply buried
in the coral rock, and partly open,
the protruding portion resembling
sea anemone, but when touched
by hand, foot or any object togeth-
er come the shells, each valve often
weighing 200 pounds, and the VIC
tim is held and not released until
the shell is cut out. In this way
natives have been imprisoned at
low tide and drowned as the waters
rose.
The ordinary abalone, common
on this coast, has often trapped
Cinnamon by catching their fingers,
and several instances of death from
this cause have been reported.
On the New England coast, near
Plymouth, a large clam known as
the quohaug is sometimes exposed;
and while it does not catch human
beings it has been known to entrap
small animals, especially ducks and
various water birds that are held
either by foot or bill until the tide
rises and they are drowned.
In South American waters there
is little fish known as picana that
has a very unenviable reputation.
1t is dreaded by man and beast, as
what it lacks in size it makes up in
numbers. Many of the rivers in the
country where it is found have to
be forded, and when a horse enters
a stream it is frequently attacked
by these little creatures that seem
to scent game from afar and liter
ally swarm about the animal, biting
small bits of flesh from it. Instan-
ces are known where the natives
have been devoured by them.
In tropical waters the shark is by
no means the only predatory fish.
Lurking on every reef and in the
blue channels that cut their way
among the islands is the southern
barracuda, something like its Pa
cific ally in appearance, but four or
five times as large and very bulky,
with teeth like knives. This fish
is a menace, and has often been
known to attack swimmers, and re-
ports are current of instances where
people have been MANNED and al
most killed by them.-Saa Fran
cisco Chronicle.
HIS FRIEND JoHN.-He was hay-
ing his fortune told.