Year: 1878

ship, and, opening his ponderous jaws attemp-
ted to take the bait. But held it just above
his nose, noting he possessed no power to leap
or jump up as many fish do.


I also watched with curious interest the pi-
lot fish, which, having performed their Office,
were now quietly clinging beside the fin of his
back.


While Captain Lewis was preparing moose
which was to be slipped over the sharks
head, I asked about the pilot fish.


every shark has one, said the captain,
"and sometimes two; and when the shark is
without one he is shy and will seldom ap-
proach very near ship"


These pilot fish seemed to be five or six
inches long, and Of yellowish. brown color,
having longitudinal dark stripes on their
sides and resembling much the perch of New
England ponds 1t seemed strange that so
powerful essh should place so much depen-
dence on such insignificant creatures.


The captain again lowered his rope, but the
current Of water drew it aside and the attempt
to entrap the fish was again failure


Then, some one suggested holding the moose
open by retaining the "bite" in hand, and
when the shark put his head over the rope
in order to get at the pork still dangling
from the end of the little line, to let the moose
drop and pull away at the end till the large
rope tightened around his body. This was
tried, but the shark slipped out. He was,
however, so hungry that he Immediately
returned, and the maneuver was repeated, and
with success, the second time.


The moment Captain Lewis got the moose
around his body, eight or ten persons pushed
| ou,o,, n tLo ,o,,o ,rJ ,ro, borJl1, - ,o;,
ute before it began to tighten around the
sharks body, and, as it did so, it slipped down
to his tail; and when he felt it getting un-
comfortably tight he paid no more attention
to the bait, but turning slightly gave one flap
with his mighty tail that nearly took the
whole of us overheard Captain Lewis, with
the rapidity almost of thought, made turn
of the rope about fastening but so power
full was the fish that he seemed to retard the
movement of the ship, if not to drag her
backwards.


A large number of men now got hold of
the rope and succeeded in drawing him out of
the water, and left him suspended under the
stern.


After the shark had time to expire-for he
never stirred after being pulled out of the
water-the sailors hitched tackle to him
and swung him around to the side of the ship,
where he remained until nearly noon-time,
when the sailors got permission to open him
and take out the blubber, which is charged
with oil that is extremely serviceable about
ship. This was found to contain several
pailsful of OIL


After dinner, one of the passengers, DR..
Hooker, signifed his desire to have the jaws of
the shark as memento of the unusual scene.
So the great creature was drawn on deck and
the rope taken off,


Scarcely was this done, when, instead of
being dead, he was found to be SO thoroughly
alive that he cleared the deck of men in two
moments; for as he commenced his contor-
tions and twisting about the deck, we all
scampered to places of safety.


His vitality struck US with wonder and
alarm. He had hung on the outside of the
ship, in the broiling sun, during more than
half day. He had been despoiled of por.
tion Of his vitalizing apparatus yet now, after
we had supposed him dead for hours, we
found him able to keep the whole ships crew
at bay.


The men soon commenced hostilities, but
still for long time he was able to maintain
himself against great odds. He bent his
body and with surprising strength threw him
self from side to side; and, as he did so, he
opened his huge jaws and barely missed from
time to time, seizing our legs. He showed sue
cessive rows of sharp teeth, and by the aid of
his cartilagenous tail, he turned forward and
backward and obliquely along the deck, and
really seemed empowered with million lives.


For two full hours did the battle continue
At last thrust through the heart was
the finishing touch He gave one spring,
twisting his body powerfully, and fastened
his great jaws on a spare spar that was lashed
at the side of the deck; and, afterwards, we
found it hard to disengage his grip, and could
only do so by tearing out splinters from the
spar.


We found he measured fifteen feet in length.


The two doctors On board were ardent phys
iologists, and they did not desire to let such
an opportunity slip to obtain an increase of
knowledge.


So they began their Investigations by ex-
amining many parts of the shark, and they
finally removed his heart.


The fact about to be recorded is properly
vouched for, and yet it seems almost incredi-
BILE.


Although the shark was dead and emptied
of blood, yet his heart, when removed from
his body and resting on the deck, kept up its
contractions for period of from twenty min.
utes to half an hour, just the same as when in
place, and performing its Office of pumping
the blood to the various parts Of the body.


This wonderful power seems to be in hsr-
mony with the belief of some scientists, who
say the heart possesses nervous centre and
power over its own life, separate and distinct
from the brain, for the protection Of life in
times of accident Vide A,oake.


The ADMINISTRATION Cow.-Passing
through the White House grounds yesterday,
I saw the cow that furnishes the administra-
tion with milk. For be it known that the
administration keeps four horses, but only
one single solitary cow. President Grant
bought his milk ready made, but Mr.. Hayes,
who is of more economical turn Of mind,
has it made on the premises. The afore-
said COW is an animal of some consequence
to the nation for as a mans humor is affect
ed by his bile, and his bile is affected by the
milk he drinks so, if this COW should sour
Mr.. Hayes stomach, he might, in some way,
make US feel it. It is not pretty specimen
of COW, being rather lantern jawed than 9TH
erwise, lopsided, and with "crumpled horn,"
but in view of its intimate relations to the ad-
ministration's bowels, it is an interesting COW,
nevertheless. But she ought to be kept away
from the garlic patches, or there may be
trouble in the country. Washington Letter.
s9- The report of the National Department
of Agriculture for 1877, now in course of