A "SICK" SHARK.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 18, 22 January 1924, Page 4

A "SICK" SHARK.

AMONG THE BATHERS. CAUGHT BY THE TAIL. AND HAULED ASHORE. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. : A sis-foot shark appeared in. shallow' water at Lyall Bay's crowded bathing . beach yesterday, causing great excitement until three experienced swimmers captured it ignominiously by the tail. Two ladies first noticed the shark in about three feet of water, and they : gave the alarm. There was a stampede for dry land, but three members of the Lyall Bay Surf Club , pluckily went into the water, and found that the shark ■n as still cruising about slowly. It was in shallow water, and seemed to be in no hurry to attack or elude them. They grasped it by the tail, whereupon the shark threw its head up out of the ■water in an attemp.t to snap at its attacker.s. but they hung on and pulled it upon the beach. The shark was about Oft 6in in length, and was of blue colour. Its mouth was 8 inches wide, and was armed with a formidable row of teeth. It was large enough to have done serious damage if it had seized a swimmer, but it seemed to be either sick or of a species which does not grow to a large size: or it may have reached an age when it Was comparatively harmless. The beach custodian reassured the bathers, who were mostly women and children, by stating that this was the first shark that had been seen in the vicinity, and within ten minutes the bathers were, all back in the water.