"JACK SHARK."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7329, 15 February 1902, Page 2

"JACK SHARK."

(By LOUIS BECKE.) "What is the greatest number of sharks that you have ever seen together at one time?" asked an English lady in San Francisco of Captain Allen, of the New Bedford barque Acors Barnes. "Two or three hundred, when we have been cutting-in a whale ; two or three thousand in Christmas Island lagoon." vi-Spme of thehardy old seaman's listeners smiled somewhat incredulously at the "two or three thousand," but, nevertheless, he was not only not exaggerating, but might have said five or six thousand. The Christmas Island to which he referred must not be mistaken for the island of the same name in the Indian Ocean — the CocosKeeling group. It is in the North Pacific, two degrees north of the Equator, and 157.30 W., and a low sandy atoll, encompassing a spacious but rather shallow lagoon, teeming with non-poisonous fish. It is leased from the Colonial Office by a London firm, who are planting the barren soil with cocoanut trees, and fishing the. lagoon for pearl-shell.. Like many other, of the isolated atolls in the North Pacific,such as the Farmings, Palmyra-, and Providence, group, the lagoon is resorted to by sharks in incredible numbers ; and even at the present time the native labourers employed by the firm alluded to make a considerable sum of money by catching sharks and drying the fins and tails for export to Sydney, and thence to China, where they command a price ranging from 6d to Is 6d per Ib, according to quality. The lagoon sharks are of a- different species to 5 the short, thick, wide-jawed "man-eaters," although they are equally dangerous at night time as the deep-sea prowlers. The present writer was for, a long time engaged with a native crew in the. shark-catching industry in the North Pacific, and. therefore had every opportunityof studying Japk Sh-ark and his manners. On Providence Lagoon (the Ujilongof the natives), once the secret rendezvous of the notorious Captain "Bully-" Hayes and his associate adventurer, Captain Ben Peese, I have, at low tide, stood on the edge of the coral reef on one side of South Passage, and gazed in astonishment at the extraordinary numbers of sharks entering the* lagoon for their nightly onslaught on the vast bodies of fish with which the water teems. They came on in droves, like sheep, in scores at first, then in hundreds, and then in packed masses, their sharp, black-tipped fins stretching from one side of the passage to the other. As they gained the inside of the lagoon they branched off, some to right and some to left, others swimming straight on towards tba sandy beaches of the chain of islets. From where I stood I could have killed scores of them with a whale lance, or even a club, for they were packed so closely that they literally scrapped against the coral walls of the- passage ; and some Gilbert Islanders who were with me amused themselves by seizing several by their tails and dragging them out upon the reef. They were nearly all of the same size, about seven feet, with long, slender bodies, and their markings, shape and general appearance were those of the shark called by the Samoans moemoeas (sleeps all day), though not much more than half their length. The Gilbert Islanders informed me that this species were also bakwa matu te ao (sleepers by day) at certain seasons of the year, but usually sought tbeir prey by night at all times ; and a few months later I had an opportrnitv afforded me of reeing some hundreds of them asleep. This was outside the barrier reef of the little island of Ailuk, in the Marshall group. We were endeavouring to find and recover a lost anchor, and were drifting along in a boat m about six fathoms of water ; there was not a breath of wind and consequently we bad no need tousewWr-glasses, for^even minute objects } could be easily discerned through the crystal Wa « Hallo! Look here," said the mate; „...« richt on top of a- nice little family J!L of lharks. It's their watch below." T vine closely together, on a bottom of «,™i and coral debris, were about a dozen sharkfteads and tails in perfect line Kr skins were a mottled brown andyoliow, like the crustacean-feeding ." tiger- 1 _

shark " of Port Jackson. They lay so perfectly still that the mate lowered a grapnel right on the back of one. He switched his long, thin tail lazily, " shoved " himself along for a few feet, and settled down again to sleep, his bedmates taking no notice of the intruding grapnel. Further on. we came across many more — all in parties of from ten to twenty, and all preserving in. their slumber a due sense of regularity of outline in the disposition of their long bodies.