. The ocean [microform]. Marine biology; Marine animals; Marine plants; Biologie marine; Faune marine; Flore marine. 146 THE OCEAN. mouth and contracting the muscles of the throat, the flesh is pursed up again into folds, and the water is driven, as in the former case, through the whalebone, wliicli secures the food. The Whales, gigantic as they are, yet having little power of offence, find to their cost, in common with nobler creatures, that harmlessness is often no resource against violence. Several species of the voracious Sharks make the Whale the object of their peculiar attacks; the Arct
. The ocean [microform]. Marine biology; Marine animals; Marine plants; Biologie marine; Faune marine; Flore marine. 146 THE OCEAN. mouth and contracting the muscles of the throat, the flesh is pursed up again into folds, and the water is driven, as in the former case, through the whalebone, wliicli secures the food. The Whales, gigantic as they are, yet having little power of offence, find to their cost, in common with nobler creatures, that harmlessness is often no resource against violence. Several species of the voracious Sharks make the Whale the object of their peculiar attacks; the Arctic Shark {Scf/mnus borealk) is said, with its serrnted teeth, to scoop out hemispherical pieces of flesh from the Whale's body as big as a man's head, and to proceed without mercy until its appetite is satiated. Another Shark, often called the Thresher (Carcharias imlpes), which is sometimes upwards of twelve feet long, is said to use its muscular tail, that is nearly half of its whole length, to inflict terrible slaps on the Whale; though one would be apt to imagine that if this whipping were all, the huge creature would be more fright- ened than hurt. The Sword-fish {Xiphias gladius), however, in the long and bony spear that projects from its snout, seems to be furnished with a weapon which may reasonably alarm even the leviathan of the deep, especially as the will to use his sword, it we may believe eye-witnesses, is in nowise deficient. Tne late Captain Crow records an incident of this kind with much circumstantiality: " One morning," he observes, "during a calm, when near the He- brides, all hands were called up at 3 to witness a battle between several of the fish called Threshers, or Fox Sharks, and some Sword-fish, on one side, i ]«. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectmarineanimals, bookye
