There are sharks that can bite a man in halves. Once in awhile we see a
shark in our Mediterranean, but they do not abound there. Yet now and
then Mister Diver-man has had to rush for his life to reach the friendly
ladder when the disturbance under water to right and left has warned him
that one of these sea-monsters was approaching. Oh, they are dreadful
creatures, and greedy, too. They will follow vessels for miles and
miles, expecting that cast-off food will be thrown into the sea, as it
often is. Their instinct tells them that food is likely to drop from
vessels, and it does, indeed.

I also saw a sea-snipe, or trumpet-fish, but, oho, without a tooth! He
made me think of a scorpion that has a poisonous, dangerous tail.

I came upon a funny sight while still in the Atlantic Ocean. A whole
school of whales went rushing along in a body, and pretty soon I saw
what it meant. Then it was more funny for me than for the poor whales.
Some whalers, men who go out in vessels to catch these enormous fishes
for their flesh, their oil, and their bones, were banging great heavy
pieces of tin of iron against stones, so frightening the whales that
they crowded in a body into a little creek or inlet.

This was just what the whalers wanted them to do. Because, once in the
narrow place, so many of them could not escape, and it became easy to
capture them. Men-Folks do really know a very great deal. It makes me
afraid of them.

An urchin-fish would make you laugh. Some call it a sea-hedgehog. It
looks as if covered all over with great thorns, and a baby sea-urchin
looks as if it was all ready to burst, it is so thick and round.