ble fungus. The animal lives
inside of that circular shell, which is formed something like the
under side of a toad-stool. Between the thin plates, or leaves, the
polypier thrusts out its arms with little suckers at the ends. With
these it seizes its food and conveys it to its mouth, which is
situated at the centre of its body.

[Illustration]

But there are more strange fish in the sea than we can ever mention,
and the strange fish are by no means the most profitable. Still there
is a pleasure in fishing, no matter what we pull up.

The greatest fishers in the world are fish. The Whale will catch, in
the course of a day, enough herring to last a family for many years,
and in all the rivers and oceans and lakes, fishing is going on so
constantly and extensively that the efforts of man in that direction
seem ridiculous, by contrast.

[Illustration]

The Tunny, a large fish, measuring from two to five feet in ordinary
length, is a great fisher. He, like the Whale, is fond of herrings,
and he likes them fresh, not salt, smoked, or pickled. Often, when the
fishermen are busy in their boats, setting their nets for herring, a
troupe of Tunnies will come along, and chase the herring in every
direction, swallowing every unfortunate fellow that they can catch.

Some of the fishers that live in the sea are terrible fellows, and are
by no means content with such small game as herring. The Sword-fish,
for instance, always appears to prefer large victims, and he has such
strong tastes of that kind, that he has been known to attack ships,
driving his long sword clean through the bottom of the vessel. But he
generally comes off second best on such occasions, for his sword is
very often broken off and left sticking fast in the thick hull.

[Illustration]

The Sword-fish has a better chance when he attacks a Whale, and this
he has often been known to do. The Whale could probably kill the
Sword-fish, if he could get one good crack at him, but the smaller
fish is generally active enough to keep out of the way of harm, while
he drives his sword into the Whale again and again, until the great
creature often perishes from loss of blood.

The Shark, as you all know, is the most ferocious and dangerous of
all the fishers in the sea. He considers anything suitable for a meal
which will go into his mouth; he will eagerly snap at a man, a mouse,
or even a tin coffee-pot, or a band-box. So savage and relentless is
this "tiger of the se