THE SPEAK-FISH. 359 



voyage to Key "West, in company with the smack 'Morning Star,' Captain Rowland. On the 12th 

 they were off Cape Hatteras, the wind blowing heavily from the northeast, and the smack under 

 double reefed sails. At ten o'clock in the evening: they were struck by a 'Woho' (sic), which 

 shocked the vessel all over. The smack was leaking badly, and they made a signal to the 

 'Morning Star' to keep close by them. The next morning they found the leak, and both smacks 

 kept off to Charleston. On arrival they took out the ballast, hove her out, and found that the 

 sword had gone through the planking, timber, and ceiling. The plank was two inches thick, the 

 timber tivo inches, and the ceiling one and a half inches white oak. The sword projected two 

 inches through the ceiling, on the inside of the 'after-run.' 1 It struck close by a butt on the 

 outside, which caused the leak. They took out and replaced a piece of the plank, and proceeded 

 on their voyage." 



J. Matthew Jones, esq., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in his delightful little book "The Naturalist 

 in Bermuda," records the case of the Bermudian schooner " Earl Dundonald," arrived in the 

 port of Hamilton, which was pierced by one of these formidable fish off the coast of British 

 Guiana. 



In the museum of Charleston College, Charleston, South Carolina, is preserved a fragment of 

 the snout of a Spear-fish, apparently Tetrapturits albidus. By the kindness of the curator, Dr. 

 G. E. Manigault, I was allowed to examine it and copy the label, which reads as follows: "The 

 brig 'Amsterdam,' bound to Charleston, owned by F. C. Bray, was struck in the Gulf Stream by 

 a monster or Sword-fish, which caused the vessel to leak considerably. By great exertion she was 

 kept free, and gained the port in safety." 



Messrs. Foster, Waterman & Co., of Boston, presented to the Boston Society of Natural 

 History, in 1869, a plank of Southern pine, from the side of the ship "Pocahontas," owned by 

 them, perforated by and containing a portion of the sword of a "Sword-fish," probably a species of 

 Histiophorua. 1 



A hold under the cabin. 



'Proc. Boat. Sue. Nat. Hist, liii, 1869,p. 64. 



