2G4 HISTIOPHCEUS, OK CEESTED G\YOED-FISH. 



found in the Indian Ocean. This fish has a round 

 sohd sword, and not unfrequently attacks ships, charg- 

 ing them with wonderful velocity ; hut, fortunately, the 

 ship generally comes off hest in the fight, as the fish 

 usually manages to leave his weapon hehind, sticking 

 fast in the ship. There is a specimen of this fish 

 in the British Museum, with a fin running down its 

 hack like a horse's mane, hence the name of " crested." 

 At the College of Surgeons there is a section of a how 

 of a South Sea whaler, once H.M.S. Faicn. In it is 

 ^een the end of the sw^ord of a sword-fish, measuring one 

 foot in length and five inches in circumference. At one 

 single hlow the fish had lunged his sword through and 

 completely transfixed 13^ inches of solid timher. The 

 sword had, of course, hroken off in the hole, and thus 

 prevented a dangerous leak in the ship. 



In the British Museum is a specimen of a ship's side 

 with the sword of a sword-fish fixed in it — thisformidahic 

 weapon has penetrated no less than 1 foot 10 inches 

 into the timher. "When His Majestj^'s ship Leopard was 

 repairing, in 1725, after her return from the coast of 

 Guinea, a sword of the sword-fish was found to have 

 gone through the sheathing, 1 inch, next through a 

 3 inch plank, and heyond that 4^ inches into the firm 

 timher, solid oak. It was the opinion of the mechanics 

 that it would require nine strokes of a 25lhs. hammer to 

 drive a holt of similar size and form to the same depth 

 in the same hull ; yet this was accomplished hy a single 

 thrust hy the fish. Sword-fish are said to attack whales ; 

 hut we want further information on this point. (Sec 

 Appendix No. 5.) 



In Decemher, 1870, Mr. Thomas Johnson informed 

 me that when the ship Manj Ann Moore, of Dundee, 

 just recently arrived from Bomhay, was in dry dock at 



