LOCAL FAUNA 

 Sailfish 



A specimen of the Sailfish (Regalecus glesne Ascanius) was 

 taken near the Grouper Bank, about seventy miles off Charleston, 

 by the fishing boat Peerless, on June 23, 1909. The specimen 

 was sent to the Museum but, in the absence of the director, it 

 was not successfully preserved on account of its large size. It 

 was finally buried in the Museum grounds, for the preservation 

 of the skeleton, but misfortune again followed it, for the land 

 was ploughed by direction of the Park Board and the bones 

 scattered. Such parts as were recovered are now in the Museum 

 collection. ' 



The following account of this specimen was printed in the News 

 and Courier (Charleston), June 26, 1909. 



The monster is about six feet long, inclusive of a snout which is itself probably 

 a little more than a foot in length. It is scaleless and of a dark bluish color, some- 

 what transparent. On the back of the fish is an enormous fin about one foot in 

 height in the highest place, and running about three feet over the middle of the 

 back. The tail fin is forked, each prong being almost a foot in length. One of 

 the most characteristic markings of the fish are the two very large fin-Hke pro- 

 cesses which, in the dead condition, are drawn in under the belly. The snout 

 appears to be a continuation of the head and is provided on each side with sword- 

 like processes, probably the defensive weapon of the fish. 



The National Museum has a skeleton and a plaster cast of a 

 specimen, with a drawing made while it was still fresh. 



Dr. G. Brown Goode ^ says of the occurrence of the Sailfish: 



The occurrence of the Sail-fish is . . . very unusual. Marcgrave saw it in Bra- 

 zil as early as 1648. Sagra and Poey mention that it has been seen about Cuba, 

 and Schomburgh includes it in his Barbados list. The specimen in the United 

 States National Museum vv^as taken off Newport, R. I., in 1872 ... No others were 

 observed in our waters until March, 1878, when, according to Mr. Neyle Habersham, 

 of Savannah, Ga., two were taken by a vessel between Savannah and Indian River, 

 Florida, and were brought to Savannah. . . In 1873, according to Mr. E. G. Black- 

 ford, a specimen in a very mutilated condition was brought from Kev West to 

 New York City. ^ 



Jordan and Evermann ^ refer to a specimen obtained by Dr. 



1 Spec. No. 2533. " 



2 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1881, p. 427. 



' Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 47, Part 1, p. 891. 



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