GLADIATORS OF THE SEA. 



345 



for its enormous dorsal fin. 

 south to 40° north latitude, 

 the sail-fish in this coun- 

 try. In the life of Sir 

 Stamford Raffles there is 

 the following account 

 from Singapore, under 

 date of November 30, 

 1822 : " The only amus- 

 ing discovery we have re- 

 cently made is that of a 

 sailing-fish, called by the 

 natives Ihaoi layer, of 

 about ten or twelve feet 

 long, which hoists a main- 

 sail, and often sails in the 

 manner of a native boat, 

 and with considerable 

 swiftness. I have sent a 

 set of the sails home, as 

 they are beautifully cut, 

 and form a model for a 

 fast sailing-boat. When 

 a school of these ai"e un- 

 der sail together they are 

 frequently mistaken for a 

 fleet of native boats." The 

 appearance of this fish is 

 shown in Fig. 5. 



A sketch of the gladia- 

 tors of the sea would not 

 be complete without some 

 mention of the saw -fish 

 and the narwhal. The 

 saw-fish family is allied 

 to the sharks, having a 

 similar elongated and 

 rounded body, and un- 

 equal tail -lobes. They 

 are found in most warm 

 seas and even near the 

 poles ; one species is met 

 with all along the Atlan- 

 tic coast of the United 

 States. They are rapid 

 swimmers. The mouth is 



Its range may be said to be from 30° 

 No observations have been made upon 



