J5^ GJANT FISHES 



longer than the pectorals, but seem to become much shorter 

 with age. The coloration varies in the different species, but 

 the back is usually bluish, black or dark brown, and the lower 

 parts yellow, greyish-white, or silvery. Sometimes the whole 

 body is nearly uniformly grey or black. In some species 

 there is a row of narrow pale blue or silvery cross-bars along 

 the upper part of each side. 



The larger species grow to a length of 14 feet or more and 

 a weight of at least 1000 lb. 



A number of species have been described, but, as many of 

 these are known only from single specimens, or in some cases 

 only from parts of specimens or from photographs, it is impos- 

 sible to decide whether some of them are really valid, especially 

 in view of the fact that these fishes undergo considerable 

 changes during growth. The following species, however, 

 appear to be distinct and are all fairly well known : The 

 Mediterranean Spear-fish, Peito, or Aguia (T. belone), perhaps 

 occurring also in the adjacent parts of the Atlantic ; the 

 Short-nosed Spear-fish (T. brevirostris) , of Indian seas ; the 

 Black Marlin (T. mazara) of the Pacific, which is abundant 

 round Japan and the Hawaiian Islands, and appears to extend 

 to the coast of California and to New Zealand ; the Striped 

 Marlin (T. mitsukurii), with a distribution similar to that of 

 the Black Marlin ; the White Marlin or Bill-fish (T. albidus), 

 from the Atlantic coast of America, which is abundant in the 

 West Indies ; the Cape Marlin (T. herscheli), from South Africa ; 

 and the Indian Spear-fish or Joo-hoo (T. indicus), from the 

 Indian Ocean and the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago. 



Like the Tunnies and Albacores already described, and 

 their near relatives the Sail-fishes and Sword-fishes, these 

 fishes are tremendously powerful swimmers. Indeed, they are 

 held by many experts to be among the swiftest of existing 

 fishes, capable, not only of sudden rapid bursts of speed, during 

 which they have been estimated to travel at 40 to 50 miles 

 an hour, but of maintaining a high rate of progress for many 

 hours on end. A torpedo fired from a battleship would soon 

 be left behind by a large Spear-fish going ". all-out " ! The late 

 Professor Owen, when called upon to testify in a court of law 

 as to the power of one of these fishes, stated that " it strikes 

 with the accumulated force of fifteen double-headed hammers ; 



