GEN. XIPHIAS. THE SWORD-FISH. 203 



ing, as stated by Captain Crow, in a work lately 

 published, during a calm, when near the Hebrides, 

 all hands were called up at 3, a. m., to witness a 

 battle between several fish called Thrashers or Fox- 

 sharks, and some Sword-fish, on the one side, and 

 an enormous whale on the other. It was in the 

 middle of summer; and the weather being clear, 

 and the fish close to the vessel, we had a fine op- 

 portunity of witnessing the contest. As soon as 

 the whale's back appeared above the surface, the 

 Thrashers, springing several yards into the air, de- 

 scended with great violence upon the object of their 

 rancour, and inflicted upon him the most severe 

 slaps with their tails, the sounds of which resembled 

 the reports of muskets fired at a distance. The 

 Sword-fish, in their turn, attacked the distressed 

 whale, stabbing from beneath; and thus beset on 

 all sides, and wounded, whenever the poor creature 

 appeared, the water round him was dyed with 

 blood. In this manner they continued tormenting 

 and wounding him for many hours, until we lost 

 sight of him ; and, I have no doubt that in the end 

 they completed his destruction." It is probably by 

 mistaking a vessel for one of these great monsters of 

 the deep, that the Sword-fish is ever seen to try 

 his strength against a gallant ship. Those on board 

 have sometimes, from the violence of the shock, 

 found it difficult to believe that they have not struck 

 some hidden rock, such being the weight and power 

 of the fish, and specimens of ships' timbers penetrated 

 by what appears to be the sword of the fish, are by 



