118 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



Genus XIPHIAS. 



No ventral fins. Tii adult specimens the anterior part of the dorsal fin is pointed and falciform. The "sirord" 

 flat and tiro-edged. The middle caudal carina hir/h; no smcdl cariiice in adult specimens, thonr/h theji mat/ he 



distinffuished during youth". 



Only one species is known within this genus with its classic;)] Gveelv name''. 



THE SWORDFISH. 



XIPHIAS GLADIUS. 



Plate IX, fig. 1. 



Back lustrous dark-blue, sides gragish-hlue, belly silvery. 



^- '"■■ '^ "■ 15(36-/'" 



V. X. + \r> 1. lO + .r. 



-4; A. 



9(11) 



'3—5; P. 2 + 1-4; F. ; 



Sijn. Xiphias seu Gladius piscis, Gesn., Hist. Aniin. (Francof. 1620), 

 Lib. IV, pp. 379 et 1049. 



Xiphias, Lin., Fn. Sttec, ed. 1, p. 108. 



Xipliias gladius, Lin., Si/st. Nat., ed. X, toni. I, p. 248; Kolpin, 

 Vet.-Akad. Handl. 1770, p. 5; 1771, p. 115; Rets., Fn. 

 Suec. Lin., p. 316; Cuv., V.\l., Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. VIII, 

 p. 255, tab. 225, 226, 231; Nir.Ls. Prod,: Ichth. Scand., 

 p. 108; KE0y., Daiim. Fiske, vol. I, p. 253; Noedm., De- 

 iiiid. Voij. Russ. Mer., p. 393; Ekstr., Gbgs Vet., Vitt. 

 Saiiih. Handl., Ny Tidsf., H. 1, p. 37; NiLSS., Skand. Fn.. 

 Fisk., p. 147; Gthr, Cat. Brit. Mus., Fish., vol. II, p. 511; 

 LiNDSTH., Gotl. Fiskar, Gotl. Lans Hush. Sallsk. Arsber., 

 1866, p. 25 (sep.); W.\llengren, Of vers. Vet.-Akad. Forh. 

 1866, p. 5; Coll., Vid. Selsk. Forh. 1874, Tilla-gsh., p. 

 51; 1879, p. 33; Cederstr6m, Otvers. Vet.-Akad. Forh. 

 1876, No. 4, p. 64; M.u.i.i. Gbgs, Boh. Fn., p. 423; WiN- 

 THER, Naturh. Tidskr. Kbhvn, ser. 3, vol. XII, p. 16; Id., 

 Zool. Dan., Fiske, p. 25, tab. IV, fig. 6; Day, Fish. G:t 

 Brit, IreL. vol. I, p. 146. tab. XLIX; MOb., Hcke, Fische 

 d. Ostsee, p. 36; Br.-Goode, Mater. Hist. 6'word Fishes, 

 Wash. 1883; Id., Fish, fndustr. U. &'., part. I, p. 336, 

 tab. 115; Coll., N. Mag. f. Naturv. Christ., Bd. 29 (1884), 

 p. 60; LiLLJ., jSv., Norg. Fiskar, vol. I, p. 380. 



The fusiform body of the Swordfish is so elong- 

 ated that in full-grown specimens the length is 6 times 

 the depth; but the young specimens are still inoi-e 

 elongated — at a length of 75 cm. the length of the 

 body is nearly 8 times the greatest depth, and at a 

 l(!ngth of 87 mm. about 15 times''. In specimens 75 

 cm. long the greatest deptli of the body is about '/s 

 of the distance from the point of the "sword" to the 



liind margin of the eye, in specimens half this size 

 about 7i ^iif^ i'^ specimens .37 mm. long only slightly 

 over Vii- 111 adult specimens the greatest depth is about 

 half-way along the high lobe of the first dorsal tin, 

 behind the insertion of the pectoral tins. The length 

 of the liead, that of the sword included, varies in full- 

 grown Swordfish between 40 and 45 % of the length 

 of the l)ody: in specimens 75 cm. long the liead is 

 almost as long as the trunk from the gill-opening to 

 the base of the middle caudal rays. In young speci- 

 mens, as we have mentioned, the lower jaw is com- 

 paratively much longer than in adult, and in specimens 

 about 20 cm. in length'' may be only slightly shorter 

 than the upper jaw; in specimens 75 cm. in length 

 the length of tlie head from the point of the lower 

 jaw is about 26 % of the length of the l)ody; and in 

 adult specimens the length of this part of the head is 

 about equal to the greatest depth of the bodv and 

 al)out 16 % of the length. Even in adult specimens 

 the length of the loA\er jaw varies considerabl)' : in 

 specimens from 2 to 4 metres long it varies between 

 15 and 11 % of the length of the body. The length 

 of the snout from the anterior margin of the eye varies 

 in full-grown specimens between 70 and 75 % of the 

 length of the head; the diameter of the eye is about 

 6 % of the length of the head or somewhat less than 

 half the breadth of the interorbital space. The 

 eye is thus small in proportion to the length of the 



" LuTKEN, Spol. Atl., 1. c. p. 446. 



* EKfing, Arist. etc., see Artedi, -Syn., p. 47. 



' LCtken, also mentions a specimen 19 cm. in length, where the greatest depth was only 10 nun. 



'' See Day, Fish. Gt. Brit., IreL, plate XLIX, fig. 2. 



