SWORDFISir. 



119 



body ;iiid of the head, but in comparison witli the 

 width of tlie cheek it is larae, and indicates, as WiN- 

 THEK h;is I'eniarked, that the Swordlish, sometimes at 

 least, seeks its food in the deeper (darker) ])arts of tlie 

 sea. Scarcely lialf the postorbital portion of the head 

 is occupied by the cheeks (to the hind margin of the 

 preoperculum), and tlie rest is formed by the oper- 

 culum. In adult specimens the thickness (height) of 

 the sword at its l)ase is oidy Va of the breadth; but 

 in young specimens the thickness rises as high as ^j^ 

 the breadth, and the form of the sword thus approaches 

 its terete form in the other two genera, which in other 

 respects, too, represent the juvenile stages of the family. 

 On the side of the nose, on a level with the upper 

 margin of the eye, lie the two round nostrils, the 

 posterior being considerably larger than the anterior 

 and the distance between it and the eye being about 

 ^'3 of the orbital diameter. The forehead is fiat; the 

 cheeks fall perpendicularly from it. The operculum is 

 quadrilateral, almost square, thin and striated; its height 

 is about 4 times that of the suboperculum, which is 

 of nearly the same length, and the lower margin of 

 which almost entirely forms the lower ed"e of the ijill- 

 cover, for the interoperculum is only a comparative!)^ 

 small triangle inserted between the suboperculum, the 

 preoperculum and the lower jaw. The preoperculum, 

 too, is remarkably short (in its horizontal branch) but 

 of ordinary height. The forms of the dorsal, anal, 

 and caudal fins and the changes due to age are given 

 al)ove. The apex of the dorsal tin is formed bv the 

 first branched ravs and reaches a height which is l:)ut 

 slightlj- less than the greatest depth of the body and is 

 about- equal to or even exceeds the length of the falci- 

 form pectoral fins.- The lateral line is scarcely distin- 

 guishable, .".but it"faii>ly closely follows the curve of the 

 dorsal profile. The scales, like the jaw-teeth, as we 

 mentioned" above, alinost completely disappear. No 

 tongue or gill-rakei's. The pyloric appendages are nu- 

 merous, and are united into a mass like a bunch of 

 gi'apes. The sclerotica of the eye contains two osseous 

 lamina^ united by sutures, which in front (distallj') 

 leave a round opening for the cornea and behind an 

 irregular Iiole for the optic nerve. The colouring of 



the body is a darker or lighter variation of the colours 

 given above. In youth, like most Scombromorphi, the 

 Swoi'dtish is marked \vith dark transverse bands across 

 the body. 



From the classical times the history of the Sword- 

 fish has always been embellished with a thousand 

 exaggerated tales of its fierceness and the hostility it 

 entertains even towards objects which cannot serve as 

 its food. It is really, however, of a peaceable disjiosi- 

 tion, and even remarkable for its timidity, but one of 

 the most rapid SAvimmers of all fishes, and quite capable, 

 though this is not its habit, of dealing other ci-ea- 

 tures dangerous wounds with its powerful sword. It 

 has especially been accused as the bitterest enemy of 

 the whale; but this may very easily be due to a con- 

 fusion between the Swoi'dfish and the Grampus (Orca 

 ffj(idififor). With regard to the terete-snouted Swoi'd- 

 fishes it is an established fact that they have often 

 darted at a vessel and pierced its side with their sword 

 — in one case, even where the ship was copper- 

 bottomed, to a depth of 14 in. Of such an action on 

 the part of the true Swordfish, however, we have only 

 one authenticated instance, which took place in Norway, 

 where in August, 1839, it is said, a Swordfish 21 dcm. 

 in length was caught at the mouth of a river far up 

 Lerljord in Helgeland, after having driven its sword 

 into a boat". We can set no great weight on the 

 account given by Yakrell'' of a Swordfish which killed 

 a man bathing in the Severn, for the fish was probably 

 rushing blindl)' forward in fright. From America we 

 are told" that the Swordfish, Avhen struck with a har- 

 poon, turns upon the boat whence it has received the 

 blow; but we may easily understand that on such pi"o- 

 vocation it is enraged to madness. Perhaps the real 

 purpose of the sword is not yet fully known; but we 

 must assume that it is connected Avith the procuring 

 of food. Bennett has given a clue to the explanation 

 of the attacks made upon vessels by the terete-snouted 

 Swordfishes. With lightning speed they dart among 

 shoals of Bonitos, Albicores and other Scombroids, 

 spitting them on their swords, intending afterwards to 

 shake them oft' and devour them. When its victims 

 seek shelter in the shadow of a ship, the Swordfish may 



" still it is worth mentioning tliiit not a single word of the blow dealt to the boat occurs in the letter to Kroyer, wherein Governor 

 Christie describes the catch. See Damn. Fiske, vol. I, Tillasg. p. 597. (Helgeland is a district of Finraark. Tr.). 

 '' Brit. Fish., ed. 2, vol. I, p. 165, after Daniell, Rural Sports, 1801. 

 ' Browjj-Goode, Afater. Hist. Sword-Fish., p. 45; Fish. Lidustr. U. S., part. I, p. 351, from Prof. Baird's rotes. 



