XIPHIAS. 315 



it still remained immovably fixed, so that not a 

 single drop of oil had escaped. 



We are enabled by these relations, to form some 

 tolerable idea of their amazing muscular power. 

 The late Sir Joseph Banks was informed by an 

 East India Captain of a fact equally interesting ; 

 the sword was driven its entire length into the 

 sohd wood of the ship, but the extreme violence 

 of the shock instantly killed the enraged fish. The 

 block, sawed out of the hull, containing the imbed- 

 ded instrument, is still exhibited in the British 

 museum. 



On the coast of Brazil, the sword-fish attains 

 its greatest dimensions, being found twentyfive 

 feet long. Ship-carpenters do not view the cir- 

 cumstance of finding points and portions of blades 

 in vessels a rare occurrence, and more particularly 

 in those from South America. 



We have many specimens of the swords, from 

 various parts of the world, but two only possess 

 the skeleton of the head, which renders them 

 quite valuable to a cabinet. Seamen, who bring 

 them from foreign parts as curiosities, are very apt 

 to ruin them in two ways, viz : first, by sawing 

 them off too far from the jaw ; and secondly, by 

 scraping the blades smooth with knives and glass, 

 by way of improving upon nature; hence a ma- 

 jority of the specimens in museums are nearly ru- 

 ined. 



