[3] MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF THE SWORD-FISHES. 291 
desirable should be learned. Such of the facts as have not previously 
been printed are for the most part drawn from the experience of fisher- 
men either by the writer or by others who have kindly responded to let- 
ters asking for information by interviewing their local authorities. Mr. 
John H. Thomson, of New Bedford; Mr. Willard Nye, of New Bedford ; 
Mr. E. G. Blackford and Mr. Barnet Phillips, of New York; and Mr. C. 
B. Fuller, of Portland, have aided thus. Capt. Benjamin Ashby, of No- 
ank; Capts. R. H. Hurlbert, John Rowe, and George H. Martin, of Glouces- 
ter; and Capt. I. H. Michaux, of New Bedford, veteran swordfishermen, 
have been asked questions innumerable, and their words are frequently 
quoted. As far as possible, all statements have been confirmed by per- 
sonal observation; but for this there has been little opportunity. Few 
fishes are so difficult to observe, and a student may pass summer after 
summer in the attempt to study them with few results other than the 
sight of a few dozen dorsal fins cutting through the water, a chance to 
measure and dissect a few specimens, a page or two of estimates of an- 
nual captures, and perhaps the experience of ae the side of his 
boat pierced by one of the ugly swords. 
This paper is the fourth of a series upon The Natural and Eeonomi- 
cal History of Aimerican Food-fishes, the first, on THE SCUPPAUG, and 
the second, on THE BLUEFISH, having been published by Professor 
Baird in the Report of the United States Fish Commission, Part I 
(1873); the third, on THE MENHADEN, in Part V (1879) of the same 
report. The HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY, by Mr. 
Alexander Starbuck in Part IV of the same report, is also properly to 
be enumerated in ghis series. 
B.—_NAMES OF THE SWORD-FISH. 
2.—POPULAR NAMES OF SWORD-FISH. 
The names by which the fish under consideration is known all have 
reference to its most prominent feature, the prolonged snout. The 
“ Sword-fish” of our own tongue, the “ Zwaard-fis” of the Hollander, 
the Italian “Sifio” and ‘“ Pesce-epada”, the Spaniard’s “Espada”, ‘ Bspa- 
darte”, and varied by “Pez de epada” in Cuba, and the French “Espadon”, 
“Dard”, and * Epée de mer” are simply variations of one theme, repeti- 
tions of the “Gladius” of ancient Italy and “Xiphias”, the name by 
which Aristotle, the father of zoology, called the same fish twenty-three 
hundred years ago. The French ‘‘Hmpereur” and the ‘“Imperador” and 
“Qcean King-fish” of the Spanish and French West Indies carry out 
the same idea; the Roman emperor was always represented holding a 
drawn sword in.his hand. The Portuguese names are Agulha and 
Agulhao, meaning “needle” or ‘needle-fish”. 
3.—ZOOLOGICAL NAMES OF THE SWORD-FISH—WITH SYNONYMY. 
Zoological names. 
This species has been particularly fortunate in escaping the numerous 
redescriptions to which almost all widely distributed forms have been 
