[45] MATERIALS FOR A HISTORY OF THE SWORD-FISHES. 333 
Feet from her Keel, just before the Fore Mast; which they searching into, 
found the Bone or Part of the Horn of a Fish of the Figure here de- 
scribed ; the Outside Rough not unlike Seal-Skin; and the End, where it 
was broken off shewed itself like coarse Ivory. ‘The Fish is supposed to 
have followed the Ship, when under Sail, because the sharp End of the 
Horn pointed toward the Bow: It penetrated with that Swiftness or 
Strength that it went through the Sheathing 1 Inch thick, the Plank 3 
Inches thick, and into the Timber 45 Inches.’”* 
Don Joseph Cornide, in his “ Essayo de Una Historia de los Peces 
de la Costa de Galicia”, 1787: 
“This fish is taken in the seas of Galicia, where it is more common 
toward the Rio de Vigo, where it is well known that the Balandia (a 
small fishing vessel) of S. M. le Ardilla was pierced in its side and sunk 
~ by the arm of one of these fishes, which is preserved in the Royal Cabi- 
net of Natural History.” 
In 1871 the little yacht “‘Redhot”, of New Bedford, was out swordfish- 
ing, and a Sword-fish had been hauled in to be lanced, and it attacked 
the vessel and pierced the side so as to sink the vessel. She was re- 
paired and used in the service of the Commission at Wood’s Holl. 
(Professor Baird.) 
Couch quotes the personal statement of a gentleman, who says: 
‘¢ We have had the pleasure of inspecting a piece of wood cut out of 
one of the fore planks of a vessel (the ‘ Priscilla’, from Pernambuco), 
through which was struck about 18 inches of the bony weapon of the 
Sword-fish. The force with which it must have been driven in affords a 
striking exemplification of the power and ferocity of the fish. The ‘ Pris- 
cilla’ is quite a new vessel. Captain Taylor, her commander, states that 
when near the Azores, as he was walking the quarter-deck at night, a 
shock was felt which brought all hands from below, under the impres- 
sion that the ship had touched upon some rock. This was, no doubt, 
when the occurrence took place.” 
The New York Herald of May 11, 1871, states: 
“The English ship ‘Queensberry’ has been struck by a Sword-fish, 
which penetrated to a depth of 30 inches, causing a leak which neces- 
sitated the discharge of the cargo.” 
The London Daily News of December 11, 1868, contained the follow- 
ing paragraph, which emanated, I suspect, from the pen of Prof. R. A. 
Proctor: 
‘Last Wednesday the court of common pleas—rather a strange 
place, by the by, for inquiring into the natural history of fishes—was 
engaged for several hours in trying to determine under what circum- 
stances a Sword-fish might be able to escape scot-free atter thrusting his 
snout into the side of a ship. The gallant ship ‘Dreadnought’, thor- 
oughly repaired, and classed Al at Lloyd’s, had been insured for £3,000 
“An Account of the horn of a Fish struck several Inches into the side of a Ship, by 
C. Mortimer, M. D.F.R.S. Philos. Trans. xl, No. 461, p. 862, 1741. Abr. ed. ix, p. 72. 
