158 COMMON SWORD FISH. 



sea ; the eggs are about the size of peas, and the young 

 are of a greenish cast. It is caught more by the net than 

 the line. The flesh is not bad, but looks so ill, that most 

 Europeans will not eat it. It is used by the Greenlanders, 

 both fresh and dried, and its skin furnishes them with con- 

 venient bags. 



THE COMMON SWORD-FISH 



Frequents the Mediterranean, and is mostly found in the 

 Sicilian seas ; it grows to a length of twenty feet, and is 

 fierce and active, preying on the smaller fishes, which it 

 pierces with its snout. The body is long, round, and 

 tapering towards the tail : the head is flaltish : the mouth 

 wide, both jaws ending in a point; the upper, stretched to 

 a considerable length, is of a bony substance, covered with 

 a thin skin ; thick in the middle, and sharp at each edge. 

 The fins are curiously shaped, in different parts like a 

 sharp crescent; of which form is also the tail. The 

 colour is of a steel blue above, and silvery white below. 

 The Sword-fish is taken in the following manner: the 

 fisherman mounts a cliff overhanging the sea, and having 

 observed the fish, gives notice of its course. Another 

 person, in a boat beneath, climbs the mast, to obtain a 

 view of the fish, and to direct the rowers below. When he 

 thinks the boat near enough, he descends, and plunges his 

 spear into the fish, which, when wearied with struggling, 

 is drawn into the boat. Its flesh, which is much esteemed 

 by the Sicilians, is cut into pieces, and salted. The Sword- 

 fish is not confined to the Mediterranean, but is found in 

 the Northern seas, and sometimes in the Pacific. 



THE DRAGON WEEVER 



Is of a lengthened form, flattened at the sides, and covered 

 with small scales, which are easily removed. The mouth 

 is large, and opens downwards ; both jaws are armed with 

 strong teeth. The first dorsal-fin is small, consisting of 

 five spines : the second is continued almost to the tail ; so 



