VI 



THE MARLIN OR SPEARFISH 



(T etrapturis mitsukurif) 



I JOURNEYED from Maine to Santa 

 Catalina Island, California, at the end of 

 August to attempt to take a marlin. This 

 fish is the jumping-jack of the Pacific ocean, 

 and I had heard so much of his acrobatic 

 performances that I decided that no journey 

 would be too long if I could but capture one. 



The marlin is sometimes called the Jap- 

 anese swordfish, which is a misnomer, for 

 his so-called sword is a spear shaped like a 

 marlin-spike, hence the name, marlin. He 

 is a true spearfish and is to be found in the 

 warm waters of the Pacific ocean. 



He appears, as a rule, off the island of 



San Clemente in early September, coming 



from the south. San Clemente is twenty 



miles due south of Santa Catalina Island. 



[77] 



