96 FISH-CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
They have also been seen in Jamaica. 
Liitken gives instances of the capture of young swordfish at 
various points in the open Atlantic. 
OCCURRENCE IN THE PACIFIC AND INDIAN OCEANS. 
We have no record of their occurrence on the eastern coast of 
South America, but the species is found on the Pacific coast of 
the same continent, and north to California. 
Professor Jordan writes : “Occasionally seen about Santa 
Catalina and the Coronados, but never taken, the fishermen hav- 
ing no suitable tackle. One seen by us off Santo Monica, in 
1880, about eight feet in length.” 
Mr. Willard Nye, of New Bedford, Mass., kindly communi- 
cates the following notes: Captain Dyer, of this port, says 
that swordfish are plentiful off the Peruvian coast, a number 
being often in sight at one time. The largest he ever saw was 
one caught by himself about one hundred and fifty miles from 
the shore, and which he estimates to have weighed nine hundred 
to one thousand pounds ; the ship’s crew subsisted on it for sev- 
eral days, and then salted four hundred pounds. 
Captain Allen also states that while cruising in. the Pacific for 
whales he has found the swordfish very abundant on the coasts 
of Peru and Chili, from the immediate coast three hundred 
miles out, though outside of that limit they are seldom seen. 
They are most plenty during the month of January, when they 
are feeding on the common mackerel, with which those waters 
at that time abound. The largest he ever caught weighed about 
six hundred pounds, 
Both Captain Allen and Captain Dyer have made several voy- 
ages as masters of whaling ships, and are perfectly familiar with 
swordfish on our coast ; both speak of seeing plenty of bill-fish 
in the Pacific, but they never had taken the trouble to catch 
them. Giinther mentions them in his book on the Fishes of the 
South Sea. 
In 1874, Dr. Hector discovered a swordfish snout in the mu- 
seum at Auckland, New Zealand, and his announcement of the 
