ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 99 
The bill-fish or spear-fish, Zetrapturus indicus (with the various 
doubtful species mentioned), occurs in the Western Atlantic 
from the West Indies, lat. 10 deg. to 20 deg. N., to Southern 
New England, lat. 42 deg. N.; in the Eastern Atlantic from Gib- 
raltar, lat. 45 deg. N., to the Cape of Good Hope, lat. 30 deg. S.; 
in the Indian Ocean, the Malay Archipelago, New Zealand, lat. 
40 deg. S., and on the west coast of Chiliand Peru. Ina gen- 
eral way, the range is between lat. 4o deg. N. and lat. 4o deg. S. 
The species of Zetrapturus which we have been accustomed to 
call 7. Albidus, abundant about Cuba, is not very unusual on the 
coast of Southern New England. Several are taken every year 
by the swordfish fishermen. I have not known of their capture 
along the Southern Atlantic coast of the United States. All I 
have known about were taken between Sandy Hook and the 
eastern part of George’s Bank. 
The Mediterranean spear-fish, Zetrapturus belone, appears to be 
a land-locked form, never passing west of the Straits of Gib- 
raltar. 
PERIODICAL MOVEMENTS OF THE SWORDFISH—TIMES OF ARRIVAL 
AND DEPARTURE. 
Before entering upon a discussion of the movements of the 
swordfish and their causes, it seems desirable to bring together 
the facts which have been learned, by conversation with fisher- 
men and otherwise, in one group. Each man’s views are given 
in his own style,and as nearly as possible in his own words. 
There is no attempt at a classification of the facts. This will be 
made subsequently. 
An old swordfisherman at New York informed Mr. Blackford 
that the season opens in the neighborhood of Sandy Hook about 
the first of June, and continues along the coast as far east as 
Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Shoals until about the mid- 
dle of September. He has heard of their being caught as far 
east as Cape Sable. At the first cold winds of September they 
disappear. They are, like the mackerel, at first very poor and 
lean, but as the season advances they grow fatter. 
Mr. John H. Thomson, of New Bedford, who kindly inter- 
