ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 121 
“In the month of August, 1861,” says Couch, “near Westra, 
one of the northernmost islands of the Orkneys, an individual] 
of the smaller species of whales, known as the herring-hog, was 
attacked by a swordfish ; and when thus compelled to leap out 
of the water, which it did to the height of six feet, it was ob- 
served that the sword had been thrust into the whale’s body be- 
hind the pectoral fins. Its leaps continued, and then it was 
perceived that a thrasher was assailing it on the sides.’* 
Captain Crow, quoted by Parnell, relates the following inci- 
dent as having occurred on a voyage to Memet: “ One morning, 
during a calm, when near Hebrides, all hands were called up at 
3 A. M., to witness a battle between several of the fish called 
thrashers or fox sharks and some swordfish on. one side, and an 
enormous whale on the other. It was the middle of summer, 
and the weather being clear, and the fish close to the vessel, we 
had a fine opportunity of witnessing the contest. As soon as 
the whale’s back appeared above the water, the thrashers, spring- 
ing several yards into the air, descended with great violence 
upon the object of their rancour, and inflicted upon him the most 
severe slaps with their long tails, the sound of which resembled 
the reports of muskets fired at a distance. The swordfish in their 
turn attacked the distressed whale, stabbing him from below, 
and thus beset on all sides and wounded, when the poor crea- 
ture appeared, the water around him was dyed with blood. In 
this manner they continued tormenting him and wounding him 
for many hours, and I have no doubt they in the end completed 
his destruction.” 
The following is a story given to Frank Buckland by Mr. 
Hill, captain of an English trawling vessel : 
_ “The thrasher sharks just do serve out the whales. The sea 
sometimes is all blood. A whale once got under our vessel—the 
Hurricane—to get away from these thrashers, and when she 
was there we were afraid to throw a rope overboard, almost to 
walk out, for fear she would chuck her tail and punch a hole in 
our vessel. She was full length in water, as clear as gin, right 
* History of British Fishes, ii., p. 174. 
+ Parnell, Fishes of the Firth of Forth, 1838, p. 216. 
