218 SICILIAN SWORD FISH. Class IV. 



salt it, whence it was called Tomas Thurianus, * 

 from Thurii, a town in the bay of Tarentum, 

 where it was taken and cured. 



Kircker, in his Musurgia, has preserved a 

 strange incantation used by the Sicilian fisher- 

 men, at the capture of the Pesce Spada, as they 

 call it, which is expressed in the following unin- 

 telligible jargon : 



Mamassu di pajanu, 

 Paletta di pajanu, 

 Majussu di stignela, 

 Palettu di paenu pale, 

 Pale la stagnetta, 

 Mancuta stigneta. 

 Pro nastu, vardu, pressu da 

 Visu & da terra. 



But this use of charmed words is not confined 

 to Sicily ; the Irish have their song at the tak- 

 ing of the razor shell, and the Cornish theirs, at 

 the taking of the whistle fish. 



The sword fish is said to be very voracious, 

 and a great enemy to the Tunny, which (accord- 

 ing to Belon) is as much terrified with it as 

 sheep are at the sight of a wolf. 



Ac durus Xiphias, ictu non mitior ensis ; 

 Et pavidi magnofugientes agmine Thunni. 



Ovid. Halieut. 97. 



* Tomus Thurianus, qucm alii Xiphiam vocant. Plinii lib. 

 xxxii. c. II. 



