THE GAME FISHES OF THE WORLD 



as the Italians carried them, in the left hand, in the time of 

 Cellini. 



The moment it saw me it turned, and for a second I saw the 

 entire length of this tiger of the sea — a twelve-foot, or over, 

 sapphire, striped with at least sixteen whitish bars which gave 

 it a rakish and tiger-like appearance. Its large, black, hypnotic 

 ichthyosanrian eyes were 'magnified until they appeared like 

 saucers. I caught a glimpse of its keen rapier-Uke sword, then 

 it melted into the blue of the Kuro-shiwo down which it is alleged 

 to have travelled from Japan. 



There was nothing unusual in this sociability, as it is charac- 

 teristic of all the tribe I have met. The XipMas of six hundred 

 or one thousand pounds wHl drop off to sleep, and lie basking on 

 the surface. On one occasion I saw two monsters ten miles 

 south of Cape Henry, near Hatteras, slowly swimming along, not 

 moving until the cutwater of the yacht actually ran into their 

 tails. At our camp at San Clemente Island, California, we 

 frequently saw the big fins cutting the water leisurely as the fish 

 came down the coast ; and they would often allow us to go within 

 twenty or thirty feet before they would drop their big dorsal and 

 sink, to appear shortly several hundred feet away. If there 

 were two, as was usual, they would find each other in a seem- 

 ingly incomprehensible fashion. Doubtless their eyes are far- 

 sighted. 



If asked to indicate what is the finest big game fish in the 

 world, all things considered — strength, endurance and speeta- 

 cular characteristics — I think I should name this fish, and that I 

 should be supported by Dr. Gifford Pinchot, Mr. T. McD. Potter, 

 Col. John E. Stearns, Mr. C. G. Conn, Mr. Smith-Warren and 

 Mr. Dorsey, who are experts with this game and have taken 

 many of them. The tuna is a marvellous fish ; it stands first 

 among the fishes that can be taken with the rod in strength, 

 power and endurance, as seventy voting members of the Tuna 

 Club can testify. But the average tuna is a sulker, and if the 

 fish is in the best condition it takes a superhuman effort to kill 

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