288 SALT-WATER FISHES 



sword and yet devoured without teeth, unless it were possibly- 

 large cephalopods. Yet both squid and pilchards have been 

 found in its stomach. On the whole, it is perhaps more 

 satisfactory to regard the sword as a weapon of defence against 

 sharks and whales, and to consider that the fish pursues its 

 prey and swallows it whole. Clearly, there would be some 

 difficulty in removing victims from the blade. 



The Maigre (^Sciana aquila), or Shade-fish, has been taken 

 on our coasts on many occasions, and one year produced no 

 fewer than six records. That, however, must be regarded 

 as exceptional. It has occurred for the most part in the 

 south-west, but also in the Firth of Forth and on the Norfolk 

 coast, as well as at Margate, Hastings, Brighton, Carmarthen, 

 and Cork, which indicate a fairly wide range. Some of the 

 British examples have measured over 6 ft. in length, and 

 have weighed as much as 400 lbs. It is only a straggler 

 from more southern seas, and seems to be identical with the 

 jew-fish [S. antarcticd) of Australia. 



In shape it is not very different from the bass, though the 

 tail-fin is rounded instead of forked, and the fish is somewhat 

 longer for its depth and lighter in colour. The dorsal and 

 anal fins are reddish, and the body is uniformly silvery, but 

 soon turns dull after death. It is a most voracious fish, and 

 is one of the few known enemies of the monk-fish. Like its 

 relative the "Drum," of Florida seas, it is said to utter sounds 

 under water that are audible above the surface, but the writer 

 has never heard any indication of such a habit, though he has 

 caught many of the Australian species on the coast of New 

 South Wales. 



The Blade-fish (T'richiurus lepturus), or Hair-tail, is a 

 winter straggler from the tropical Atlantic, flattened and snake- 

 like in form, with a curious scaleless, silvery covering that 



