444 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



fJnw 



here lie hops aboul in the grass or on the damp, mnist earth, 

 daintily pickitiu here anil there as he gather* his food. 



His song is rarclj bcaiu during the day If the weather be 

 hut. luii altera showertoward sunset, when the yellow rays 

 light up Lhc diamond drops clinging to every leal and blade 

 of grass, his lull, rich note* ring out above the soughing of 

 the breeze in the treetops. There art- noiie of Our songsters 



whose notes appeal <o strongly to one's iuiht nature, so 

 round, full, clear a ad so lull' of .suga.e-tiveiie.ss that our 

 thoughts, it. may lie. are tinged with sadness as wo listen. 

 The refreshing air brings to its the faint, sweel perfume of 

 the nigbl blooming jessamine, and still Hie dear little fellow 

 sings on into the twilight, sometimes, indeed, until the fire- 

 fly lamps are lighted. DrOK 



A PERIL OF THE SEA. 



IN the European seas, and extending into those of the 

 tropics, -we hnd a family of swoidltshes | 

 which are well known to a'ttack whales ,\ hen lllcy meet 

 With them, aud occasionally \ esscl.s. which they would ap- 

 pear to mistake for their gigantic opponents. These fishes 

 attain to a very large size as fifteen feel or (some assert) 

 twenty feel, or more in lenirtli. Their bodies (Ire. compressed, 

 their tins large to afford great propulsive powers, while the 

 upper jaw IB prolonged into a long, sword-like process, an 

 evident organ of offense, There are two genera— Xivh*'a$, 

 destitute of ventral litis, ahscnt from the seas of India, aud 

 HUtfopJumm. which possesses ventral (ins. aud which not 

 only infests the open seas of tropical Asia, but likewise is 

 not. uncommon -along the coasts, more especially in the cold 



months of the year, I have observed that lliey arrive off 

 .Madras about October, continuing until March. There 

 may he two ways in which the foundering of a ship is occa- 

 sioned when pierced by these creatures- either a leak may 

 be at once .-.it op, of else the perforating snout may act as a 

 plug, not permitting any leak uulil decomposition lias set in 

 or the salt water ha-- softened the bones. 



In 1874 the Cashmere, a new and sound steamer, was 



nearly lost, owing to an injury inflicted by a swordfish. 



The vessel was on her course from Bombay to Calcutta, 

 when, without on) apparent cause, she began to make 



Idle all attempt- lo discover the eauseof the leak 



were futile, until, after the removal of a large pari of the 



cargo, the lightened ship rose in the water, and a piece of 

 the snout of a swordfish was observed. This had pierced 

 lite copper and timber of the ship and penetrated some tum- 

 or ten Inches beyond, breaking off by the copper, probably 

 from the impossibility of withdrawing it. The sword had 

 not merely pierced the ship, but split the plank for a con- 

 siderable distance on each side of the point of contact. In 

 this instance there could have been no doubt that a leak had 

 occurred, while an examination of tin- ship demonstrated 

 that it had been entirely due lo the injury indicted by one 

 of these fishes. 



The ship Royal George, of about 500 tons burden, experi- 

 enced a dreadful hurricane in the Bay of Bengal. So furi- 

 ous was the tempest, that, in addition lothe loss of the main 



and mi/y.eu masts, the bowsprit was fo I broken off close 



lothe hull of the vessel. Its diameter was twenty-three 

 inches, and. on examining il- base, the snout of II swordtish 

 was found projecting about six inches beyond the surface; 

 A similar ocemrence tool-, place in 18:i?i. and the perforated 



planks, with the imbedded sword, wax presented to the 

 Asiatic Sbeiol) of Bengal, and are now in lhc Calcutta 

 Museum, 



The British Museum possesses a -per anion ot planks from 

 :i ship's side, in which may be seen the sword of one of these 

 ti-,hes, which has penetrated '.'_' iiulie- into the timber. In 

 the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons is the section 

 of the how of a South Sea whaler, which has been penetrated 

 through 1!U inches of solid timber by the snout of a sword- 

 fish, which latter is ISiu. long and Sin. in circumference. 

 When II. M, S. Leopard was repaired in l',i'i, after her re- 

 turn from the Coast Of Guinea, it was found that a swordtish 

 had pierced its outer sheathing, one inch in thickness, next 

 a three-inch plank, ami Anally -Uin. further into a -olid 

 beam. 



The foregoing facts seem to me .sufficient to demonstrate 

 that in numerous instances swordfi-hes have attacked vessels 

 and occasioned leaks. The reason why they should act thus 

 leads us to inquire what can be the common use of such a 

 weapon lo a fish which merely possesses small teeth in its 

 jaws? The ancients asserled that it transfixes lish with its 



snout for the purposes of food— u process whioh has been 

 Compared by one -writer lo skewering larks— but without 



being able to obtain its prey. We have likewise been in- 

 formed thai the propei use ol this sword-like projection is 

 fo turn up the sand, etc., to hunt for minute sea creatures 

 on which it lives. If this long process is intended simply 

 for digging up sand, it seems curious why it should have 

 been si rigid, for a softer, wider, and more tactile organ, 

 such as exists in the snout of the sturgeon, would be better 



suited tor such a purpose. I. therefore, would suggest- 

 first, that the rostrum is not intended for turning up the 

 sand, secondly, thftl fl IS intended entirely for offensive 

 purposes! or to obtain food; aud lastly, I hat these fishes do 

 not solely live upon • 'minute sea creatures, "alt hough, doubt- 

 less, they occasionally devour cuttles, sepia, etc. 



In the" Indian Ocean the swordfishes live in the open sea. 

 only approaching the shores a I certain seasons. Of course 

 there i6,great difficulty in ascertaining among the pelagic 

 flshes whether theyarc surfMe-swi rimers, or reside occa- 

 sionally in the greater depths, or even at the bottom. It IS 

 generally believed that the inhabitants of the ocean live 

 within a certain definite balhymefrieal or vertical /.one; and, 

 if such be- admitted, the anatomy of the swordtish niusl lead 

 to the belief that it is II more or less surf ace -swimmer when 

 in mid-ocean, to whom an apparatus for digging up sand 

 would hardly be a useful adjunct. It possesses a large air- 

 bladder, having thin walls, and which is not provided with 

 auj" pneumatic duct or safety valve, by which the gas in this 

 organ could escape were it." to be suddenly distended. If, 

 in short, this tish lived at (he bottom of the sea.. and cm- 

 ployed itself in digging up the sand searching for food, the 

 result must he as follows: Were it lo rise suddenly to the 

 surface in pursuit of mackerel, tunny or similar tonus, its 

 air-bladder would be subject, to great pressure, owing to the 

 sudden expansion of the contained gas. which would neces- 

 sarily ensue on ihe pressure of superincumbent water being 

 decreased: then, having no safety valve, this organ would 

 burst. Consequently, as the swordflsh could not be a resi- 

 dent in the depths of the sea, one is led to inquire what 

 does ii feed upon? < 'u vicr informs us that a .European form 

 [Xiphias) which he examined contained the remains of fish. 



I was on the Madras beach on the evening of February 15, 

 1867. when I saw a swordtish (JJiiif).»p?fint#0tasltoHl) nine feet 



in length, being carried by two fishermen toward their huts; 

 lor altl ongh this tish is 'unmarketable, their families con- 

 sume if. Its long hack tin was .if a bright Prussian blue, 

 covered with large dark spots: hence its native name Myl- 

 nieen or "peacock-lish " 1 purchased the c.xampleaud found 

 in-ide it a full-sized Indian mackerel {Somber miorvbpido* 

 1im), two large half-beaks (//< mii'n-mphi), and numerous small 

 lish, at once set fling the nature of its usual diet -, in short, it is a 

 lish consumer. Still, eating merely small forms would 

 scarcely seem to account for the necessity of ils being pro- 

 vided with an elongated, sword-like snout, which, added to 

 the great rapidity of its movements, would render it a truly 

 formidable opponent. Bclonius tells us that shoals of tun- 

 nies {T/it/i,Hii* thiji ;■//■»*), in Ihe Mediterranean, are as much 

 alarmed at the presence of a swordtish as a Hock of sheep 

 a eat the Night of a wolf. If pursues them with great per- 

 tinacity, and transfixes ihemwith its snout. In Daniel's 

 "Rural Sports" we read that "in the Severn, near Wor- 

 cester, a man bathing was struck, and absolutely received 

 his death wound from a swordtish. The fish was caught 

 immediately afterward, so that the fact was ascertained be- 

 yond a doubt," 



If is thus evident that the swordtish eats other fish; that 

 if can kill them. aS, for instance, lhc tunny, by transfixion; 

 and it his been known lo vent his strength upon a human 

 being. A step further takes ub to the faer that it will at- 

 tack even whales, and. as it cats flesh, we may fairly con- 

 clude 1 1ml. hiineer induces them to do so for the purpose of 

 obtaining food. Oapt. ' 'row, ona voyage lo Mcnicl, tells us 

 thai one morning during a calm, when near the Hebrides, 

 all hands were willed up at 8 A. M. to witness a battle be- 

 tween several of Ihe fish termed thrashers or fox sharks (Mo- 

 pecias viilj'C'i and some swonUish. on the one side, and an 

 enormous Whale on the other. As soon as the whale's back 

 appeared above the water the thrashers, springing several 

 yards into tlieair, descended with great violence upon the ob- 

 ject of their rancor, and inflicted upon him tin- most severe 

 blows with their long tails, the sounds of which resembled 

 the reports of muskets tired at a distance. The swordtish in 

 turn attacked the distressed whale, stabbing' from below; 

 and, thus beset on all sides and wounded, the water around 

 him was dyed with blood. Couch was of opinion that as 

 the swordtish has no teeth to tear Ihe flesh, and he supposed 

 it only could swallow its food whole, it must have been 

 gratifying ils appetite with blood, lie tells us how in 

 August, 1801, near "Westra. one ot the most northern of the 

 Orkneys, an individual of the smaller species of whale, 

 termed the ■•herring hog," was attacked by a swordtish; 

 and when thus compelled to leap out of the water, which it 

 dill to the height of six feet, it was observed that the sword 

 had been thrust info the whale's body behind the pectoral 

 fins. Its leaps continued, aud then it was perceived that a 

 thrasher was assailing it on the sides. 



Dr. Jerome Smith, in his "History of the Fishes of Massa- 

 chusetts," states that ona calm, sunny day during the pre- 

 vious summer (1883), as a pilot was leisurely rowing his 

 little skiff, he was suddenly roused from his seal bv the 

 plunge of a swordtish. thrusting his long spear, more than 

 three feet, up through the bottom of his slender hark, but 

 the pilot broke it off w ith the butt of Ids oar before the ma- 

 rine assassin had time to withdraw it. 



Irrespective of using this organ to obtain food, it is evi- 

 dently occasionally employed when lighting with another. 

 In i.h'e Wesion-siipfi-Mcrc Museum I was shown the cast of 

 one of these fishes, uiue feel lone', captured near Ihe town in 

 1873. Units left, side, opposite the hind edge of its first 

 anal tin, existed a large cicatrix, evidently due to a wound 

 which had nearly transfixed the tish. there being a spot on 

 the opposite side showing to where the injury had extended. 

 The appearance of the wound .seemed to show that it had 

 been inflicted by another of the same family, perhaps fight- 

 ing during the breeding season. 



Lastly, 1 would advert lo the ease of the ship Dread- 

 nought, which, in 1808. while on her voyage from Ceylon to 

 London, suddenly sprunga leak, and upon an examination be- 

 ing mafic, a round hole, about one inch in diameter, was 

 found in the cooper sheathiug of Ihe vessel. Those who 

 had insured the ship claimed i'H.lKXI on the ground that the 

 injury had been inflicted by one of these fish, while the in- 

 surance company contended that some other pause had been 

 at work. After' a protracted trial the jury returned as a ver- 

 dict thai Ihe damage had been caused "by contact with 

 some substance other than water, and that probably it was 



caused by a swoidfi.sh." 



Although these fish are taken off flu: Madras coast, in the 

 huge seine nets, such a mode is not found successful in the 

 Mediterranean, where the species has a more cutting edge to 

 the sword, and the method of capture appears to have 

 remained unchanged for centuries. A man ascends one of 

 the cliffs which overhang the sea. and as soon as he spies 

 the Bsh, gives notice, cither by his voice or by signs, of the 

 eourai it take-. Another individual in the boat, climbs the 

 mast, and ou -eeing the lish directs the rowers to it. As 

 soon as he considers that they have got w'ithin reach, he de- 

 scends, and taking in his hand a harpoon to which a cord 

 is attached, strikes it into the fish, sometimes from 

 a considerable distance. After struggling for some time the 

 exhausted animal is dragaed into the boat, the whole process 

 somewhat resembling a whale fishery on a miniature scale. 

 The superstitious Sicilian fishermen have an unintelligible 

 chant, employing which thej believe essential to success. 

 The charm is to attract flic tish to aud retain him in the 

 inity of the boat ; anal were a single word of Italian to be 

 spoken, their belief is that it would dive info Ihe sea and be 

 seen no more. — Fninri* Day In London KW. 



A BlBB Bath Ten. — Many of our readers Will remem- 

 ber the pleasant account of the '-Bird Tank" given ir Fon- 

 kst antj Btkkaii over a year ago by our correspondent 

 "Dick." We have again been assured by that, gentleman of 

 its utility to those who are interested in ornithology, for it 



proves a vers great attraction to the birds, which visit it at 

 all hours of the day to bathe and drink. As an instance of 

 the number of visits made to it, we are told that during one 

 of the hot davs in the early part of June the constant splash- 

 ing aud drinking of the birds lowered the water in the tank, 

 which is two feet square, nearly two inches'. Of course 

 evaporation played some part in this, but not much, for the 

 i . i- i not directly exposed to the sun's rays, 



Poison or f!BM Cfn.A MONSTER-— -I( has been generally be- 

 lieved, and staled by Writers, that the bite of the "Gila Mon- 

 ster" (fflj'i/cn/ia gllgpoetwn) was iuoccuous. Indians and 

 Mexicans, on theotherhaud. have always maintained that the 

 bite was deadly, and some recent experiments made by Drs. 

 Mitchell and Reiehert. indicate that the natives were right 



and the scientific men wrong. This lizard is usually slug- 

 gish ill its habits, and onlvbitcs when provoked, but this 

 bile is poisonous and may lie fatal. In his experiments. Dr. 

 Mitchell induced Ihe reptile to bite the edge of a saucer, and 

 when the saliva began to flow it. was caught in a watch 

 glass. This saliva gives an alkaline reaction, thus diffcriug 

 from most venomous reptiles, which is acid. A very small 

 quantity of I he saliva, when injected into a pigeon, caused 

 b in less than three minutes to walk with a tottering gait, 

 and in less than nine minutes it was dead. The Eeloderma 

 sometimes attains a length of three, feet, but the individual 



upon which these experiments were made, was only fourteen 

 inches long. , 



%mt\t §<tg Mfd 0mf. 



for jpu b- 

 beofhttp 



WILD BOAR HUNTING IN JAMAICA. 



ON a cattle pen and pimento plantation in the Oe.ho Rios 

 (eight rivers) district of the Parish of St, Ann. Island 

 of Jamaica, resides a Mr. L.. who possesses a tine breed of 

 bull-terriers, much prized by their owner for their indomi- 

 table pluck. Being well trained they are invaluable while 

 hunting the wild boars that are frequently met with in the 

 woods, providing good sport for (hose who indulge in tie- 

 pursuit of game, when this is attended with some' risk, and 

 at the same time flavored with excitement. While spend- 

 ing a fortnight with this gentleman, renowned for his hos- 

 pitality, I met two young Englishmen who had lately ar 

 rived. Several points of a sporting nature were discussed 

 one evening after dinner, and the prospect of a boar bunt 

 was eagerly entered into by the party. The headman (a 

 Maroon) was summoned by the proprietor, and instructions 

 enven for him to be in readiness on the following morning 

 to take us to the spot in the xvoods where good sport was 

 likely to he obtained. 



Early next morning after a hasty breakfast, Ihe three Of 

 us mounted and made a start, the Maroon and two other 

 natives leading the way. CUtlaSS in hand, and with a rope 

 each coiled over their neck and shoulders. Having ridden 

 for about four miles, a halt was made at the foot of ,t lime 

 stone mountain, and the guides set to work cutting down 

 half a dozen lancewood spars, and splitting them into rough 

 spears ten feet long by two and a half inches wide . and with 

 their cutlasses aud clasp knives tapered the spears to a sharp 

 point. The lancewood being lighl and flexible, but at tile 

 same time a hard and tough wood, is aThnirahlv adapted for 

 the use they put it to in "pis sticking." The horses were 

 hitched to a shady tree, and the party proceeded up the 

 hilly gorge for a distance of a mile or more when, on arrival 

 at a' level piece of tableland, final instructions wen- given fo 

 the two Maroons by their "boss" (Maroon No. It They 

 separated, taking different points of the wood, while the 

 dogs, led by a coolie bOJ . were swivelled in a loose manner 

 by the collars on their necks. The. three rifles were loaded, 

 and all the party were anxiously awaiting the approach of a 

 boar. The excitement shown by the four terriers convinced 

 us that they were as anxious as We were for the hoar. 



The Maroon suddenly assumed a most ludicrous position, 

 kneeling down and laying his woolly pate on the ground, 

 with ear inclined to mother earth. Suddenly he Sprang hp 

 and took shelter behind a limestone rock* bidding ns do 

 likewise with the hoy ami dogs. We had not long' to wail 

 There was a rustling in the bush, and a monster came rush 

 ing ou within twenty feet of our hiding place. Our title- 

 were all leveled at hj'm, and although the balls hit they did 

 not in any way affect the animal's progress. The Maroon, 



.seeing this, rushed out anil with good aim sent one of II, e 



off from their tether, and the excitement, ot the "chase com 

 menced. The deafening whelping of the terriers, the fero 

 cious grunting of the boar, and the shouts of the Maroons 

 at the prospect of soon securing their prize, was enough to 

 unstring one's nerves. Down the ravine the beast started. 

 one terrier securely fastened on the back of his neck, while 

 Ihe other three were making a good hold on the Hank.-. 

 Another and yet another lancewood spear spins through tlie 

 air and strikes the boar only a few inches from where one 

 of the terriers had hold of the lefl Hank. The boar, mad 

 dened with pain, frantically rushed on over rocks and tree 

 roots, stumps and thick undergrowth, at times quite lost to 

 view, and making it risky on the dog's account to fire. 



In a short while the wood was cleared, and with the spear 

 still sticking in his jowl, and the dogs still holding fast, Ihe 

 boar passed a shallow brook and took across an open com- 

 mon. No time was lost In mounting the horses, and im 

 two friends and self galloped as hard as lhc stock could go, 

 and were just in time lo prevent the animal from getting 

 into a thrown up coffee piece, so dense with overgrowlh of 

 tropical vegetation, that we would in all probability have 

 been unahle to secure him. Thus surprised he retraced his 

 steps, still drugging the dogs, which still maintained their 

 hold. From the hiss of blood the beast commenced to fag, 

 and in a short while we came on him from the rear, and the 

 Maroons having so far followed us, they attacked from the 

 fore. Two well-directed bullets hitting between the ear ami 

 Ihe jowl caused the brute to fall, and in rolling over he nearly 

 squashed two of the pups. Another spear through the 

 throat settled the matter for the boar. Then out with our 

 knives and with great difficulty Ihe head was severed. It is 

 surprising the thickness of the'wild hoar's hide. There Were 

 distinctly to ho seen the spots ou his body where bullets had 

 hit, hut no further impression. Hound about the jowl anfl 

 mouth hung masses of thick froth mixed with blood, which 

 was pretty well distributed on the dogs. One of the terriers 

 was lost, haviug been ripped by the boar, and the other 

 three were one mass of cuts. I ruises, and blood. In spile 

 of their condition, it was with (he greatest difficulty we 

 could separate them from the animal, and they were ap 

 patently thoroughly indifferent to their share of 'injury sus- 

 tained during the encounter. 



Preparation was at once made for conveying the booty 

 home. After being dressed, the Maroons slung il on iauec- 

 wood spears, and supported on their shoulders it was carried 

 down safely. The animal was considered as large asau.V 

 cot for years past. Some idea of its size may be entertained 

 when on being prepared for the smoke slack it turned the 

 standard at 350 pounds. The meal is of a very tine flavor 

 attributable, no doubt, to the fruit and wild berries these 

 animals live on. The flesh is sometimes boiled or fried fresh 



