SWORDFISH.

Western Star, Issue 1154, 28 May 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

SWORDFISH.

Strange though the fact may seem, the terrible swordfisb, of which we have all heard so much, is a near cousin to the gentle and delicious mackerel. The resemblance is a scientific one, and hence one that must be sworn by, for, if. scientists say a thing is so, we must take it for granted, because they know better than we. They tell us that the swordfish and mackerel are as nearly related as the dog and wolf, or the eagle and hawk. The difference, leaving out of the question that of size, which is of no importance from a scientific standpoint, is mainly in the long, p word-like upper-jaw, which gives the fish its name.

A fish so curious as this could not help attracting the attention of all observers, and for this reason we see it spoken of by nearly all the early writers from Pliny down. Christopher Columbus, in the height of his triumph as a discoverer, deposited in the old collegiate church at Siena, in northern Italy, where he was educated, a memento of his first voyage across the seas, consisting of the helmet and armour worn by the discoverer when he first lauded in America, together with the weapon of a warrior killed by his party. This weapon is the sword of a swordfish.

Members of the swordfiah family are found in all seas of the old and new worlds, and is one of the most widelydistributed groups of fishes. I have seen them basking in the sun on the surface of the water south of New England, scores of them all around, with nothing but the dorsal fin projecting above the water. They seem to enjoy lying still in the sun as if asleep. One day we wanted to get a specimen for the National Museum, so the long-boat was put over from the steamer Albatross, and I was allowed to go with them to see the sport, we rowed nearly half a mile towards a projecting fin, a sailor in the bow, harpoon in hand, ready to spear the unsuspecting fiah as soon as we were near enough. Just as the harpoon was hurled the fish made a dive and barely escaped his death, for the harpoon was true to its mark, but the fish had gone. Another was seen in the distance on the port side. The boat span rapidly away under the strong strokes of the oars, and we neared the razor-like fin. The sailor stood in the bow until we were nearly upon the fish, and then, just as it turned as if in idle curiosity to see what the great moving shadow meant, he hurled a spear, and the next moment the huge fish sprang from the water, and with a furious twist tried to shake out the iron so firmly .imbedded in its body. Sd great was the effort that it fell upon its side with a crash, and for a second was still. Then, with terrific plunges, dashing through the water with tremendous force, the fiah disappeared from our sight. The line rushed out so rapidly that we could not follow it as it swayed to and fro, making the water fly like rain. If the rope had been tied it would have snapped like twine. About fifty feet of rope had gone out when six of the sailors managed to get a fair hold on the line, and matched their strength against that of one fiah. I never saw six individuals jerked about in a more vivacious manner. Now the swordfish would land them altogether in a heap, then slacken up and take them unawares, throwing them into the bottom of the boat with a force that the sailors did not seem to enjoy. At Jtimes it would seem that all six must go overboard, and, indeed, I believe they only saved themselves and the rest of us from a good wetting by letting go the rope entirely. This sort of fun was kept up for about fifteen minutes, when the fish percaptibly weakened, and the long rushes to the right and left grew feebler and feebler, until the men ventured to haul in. At last the brute was alongside, and the sailors sat panting on their seats, not anxious to try again. The monster was nine feet six inches long,