New-York tribune., 1899-07-23

a solid spear OF bone sometimes reaching two
feet in length, an eongatiOn Of the upper law
which tapers to a keen point These weapons
are an exceedingly rare possession, very seldom
seen except In museums, and then generally
found on exhibition just as they have been sawed
out of some ships timbers, the result OF just
such an error of judgment on the part OF the
xphias was reported last week from kragero.
into which port the bark Passe Partout had put
In leaking. Upon examination part or the
weapon of a swordfsh was found imbedded In q
fye-inch plank, having first passed through uhe
outer sheathing OF metal.
In the Natural History Museum at South Ken
sington may also be seen one OF these bony )aY'
elins transhxng oaken beam more than sig
inches In thickness giving those who see IL
very fair idea OF the truly tremendous forcS
with which the blow was delivered I
Now It has never been my lot to be attacked
by n swordfsh / am happy TO say. though l
have witnessed several examples OF their
prowess. But on one never -be-forgotten occa-
sion | saw a swordfsh come sgnally TO grlei
through making the mistake OF attaching tnat
monarch OF the deep, a sperm whale. The big
uackerel had jOined himself unto par OF klp-
ers" Orca gladiator. the trio being indeed ior-
midabe syndicate for attack IL feI 20 the
xiphias to lead off and he did so by launching
himself Ike n torpedo, straight for the whales
most vulnerable part, just abaft the pectorai hn.
But the cachalot, like wary Old warrior JusI
swerved the least bit in the world, meeting the
blow upon the almost impenetrable mass or ms
head II took effect Just before the Whales eye,
ripping a white streak diagonally upward Dot
spending its force in the air above, "hlle tne
great 1.-THE body Of he Xiphias gded heiplessy
over the whales head. AS II fell the whale gave
a sdeway writhe catching his haplcss assdiiah'
between his vast jaws and shearng that un"lse
creature into two portions. Sundry slsht move
ments followed on the part Of the whale the re-
sult of which was the disappearance or what hau
/ 60 recently been a terrible sea monster down the
cavernous throat Of his intended victim
IT'S RELENTLESS FEROcITY.
| On another occasion we witnessed the rush Of a
vinhias past the sheltering bulk Of cow hump
back and the simultaneous disappearance OF het
calf impaled upon the lethal sword. Inc great
| mackerel sped on like a long shadow, leaving
| the bereaved mother frantically searching for
| the youngling which she would never see again
! The rush Of a swordhsh IS Ting 70 see ono. ohce
| and never forget 1t hurls itself into the most
| Of a school Of fish, each individual or "hlch
| nearly approaches the enemy in size, and often
| In that fearful rush will split asunder TWO or
even three Of its frightened victims.
It appears to slay from sheer lust OF slaughter
for il is quite impossible that a fish Of this size
0he largest example ever seen was not fifteen
feet long and Of quite slender grth) could ever
eat a 1.-THE of the fish he destroys. NO other hsn
seems TO be endowed with such relentless leroC-
| ity. although all fish prey upon one another
making the deep, wide sea one vast battleneid'
where warfare knows no truce from age 10 age
/ The killers mentioned above are quite as savage
but they are not fish; they are whales warm
hlOoded mammals who are the terror or lher
own cOngeners.
The swordfsh has some small mtators in the
garfsh Of our own coasts and the billhsh OF the
tropics These, however. are OF two dlilerent
spccies the former more nearly approaching MS
giant prototype, having elongated upper ia"
which he doubtless uses for the same deddly pur-
pose among much smaller fish. The billhsh
somewhat resembles mullet, and mas the io"er
Jaw elongated instead OF the upper. Ihey are a
harmless little fish averaging a pound in weight
when fun grown. and have caught them IN
many tropical ports