Swordfish

a fierce, active sea fish, ten to twenty feet long. Its upper jaw is prolonged into a long sword-like weapon which its owner employs in the destruction of larger fishes. A sword-fish does not hesitate to attack a whale. It has no difficulty in piercing the side of a rowboat and has been known to bury its sword in the timbers of a passing ship. The British museum has a piece of ship's timber containing the "sword" of one of these fishes. A section of a three-inch oak plank sheathed with copper, and having the sword of a swordfish sticking clear through it, is shown at Singapore. It is a bluish fish found in Atlantic waters. It is not without value as a food fish. The chase of the swordfish is a source of profit in the Mediterranean. New England fishermen take 1,500,000 pounds a year. The industry is worth $90,000 yearly.