CHAPTER IV 



TROPICAL REGIONS 



The open ocean. 



In the spacious days of sailing ships, great four-masted barques would leave Nantes or 

 Falmouth and double Cape Horn on their way to Melbourne. They returned to European 

 ports loaded with phosphates from Chile. These splendid ships used to beat to windward 

 across the Atlantic and then cross the surge-swept southern ocean. Casting off once more they 

 cruised close by the groups of oceanic islands, sometimes making a call for several joyful hours 

 or days in these blissful parts of the world. When the breeze freshened and the wind was 

 fair the ship sailed at full speed with all sails set, leaving a glittering wake by day and a trail of 

 greenish phosphorescent lights by night. In the doldrums, under the line, the sailing ship 

 would be becalmed, to drift slowly in the sea. Leaning on the bulwarks or perched in the 

 crow's nests, the idle seamen scanned the deep blue sea around them as far as the circle of the 

 horizon. 



Lines hung over the side brought in fine, strikingly coloured fishes, while aft a swivel-hook 

 baited with meat was trailed to attract any ravenous shark. Gliding over the surface, there 

 would be the blue umbrellas of " by-the-wind-sailors " (V'elella), small jelly-fishes, carrying a 

 small triangular sail. Or there might be the large blown-out floats of sky-blue physalias 

 (" Portuguese-men-of-war "), trailing their extremely long filamentous tentacles. Dolphins 

 would play around the prow and far away, at wide intervals, might be heard the rhythmic 

 blowing of a school of sperm-whales as they broke the glassy surface to leave a foaming wake. 

 And sometimes a large bird would perch, exhausted, at the end of a yard before taking wing 

 once more to the south. 



Given a slight breeze, flying-fishes would take off with a gentle splash, to be swept by 

 their flight on to the deck, to the great joy of the seamen, for these fishes have a particularly 

 delicate flesh. The exocoetids (Exocoeius and Cypsilariis) have a blue back and silvery under- 

 parts and the pectorals are fashioned as large transparent wings. When they are going to fly, 

 they increase their swimming speed and take off at the crest of a wave to spread their wings in 

 a glide over the sea. To get themselves off, they vibrate the tail, but they cannot steer well 

 and must touch down on the water to change direction. With a good wind they can soar to 

 about 20 feet and make sustained flights of 300 or 400 yards at a speed of about 40 miles an 

 hour. This flight enables them to escape from nimierous predators, but they may glide without 

 being pursued. 



88 A trigger-fish (Batistes ftiscus). Photograph by 



Giinter Senfift. 



A butterfly-fish (Chaetodon). Photograph by Isy 

 Schwart. 



