502 FLYING FISHES AND THEIR HABITS. 



not much, if at all, less numerous on such occasions than when there 

 was a moderate wind." 



Plying fishes rarely fall on board of a ship during the light of 

 day, but passengers on the old sailing vessels were frequently told 

 in the morning that fishes had been caught on deck during the night 

 and would serve as part of their breakfast. According to Mobius, 

 " they mostly fall upon ships which lie not higher than 2 to 3 meters 

 above water, and when these are sailing on a wind (the wind coming 

 obliquely from beyond) or with half a wind (the wind coming at 

 right angles against the ship) and are sailing rapidly. Flying fish 

 never come on board from the lee side, but always and only frorii the 

 weather side.'' All those " which withdraw from ships fly, during 

 their whole course through the air, near the surface of the water."' 



Collingwood (18i)8) had '"known them fly into a cabin through 

 the open port, attracted by a light burning within." The fact of 

 entry into the cabin need not be questioned; the inference that it was 

 deliberate is a nonsequitur. 



The flight of a flying fish is never brought to an easy and grace- 

 ful conclusion like that of a bird, but ends in a fall and with a splash. 



Those flying fishes which keep near the coasts and resort to shal- 

 low water may occasionally, at least, seek and rest on the bottom, as 

 Goode (1876) has recorded that Cypselurus exsiliens did. In Ber- 

 muda he received a small living fish which he kept alive " for some 

 hours.'' Its " favorite position was on the bottom of the dish, where 

 it would remain with its pectorals and ventrals expanded, looking 

 very like a large butterfly sunning itself on a flower. When dis- 

 turbed it would fold its fins close to the sides of its body and swim 

 about with great velocity by rapid, long, sweeping strokes of the 

 tail and posterior half of the body. The extent to which it flexed 

 its body was quite remarkable, almost reminding one of the motions 

 of a shark. Wlien much excited it would rise into the air with a 

 sudden spring, its pectorals expanded, seeming to have no difficulty 

 in leaving the water in a space less than a foot in diameter." 



Flight, indeed, must be considered as only an occasional exercise of 

 flying fishes, and the normal condition must be one of rest or quies- 

 cence alternating with natation, which may frequently be extended 

 into emergence from the water or flight. For economical purposes 

 the fishes are looked for in the water and in the water are caught, as 

 will be seen by the notices respecting their capture given in subse- 

 quent paragraphs of this article. 



11. 



The food of the flying fishes consists of such animal organisms as 

 occur in the seas which they frequent. They are numerous crusta- 

 ceans, some mollusks, such as Pteropods and Janthinids, and various 



