510 FLYING FISHES AND THEIR HABITS. 



Dactylopterid of the Atlantic in Barbados, and Cook (or Cooke) 

 is another peculiar to Jamaica. The former name, however, is better 

 known in connection with the strange pedici-datc fish, Malthe ves- 

 pertilio, and the latter (Cook) is the specific term of a wrasse in 

 England and of species of Holocentrids {Holocentrus and Myripris- 

 tis) in Barbados. 



The most common species, or at least the most generally known, 

 and the only one certainly ascertained to be an inhabitant of the 

 Atlantic Ocean, is the Dactylo'pter\i^ rolitans. The best and fullest 

 account of its habits has been given by R. Schmidtlein (1879), who 

 had good opportunities to observe it in the tanks of the zoological 

 station at Naples. A translation from the German of the greater 

 part of his observations is interwoven into the following account. 



The appearance of the living fishes, as it appeared to Schmidtlein, 

 is thus described : 



The flying gurnard {Dactyl opterus volitans) occurs about Naples 

 in great numbers, principally in the autumn and until the late win- 

 ter, and approaches very close to the gurnards as regards its habits. 

 Its appearance is very peculiar and suggestive of its mode of life. 

 The bony cap which, like a stiff mask, incloses the skull, gives to it 

 a peculiar physiognomy from which, however, the bull-like feature 

 of the gurnards {Trigla) is absent, because the eyes are placed later- 

 ally and the snout declines abruptly from the frontal. The result 

 is a well-formed head of the right proportion to the size of the body, 

 and from which the large, round eyes with red irises are moved in 

 a jerky manner and look out with a wondering expression. To 

 this armored part of the body is joined the nearly conical trunk, 

 covered with hard scales and with a complete equipment of fins. 

 First come the pectorals which are modified into large organs for 

 flying and provided in their anterior portion with short individually 

 movable rays which, however, are connected by a membrane. Be- 

 hind the throat are the ventrals which have been advanced forward ; 

 they are for the most part folded and directed downward. The 

 dorsals are delicate and provided with a glass-like transparent 

 membrane. 



The coloring of the fish appears at a distance and superficially as 

 a mixture of dark tints, but is found to contain, on closer examina- 

 tion, a great quantity of many-colored markings. The l)ack is col- 

 ored a beautiful brown, with dark spots and bands. The sides, as 

 far as the middle of the belly, are pale rose, with silvery reflections, 

 and the outspread wings show in the center rows of black and light 

 eye-like spots, which recall the cok)ring of tropical butterflies by 

 their markings and gay tints, together with the magnificent blue 

 with which they arc hemmed in. This beautiful sight may be espe- 



