FLYING FISHES AND THEIR HABITS. 511 



cially enjoyed when looking at the fishes from above in the sunlight 

 or in the broad daylight, while inducing them to unfold their wings 

 by holding a stick close to them. Then golden green specks appear 

 all over the body; at every motion the fins play in all colors in dif- 

 ferent places, like the wings of the butterfly known as the purple 

 emperor, and also the gay mingling of beautifully distributed tints 

 on head and back contribute to the splendor of the brilliant creature. 

 Besides, Dactylopterus possesses the faculty of changing its colors 

 to light or dark. This is particularly fortunate for the young ones, 

 where the bottom is similarly colored, as, because of their small size, 

 they are more exposed to the attacks of enemies. It has also been 

 observed that the young flying gurnards far more commonly stay 

 on the bottom of the basin than the larger fishes, and here harmonize 

 splendidly with the sand, especially where it is mixed with multi- 

 colored gravel. Furthermore, the coloring of such specimens is 

 also less pronounced and the markings are darker, more monotonous, 

 and frequently indistinct. At dusk the fishes are often scarcely 

 visible. 



The adult Dactylopterids like to stay on the bottom of their basins, 

 where they stand and Avalk about on the ends of their downward- 

 turned ventrals like the Gurnards do on their " legs," while they wag 

 their dorsal fin and tail and scratch in the sand with the short ante- 

 rior portion of the pectoral to look for food. They are gregarious 

 and swim about in a body, even when in company with other fishes. 

 They show great resemblance to the Gurnards in their movements 

 and in the use of their fins, and what has been said with regard to the 

 Gurnards in this respect is applicable to the Dactylopterids, with the 

 exception that the latter swim somewhat more sloAvly and leisurely, 

 and possess a stronger inclination for flying than the former. Their 

 power of flying may not be far behind that of the Exoccetines. 



But although at first sight so well adapted for semiaerial life, the 

 Dactylopterids are nevertheless essentially l)ottom fishes, or seek rest 

 on some surface. Sir John Richardson long ago (1865) noted that 

 •• in the clear waters of the Boca Tigris, off Trinidad, great sculls of 

 these fish may be seen near the bottom, perpetually fluttering their 

 large wing-like pectorals." Of course, in mid-ocean some other kind 

 of resting place must be secured and there the beds of sargasso weed 

 furnish suitable resorts. But near land they resort to the bottom 

 at considerable depths, and in temperate regions, on the aj^proach 

 of winter, retreat to still greater depths to secure a warmer and more 

 equable temperature. 



The power of flight has been attributed to Dactylopterids by most 

 authors, and is there not a fine colored plate illustrating a school of 

 them in mid-air in a very popular work on natural history (Brehm's 



