378 COXTRIBUTIOXS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



ray of jjectoral divided, tliird ray longest. Yentral fins not reaching 

 nearly to vent. Dorsal inserted a little in advance of front of anal, its 

 anterior rays not half so long as the head ; 20 scales in front of dorsal 

 and G between dorsal and lateral line. Gill rakers long and slender. 

 Head 4; depth 5 J. D. 13; A. 13. Lat. 1. 42; Yert. 25 + 19. In most 

 warm seas, not rare on our Atlantic coast, where it spawns in summer. 



(Exoccetus evolans L. Syst. Nat. i, 521 : Exocatiis evolans Guntlier, vi, 282: Exoccctus 

 eJ'o?(XHS Llitken, Vidcnsk. Meddel. Natiirb. Foren. 1876, 102; "VVeinland, 1. c.) 



607. BI. olSJlBBsaa'OSlS'is (Guntlier) J. ifc G. 



Very similar to II. evolans^ but with the dorsal fin inserted above or 



behind the first ray of the anal ; the distance from the snout to the first 



ray of the ventrals less than the distance between the root of the ven- 



trals and last ray of the dorsal ; 7 to 8 rows of scales above the lateral 



line; fins more distinctly marked. D. 13; A. 13. Lat. 1. 40. {LUtJcen.) 



Tropical seas, north to Louisiana. 



(Exoccetus obtusirostris Giinther, vi, 283: Exococtus obtusirostris Lutkeu, Vidensk. 

 Meddel. Natiirh. Foren. 1870, 102.) 



185 .— EXOC^TtJS Linuseus. 

 Flying fislies. 

 (Artcdi; Liuuipus, Syst. Nat.: type Exococtus volitans L.) 



Body elongate, broad above, somewhat compressed. Head short, 

 blunt, narrowed below. Mouth small. Jaws very short, about equal. 

 Ghin without barbel. Maxillaries not joined to the premaxillaries. 

 Teeth very feeble or wanting. Eyes large. Gill-rakers moderate. 

 Scales large, deciduous. No finlets. Dorsal fin short, opposite anal. 

 Caudal widely forked, the lower lobe the longer. Pectoral fins very 

 long, reaching i)ast the beginning of the anal, and serving as organs of 

 flight, their great size enabling these fishes to sustain themselves in the 

 air for some time.* Yentral fins large, posteriorly inserted, also used 

 as organs of flight. Air bladder very large. No r>yloric cosca. Species 

 numerous in all warm seas. {IHwy.oiroq^ sleeping out; the ancient name 

 of these fishes, which were supposed to come out on the beach to sleep 

 at night ) 



* These fishes are enabled, to sustain themselves in the air for upwards of a minute. 

 Their movements are exceedingly rapid. Their imptilse, apparently, comes mainly 

 from the strong tail, which has a sculling motion in the water, by which they acquire 

 a great velocity. When they fii'st emerge from the water, the j)ectorals are spread and 

 vibrate rapidly, like the wings of an insect, and the ventrals are closed. The motion 

 of the pectoral is simultaneous with the motion of the tail, and is probably caused by 

 tile latter. When they reach a horizontal position in the air, the pectorals and ven- 

 trals are spread, and ajiparently used only to retain the impulse previously received. 



