THE FLYING FISHES. 208 
bagre, a kind of silurus or sly, inhabiting the Brazilian rivers, that 
inflicts with its long spines such painful wounds as to deprive the 
sufferer of consciousness, and to produce an inflammation that lasts 
for several weeks. The Lance-tails, or 
Acanthuri, have a sharp bony process, 
not unlike the very large thorn of a 
rose-tree, placed on each side of the 
tail; by this they can inflict a deep 
cut on the hand of any one who 
is so imprudent as to seize them in 
that part. 
I could still add a long list of spine-armed fishes, but content 
myself with noticing the Stickleback, which frequently owes 
its preservation to the sharp needles with which it is provided. 
The Tetrodons and Diodons have the power of inflating their 
body at pleasure, and thus raising the small spines dispersed 
over their sides and abdomen in such 
a manner, as to operate as a defence 
against their enemies. These beau- WW A 
tiful and remarkable fishes chiefly S: 
inhabit the tropical waters, but some- ee a7 
times wander into higher latitudes. yy — 
Man is not the only creature driven 
by the currents of fate far from the 
place of his birth. 
The Flying-fishes (Hzocet?) are provided with pectoral fins of 
so great a length, as to be able to carry them, like wings, a great 
distance through the air. According to Mr. George Bennett 
(‘** Wanderings in New South Wales”), they cannot raise them- 
selves when in the atmosphere, the elevation they take depending 
entirely on the power of the first spring or leap they make on 
leaving their native element. Their flight, as it is called, carries 
them fifteen or eighteen feet high over the water, and the lines 
which they traverse when they enjoy full liberty of motion, are 
very low curves, and always in the direction of their previous 
progress in the usual element of fishes. Their silvery wings and 
blue bodies glittering beneath the rays of a tropical sun, afford 
a most beautiful spectacle, when, as is frequently the case, they 
rise into the air by thousands at once, and in all possible direc- 
tions. The advantage afforded them by their wing-like fins, in 
Surgeon Fish. (Acanthurus.) 
