Chap, xxii.] FLIGHT OF FLYING FISH. 495 



plumage, and look dirty and draggled. The old birds when in 

 their best breeding plumage, as seen on their nests, are hand- 

 some enough. 



Whilst on the subject of flight, I would say a few words 

 about the flight of the Flying-fish. Dr. Mobius has lately pro- 

 duced an elaborate paper * on the much vexed question as to 

 whether Flying-fish move their wings in flight or not, and after 

 examination of the muscular apparatus, and watching the 

 living fish, has come to the conclusion that they do not do 

 so at all. There are two widely different genera of fish, which 

 have developed long wing-like fins for support in progress 

 through the air, the ordinary Hying-fish, the various species 

 of Exoccetus allied to the Gar-fish, and the Flying Gurnets, 

 species of the genus Dactylopterus. 



I have never seen any species of Exoca-tus flap its wings at 

 all during its flight. These fish merely make a bound from 

 the water, and skim supported by their extended fins, the 

 tips of which meanwhile quiver in the air occasionally, from 

 the action of air-currents against them, and sometimes from 

 the shifting a little of their inclination by the fish. 



I believe, however, that I cannot be mistaken in my con- 

 viction, that I have distinctly seen species of Flying Gurnets 

 move their wings rapidly during their flight. I noticed the 

 phenomenon especially in the case of a small species of 

 Dactylopterus with beautifully coloured wings, which inhabits 

 the Sargasso Sea. Whilst out in a boat collecting animals 

 amongst the Gulf Weed, these small Flying Gurnets were 

 constantly startled by the boat and flew away before it, and as 

 they did so, appeared to me to buzz their wings very rapidly. 



Their mode of flight seemed to me to be closely similar to 

 that of many forms of Grasshoppers, which cannot fly for any 

 great distance, but raise themselves from the ground with a 

 spring, and eking out their momentum as much as they can 

 by buzzing their wings, fall to the ground after a short flight. 



I watched these little Flying-fish fly along before the boat, 

 at a height of about a foot above the water, for distances of 

 15 or 20 yards,- and I chased them and caught one or two 

 with a hand-net amongst the Weed. Dr. Mobius, who similarly 

 watched the flight of a species of Flying Gurnet, maintains that 

 neither form of Flying-fish flap their wings at all during 

 flight. I do not consider the question as yet set at rest. Of 

 course no Flying-fish can raise themselves in the air by means 

 of their wings alone. 



There are even pelagic insects. One of these {Halobates) 



* K. Mobius, Die Bewegungen der fliegenden Fische durch die Lult 

 z. fur. Wiss. Zool. 1878, s. 343. 



