2772 THE BONY FISHES AND GANOIDS 



grow to as much as five feet. Dr. Giinther writes that, skimming along the surface 

 of the water, the gar pike seize with their " long jaws small fish, as a bird would 

 seize them with its beak; but their gullet is narrow, so that they can swallow small 

 fish only. They swim with an undulating motion of the body; but although they 

 are in constant activity, their progress through the water is much slower than that 

 of the mackerels, the shoals of which sometimes appear simultaneously with them 

 on our coasts." Frequently they may be seen leaping out of the water over small 

 floating objects in sportive play, and when struck by the hook throw themselves 

 above the surface in violent contortions. The saury or skipper (Scombresox 

 saunts) is the British representative of a much smaller genus, differing from the 

 gar pikes by the minute size of the teeth, and likewise by the presence of a number 

 of small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins. On the other hand, the half beaks 

 (Hemirhampkus) t some of which inhabit fresh water, have the lower jaw larger 

 than the upper throughout life. 



Perhaps few sights are more pleasing during a long sea voyage in 

 an ocean steamer than to stand in the bows and to watch the flying 

 fish rising sometimes singly, but more frequently in larger or smaller shoals 

 from beneath the vessel to take their beautiful flight over the crest of the waves, 

 till they once more disappear from view beneath the deep blue waters. Represented 

 by more than forty species from tropical and subtropical seas, the flying fishes, of 

 which the common species (Exoccetus evolans) is shown in the illustration on p. 

 2682, form a genus which may be at once recognized by the great length of the pec- 

 toral fins. They are further characterized by the blunt and short-jawed head, and 

 the moderately long oblong body invested in a coat of rather large-sized scales; the 

 teeth, when present at all, being minute or rudimental. The ordinary length of a 

 flying fish is from ten inches to a foot, although specimens are occasionally met 

 with half as long again; and whereas the common form ranges round the world, the 

 distribution of some other species is extremely restricted, one being recorded only 

 from the seas on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Panama. The species differ 

 considerably in the length of the pectoral fins; those in which they reach to the tail 

 fin being capable of taking the longest flights, whereas in some others they do not ex- 

 tend beyond the anal. Associating in shoals, which are sometimes of immense size, 

 all these fish are pelagic in their habits, and all are capable of taking the skim- 

 ming flight from which they derive their name. That these fish take their flights 

 primarily to escape from their enemies may be regarded as certain; and it is equally 

 well ascertained that the continuance of the flight is due to the original impetus 

 of the leap from the water, and is not prolonged by any flapping of the fins. From 

 my own observations I am, however, of opinion that the pectoral fins are vibrated 

 rapidly on first leaving the water for a few seconds, doubtless from a continuation 

 of the swimming motion while in the water, after which they become entirely 

 motionless. During flight, the color of these fins may appear either white or brown, 

 when seen from above, according to the incidence of the light. So far as I have 

 seen, flying fish are unable to change the direction of their course to any marked 

 extent; but on this point, as will be seen from the two following accounts, there is 

 some difference of opinion among observers. The first of these two accounts is 



