1 6 Ocean between Europe and America. 



water, and love to fwim about calks and logs of 

 wood, that fometimes drive in the fea. They 

 are eaten with thick butter, when boiled, and 

 fometimes fried, and afford a palatable food, 

 but rather fomewhat dry. In the bellies of the 

 fifli of this fpecies which we caught, feveral ani- 

 mals were found, viz. an Oflracion ; a little fifh 

 with blue eyes, which was yet alive, being juft 

 the moment before fwallowed, and meafuring 

 two inches in length ; another little fifh > a 

 curious marine infedl, and a flying fim, all 

 which not yet being damaged by digeftion, I 

 preferved in fpirits. 



THE Flying Fijh (Exccoetus volitans Linn.) 

 are always feen in great fhoals, fometimes of an 

 hundred or more getting at once out of the water, 

 being purfued by greater fifh, and chiefly by 

 Dolphins ; they rife about a yard, and even a 

 fathom above the water in their flight, but this 

 latter height they only are at, when they take 

 their flight from the top of a wave ; and fome- 

 times it is faid they fall on the deck of fhips. 

 The greateft diftance they fly, is a good mufket- 

 fhot, and this they perform in lefs than half a 

 minute's time; their motion is fomewhat like 

 that of the yellow-hammer, (Emberiza Citrinella 

 Linn.) It is very remarkable that I found the 

 courfe they took always to be againft the wind, 

 and though I was contradicted by the failors, 

 who affirmed that they went at any dire&ion, I 

 neverthelefs was confirmed in my opinion by a 

 careful obfervation during the whole voyage, 

 according to which they fly conftantly either 



dire&ly 



