////: TLTIirQ ui'RXARlts. M7 



It is a curious looking tisli. \\itli it-~ lon\ :irni<u --plate* ;m<l shielded head. It in most nun 

 nmiily taken near the mouths of ri\ers. though it is sometimes -.ipi un-d fur mil ;it sea. It* 

 flesh is linn and yond. ImT its small size and Unix shields i>-n l,-i it scarreh - i A iceable for til- 

 lable. It f>-.-ds mostly mi ai|iiatir animals. 



Tin- IHH|\ of tin- I.vrie is c,,\eivd l.y ,-i-lit n.ttsof Uiiiy plates. sti-onuU reminding the 

 observer of tin- -tuix'<-<>n. and tin- head, gill <-,.MT. and shoulders an- tnuigly armed with 

 spines. 



The general color of th>- \,\ ri<- is l.|o\\n abo\,-. crossed with several broad 1 and'- of dark 

 I>I-O\MI, and tin- aUlomen is while, \\ith a irilliinr timre of brown. 



IN tli.- remarkable p-nn. \\liicli no\\ i-inn.-s U-fon- our notir.-. tin- Unly \ coverwl with 

 IMUIV |ilat-s. lik- ain-i.-iit armor, and tin- fnml ]>art of tin- l:-ad is formal into a <li'ply rlfft 

 folk on acctmnt of tin- di-v<-lo]nuciit of o-rtain lx>n's of tht- skull. 



Tin- < M:n N i \i. <ii i:\\i:i. is foiuul in tin- .Ia|tnne06 seas, and is a good example of tli 

 iri-nu- t" lii<-h it N-lon^s. tin- l>ny i.lat.-s U-in^ v,-ry 1-irtri', and tlic forkcil ]II-K-.-S>.-> of tlu> 

 lu>a<l \\i-ll dfVclojH-<l. !J't\M-i-n tin- vi-nii-d tins, t-ach lx>ny ].lat- is jus! tlin-*- tiiin-> as loii^f JW 

 it is broad. The pra-oiM-rniliiu: N furni^lu-d \\itli a stioni: spim-. cns-d l.\ a projei-tinj; rid^o 

 from its ani;l'. 



A very curious species U-loii^ini; to this L''-!MI> i- known l.y tin- name of MAILKD GUR- 

 XARD (1'i-rixtff/tux iiitu, 



In thi^ tNh. thf IMUIV j.lat. l>.-i\\,-.-n tin- \ftitral tins an- twice as lon^ as they are broad. 

 It mostly jm-ft-rs r.itlu-r difp \\:it-r over rocky ground, l>ut approncln-s the shallows for tin* 

 purpose of spawning. Its food i-oni-.ts of tfce goiter crustaceans, mediisie. and similar rival 

 area. It is a swift swimmer, l-ut s^-ms to In- rather reckless, us it not (infrequently strikes its 

 forke<l snout agjiinst the -t<.n 1 -N. and Im-aksolT one or l>oth ]M>ints. The nVsli of tlie Mailed 

 (iuniani is tolerahly good, but requires some care in cooking, beside* costing some little 

 trouble in freeing it from the hard, Inmy plates in whirh the Ixxly is so aerurely envelopetl. 

 In order to clear away these defences, the fish must In- soaked in warm water, and the 



-cale-. -tri|.|-d oil" fr..m the 'ail ii|.anl. In -oine j.lacex. ^,i<-\, : ^ [I,,- ro:i-I-- of Spain, it 

 is held in ron-ideraMe estimation, and is especially sought by fishermen. Ita color is like 

 that of the Red Gurnard. Nearly all the rays of the first dorsal tin are extremely 

 elongated, and, together with the mailed body, the armed head, and the double snout, give 

 to the fish a most singular aspect The total length of the Mailed Gurnard is about two 



feet. 



TIIK Flying Gurnards are extraordinary and beautiful fishes, remarkable not only for 

 the very great development of the pectoral fins, their muscles and attachments, but for the 

 unexpected use to whirh those members are occasionally sullen lent. 



These h'sh- Met- \\ith one or two other species, hereafter to IM- described, possess the 



power of darting from the water into the air, and by the mingled force of the impetus with 

 which they spring from the surface, and the widely spread wing-like \\;\^. \ sustain themselves 

 for a short space in the thinner element, and usurp fora time the privileges of the winged 

 beings whose tra-kle>s j, : ,th is through the air. 



The object of ,-\,-r, i-ing these strange powers seems to !. not the pleasure of the fish, but 

 the hope of esrapinir from the jaws of -otne rondOM VMMter of the de-p, whose sub-aquatic 

 speed is greater than that of the intended \ictim. but whose limited ]M>\MT- are incapable of 

 nii-mir it into the air. Foremost among thes,- jiersecutor- is tli>- coryphem- often called the 

 dolphin by ^iilr-. and which is the so-called "dolphin" whose colors glow with such 

 changeful Ix-.iuty durinir it- death-pangs. 



Little. hou.-\.-r. do the jxiwers of (light avail the unfortunate fish, for winged foes, known 

 by the name of albatross, frigate-bird, and similar titles, an- hovering above in waiting for their 

 prey, and no .on.-r does the Gurnard launch it.self fairly into the air. and so escape the 

 jaws of the pursuer coryphene. than the albatross swoops down with extended wings, snatches 

 up the ti>h in it* beak, and without altering the bold and i;ra-efnl curve in which it ha* made 



