LETTER VIII. 187 



by a Dolphin, or any other Fifh of Prey, they 

 evade the piirfuit, by flying out of the Water, 

 and by continuing that flight, whilft their Fins 

 will keep v^et enough for that purpofe, w^hich 

 may be as far as thirty or forty yards end w^ays; 

 for they ufually fly in a ftrait line, though they 

 make fome fmall Wavings. They moved their 

 Fins full as nimbly as Engh'Jh Bees, or the fore^ 

 mentioned Flies^ called '\taylorSy or Devil's Nee^ 

 dies, fo that vs^e could fcarce perceive them 3 and 

 as they are of a very bright fhining colour, they 

 looked exadlly like fo many pieces of polidied 

 Silver, darting it along. Their fight whilft in 

 the Air, is not extraordinary good, I fuppofe, be^ 

 caufe two or three of them alighted upon our 

 Ship, in which cafe they are utterly difabled from 

 rifing again. They fly fingly, or in whole Flocks 

 like Birds, and far oftener I believe, out of wan- 

 tonnefs, more than fear -, for if they did not, we 

 muft imagine that part of the Sea to be full of 

 Dolphins, and other Fifhes of Prey. 



3. In our Paflage, we met with abundance 

 of Gulph-Weed -, it was of a reddifh yellow co- 

 lour, refembling the peeled Skins of Onions, and 

 is called Gulph-Weed, becaufe it is hurried away 

 out of the great Gulph of Florida, where the 

 Current runs fo extreamly rapid northwards al- 

 ways, as to drive along a deep-loaded VeiTel, at 

 the fwift rate of fix miles an hour, without the 



leaft 



