A Splendid Fellow 237 



very pleasing, all the colours being rich and bright 

 as those upon a butterfly, and further accentuated 

 by being wet and shiny. In these species the pectoral 

 fins are very large, much larger in fact, proportionately, 

 than those of the Exocetus, at least apparently. But 

 on closer examination it is seen that the body of the 

 Gurnard is much more stocky, and consequently 

 heavier than that of the Exocetus, while the buoying 

 up bladders are very small and ineffective. Apart 

 from this knowledge it would be very difficult to under- 

 stand why the Gurnard should not be a much better 

 flyer than the Exocetus. For the wings, instead of 

 tapering off towards the end, like those of the Exocetus 

 (which much resemble a swallow's wings) actually 

 broaden oat, being considerably wider at the tip than 

 at the junction with the body. They are also fantas- 

 tically decorated with long protruding spines at the 

 sides and ends, the ribs of the parachute, as it were, 

 produced beyond the membrane, perhaps for protection 

 but apparently for decorative purposes. 



The second of these volatile fish is a denizen of 

 the Arabian sea, Persian Gulf and Bay of Bengal, 

 never being seen very far from land. It is practically 

 unknown to sailors, but is often caught with hook 

 and line by the hardly bestead native fishermen on 

 the Coromandel Coast, who pursue their calling upon 

 a wretched contrivance of their logs lashed side by 

 side, with a few turns of coir spun-yarn, on which 

 they can only maintain a kneeling position, and from 

 which they are continually being swept by the sea 

 when it is at all rough. They are there greatly es- 

 teemed as food, and credited with much greater powers 

 of flight than they really possess. 



