CORYPH.ENA. 



153 



commencement of cold weather; he has often re- 

 marked its solitary habits; it seemed to seek the most 

 unfrequented shaded retreats, keeping almost con- 

 stantly on the ground, yet would sometimes, towards 

 the evening, mount to the top of a tree, and repeat its 

 notes (which a little resemble those of the baltimore,) 

 for a quarter of a hour together ; and this it generally 

 did immediately before snow or falling weather." 



Corvus ossifragus (the fishing crow). This is 

 another North American species, which is worthy of 

 notice on account of the peculiarity of its habits. 

 They are wholly aquatic birds ; and are scavengers 

 upon the numerous and productive waters of that 

 part of the world, especially of those which are near 

 the coast. They are birds of powerful wing for their 

 size, and furnished with large and crooked claws. 

 They hover along over the surface of the waters, and 

 are ever and anon twitching down to seize in their 

 claws any dead fish or other garbage that may be 

 floating. They are most abundant in the southern 

 part of the States, where the waters are more pro- 

 ductive ; they are understood to perch and nestle in 

 high trees near the waters ; and they are very com- 

 mon about fishing villages and fishing stations. It 

 does not. appear that they depend much on the land 

 for their food, or in any way injure its cultivated 

 produce. The following is the description : they are 

 sixteen inches in length, and thirty-three in the stretch 

 of the wings ; black all over, with reflections of steel 

 blue and purple ; the chin is bare of feathers around 

 the base of the lower mandible. Upper mandible 

 notched near the tip, the edges of each turned in- 

 wards about the middle ; eye very small, placed near 

 the corner of the mouth, and of a dark hazel colour ; 

 recumbent hair or bristles, large and long ; ear 

 feathers, prominent ; first primary little more than 

 half the length, fourth the longest ; wings when shul 

 h within two inches of the tip of the tail ; tai 

 rounded and seven inches long from its insertion 

 thighs, very long; legs, stout; claws sharp, long am 

 hooked, hind one the largest, all jot black. Male anc 

 female much alike. 



besides those which \vc have noticed there are 

 many species or varieties in different parts of the 

 world ; but the manners of them all arc very 

 similar ; and it is exceedingly probable the climata 

 varieties of those which are common with us, have 

 been described as different species. 



CORYPH^ENA Coryphene; the dolphin of the 

 ancients. A genus of spinotis-finned fishes, with ab 

 dominal fins, situated immediately under the pectorals 

 and thus referrible to the thoracic fishes of the Lin 

 mean system ; but included in the mackerel family 

 (Soofnber6idce) in Cuvier's structural arrangement 

 They are numerous, and vary much in size, in colour 

 and in several other of their external appearances 

 but their generic characters are well made out, am 

 there is a good deal of similarity in the habits of then 

 all. The leading characters are : The body corn 

 pressed, elongated, and covered with very small scales 

 the head short, and truncated on the upper part ; th 

 gill-lids smooth, and with seven rays in the gill-flap 

 the dorsal fin beginning immediately behind the head 

 and ranging the whole length of the back, its ray 

 of nearly the same flexibility throughout the whoL 

 length, but. those of the anterior part have no articu 

 l;ti'n>:i. All the members of this genus arc pelagi 

 fishes, enjoying free range of the wide sea, in the dee] 

 water rather than over the banks, remaining an 



eeding near the surface. They arc generally splcn- 

 iid in their appearance ; and in point of colour, at 

 east, they are among the most beautiful inhabitants 

 the deep. The brilliancy of their colours vanishes 

 n death ; so that it is impossible to form any idea of 

 hem from museum specimens, how carefully soever 

 hese may be prepared and preserved. 



This holds, indeed, with regard to all the more 

 splendid fishes; and, as the tints and lustres which they 

 display, have a transparency about them, which does 

 lot belong to even the finest colours of land animals, 

 so they have an evanescence, which renders it impos- 

 sible to form any idea of them, unless when they are 

 seen alive and in health. Those of this species, in 

 particular, pass through a number of beautiful rainbow 

 ;ints, while they are in the agonies of death ; and this 

 was one of the reasons why the luxurious Romans 

 were so very fond of having coryphenes at their 

 sumptuous entertainments ; they did not, however, 

 serve up these fishes, at least in the first instance, in 

 the style in which fishes are served up at the tables 

 of modern epicures. The}' brought them to table 

 alive, so that the company might enjoy the luxury of 

 seeing them die. After this they were withdrawn, 

 cooked, and brought back again as an article of food. 

 Coryphenes are most abundant in the tropical seas, 

 though some of them are found in the Mediterranean, 

 but there are none in the polar seas, or, indeed, in 

 very high latitudes, though it is probable that they 

 extend farther into the southern hemisphere than the 

 northern. They are remarkable for energy of life ; 

 and the radiant and finely varying tints which they 

 display are living lustres, and add greatly to the 

 beauty of the wide soas. 



When they are coursing over the sea in shoals, 

 which they generally do, though the shoal is never 

 of wearisome extent, and the bright sun of the tropi- 

 cal sky is beating on them through a thin and con- 

 tinuallv varying stratum of water, and when they 

 themselves are shooting along with the rapidity of 

 flashes of lightning, they form an exhibition, than 

 which there are few more beautiful in nature. Indeed, 

 gorgeous as are many of the flowers in tropical coun- 

 tries, and gay as are many of the birds, their colours 

 do not refract, and decompose, and reflect the light 

 and return it in such an endless variety of tints, all 

 liquid, as if they were molten in the element in which 

 the creatures live, as is done by the fishes. 



The sublimity of the wide sea, and the steady trade 

 wind soon palls upon the sense ; and, as there is little 

 to be done on board ship in such places, and the heat 

 is relaxing to Europeans, a passage there would be a 

 very dreary matter, were it not for the sporting of the 

 fishes, and of the long-winged birds, which rival the 

 coryphenes in seeking their prey over the extensive 

 ocean. 



In such situations a shoal of coryphenes presents a 

 rich treat to the spectator ; nor is it by any means a 

 passing glory, like a meteor in the sky, to be viewed 

 only for a moment, and talked of afterwards as a thing 

 of memory. They keep company with the ship for 

 days, and even for weeks, ranging along for hundreds 

 of miles ; and, though the rate of sailing is consider- 

 able, it is in fine weather nothing at all to the speed 

 of swimming in the coryphenes. They play round 

 and round the ship, now shooting a-head, now getting 

 astern, on the starboard at one time, and on the lar- 

 board at another. In every position of themselves 

 and the light they are brilliant ; but in no two posi- 



