MEDITERRANEAN FLYING-FISH. 143 



siderable distance, is not entirely confined to this 

 genus, but takes place in some species of the genus 

 Scorpaena, as well as in that of Trigla, &c. as the 

 reader may perceive in recurring to the descrip- 

 tions of those genera in the former part of the 

 present work. 



The general length of the Mediterranean Flying- 

 Fish is from twelve to fifteen or sixteen inches ; 

 and its general shape is not unlike that of a Herring: 

 the body is subcylindrical but with a slight ap- 

 proach to square, if a transverse section be sup- 

 posed: the head is rather large, and sloping pretty 

 suddenly in front : the mouth small, and edged 

 on both jaws with minute, pointed teeth : the eyes 

 large, and of a silver-colour with a cast of gold : the 

 scales are large, thin, and rounded : the whole 

 animal is of a bright silvery cast, with a blue or dusky 

 tinge on the upper part ; the fins are also of a 

 dusky colour : of these the pectoral extend as far 

 as the beginning of the tail, and are of a sharply 

 lanceolate form : the dorsal and anal fins are 

 shallow, and placed opposite each other near the tail, 

 which is deeply forked with sharp-pointed lobes, 

 of which the lower is nearly twice the length of 

 the upper : the ventral fins are rather large, of a 

 lengthened and pointed shape, and situated a little 

 beyond the middle of the abdomen towards the 

 anal fin : on each side the lower part of the abdo- 

 men runs a kind of carina or lateral line formed by 

 a series of small, inclining points, or spicules. 



This species is frequently observed in the Medi- 

 terranean, sometimes -singly, and sometimes ap- 



