326 NATURAL HISTORY. 



net beneath them without driving them away. At the slightest motion of 

 the water they dart off a short distance and usually stop. Then is the 

 time to follow them rapidly with a net, and lift them out of water. They 

 are mostly found near stones or rocks which lie on the bottom." 



In addition to the sense of hearing they have that of touch highly 

 developed. The head is destitute of scales, and on either side of the body 

 there are numerous transverse ridges (shown in our cut), each of which is 

 made up of a row of little papillse, and to each papilla there runs a nerve. 

 In this way highly specialized organs of touch are distributed over the 

 whole body. The Mammoth Cave blind-fish is perfectly white, and reaches 

 a length of four inches and a half, or even five inches. Says Mr. Putnam, 

 " The largest specimen captured of late years is said to have been taken 

 during the summer of 1871, and sold for ten dollars to a person who 

 was so desirous of securing the precious morsel that he had it cooked 

 for his supper." 



There are two very distinct groups of flying-fishes : one, the true flying- 

 fish ; the other, the flying-gurnards. The first of these only is to be con- 

 sidered here ; the other will be mentioned later. Of the true flying-fish 

 there are some forty or fifty species ; but with the distinctions between 

 them we need not concern ourselves, merely saying that nine occur on the 

 eastern coast of the United States. They are characterized by the exces- 

 sive development of the pectoral fins (see page 327). Aside from their 

 value as food, the whole interest in them centres in the 'flight' ; but about 

 this there are the most contradictory statements. Says Professor D. S. 

 Jordan, a perfectly competent authority, the flying-fish of California 

 " known to the Italians and Spaniards of the Pacific coast as the l volutor,' 

 reaches a length of eighteen inches, and a weight of one and a half pounds, 

 being one of the largest flying-fishes. . . . This fish flies for a distance, 

 sometimes, of nearly a quarter of a mile, usually not rising more than 

 three or four feet. Its motions in the water are extremely rapid, and its 

 motive power is certainly the movement of its powerful tail in the water. 

 On rising from the water the movements of the tail are continued for some 

 seconds, until the whole body is out of the water. While the tail is in 

 motion, the pectorals are in a state of very rapid vibration, and the ven- 

 trals are folded. When the action of the tail ceases, the pectorals and 

 ventrals are spread, and, as far as we can see, held at rest. When the fish 

 begins to fall, the tail touches the water and the motions of the pectorals 

 recommences, and it is able to continue its flight, which it finally finishes 

 by falling into the water with a splash. While on the wing, it resembles 

 a large dragon-fly. The motion is very swift ; at first it is in a straight 



