DOLPHIN. 



As furnishing a lively sketch of the habits of the whole 

 genus, we subjoin an account of a hunt of flying-fish, as 

 narrated by an eye witness, a fair and interesting journal- 

 ist. " The other morning a large Dolphin, which had 

 been following the ship for some distance, and was spark- 

 ling most gloriously in the sun, suddenly detected a shoal 

 of flying-fish rising from {he sea, at some distance. With 

 the rapidity of lightning he wheeled round, made one tre- 

 mendous leap, and so timed his fall as to arrive fairly at 

 the place where our little friends, the flying-fish, were 

 forced to drop into the sea to refresh their weary wing. 

 A flight of sea-gulls now joined in the pursuit ; we gave 

 up our proteges for lost, when to our great joy we beheld 

 them rising again, for they had merely skimmed the wave, 

 and thus recruited, continued their flight. Their restless 

 foe pursued them with giant strides, now cutting the wave, 

 which flashed and sparkled with the reflection of his bril- 

 liant coat, and then giving one huge leap, which brought 

 him up with his prey ; they seemed conscious that escape 

 was impossible; their flight became shorter and more 

 flurried, whilst the Dolphin, animated by the certain pros- 

 pect of success, grew more vigorous in his bounds : ex- 

 hausted, they dropped their wings, and fell, one by one, 

 into the jaws of the Dolphin, or were snapped up by the 

 vigilant gulls. 



