DEVIL FISHING. 85 



truded from below, and the small fry disappeared 

 from view, and were received into it, as into the 

 mouth of an enormous funnel. I do not think it 

 was mere wantonness on the part of the fish, but 

 that he was, on that occasion, indulging a caprice 

 of appetite, and substituting a diet of scale-fish for 

 his ordinary mess of shrimps. 



On the first of July, 1846, 1 launched my boat at 

 Bay Point, and crossed over to the Hilton Head 

 shore in search of devil-fish. I was accompanied 

 by Henry M. Stuart, Esq. 



It was high water about four o'clock, P.M., and 

 on reaching the landing at Mrs. Elliott's, just as the 

 tide was turning, we saw three or more. They did 

 not show themselves somersetting for some time, 

 but after a while, began to sport, and throw somer- 

 sets under the water, but so near to the surface as 

 to show their bellies in the evolution. "We saw, I 

 do not doubt, as many as twenty fish. "We counted 

 eleven that leaped entirely out of the water. They 

 were in the channel, and were further from shore 

 than where we had usually met with them ; and, 

 on approaching near to them in our boat, we 

 remarked that those which leaped entirely out of 

 the water, did not again show themselves on the 

 surface, until they had silently gone a mile or so 

 toward the sea, when they reappeared, gambolled 



