104 VERTEBRATA. - PISCES. 



had gone, however, a considerable distance, he sud- 

 denly turned round, darted after the vessel, and be- 

 fore the Pilot-fish could overtake him and interpose, 

 snapped at the bait and was taken. In hoisting 

 him up, one of the Pilots was observed to cling to 

 his side until he was half above water, when it fell 

 off. All the Pilot-fishes then swam about awhile, 

 as if in search of their friend, with every apparent 

 mark of anxiety and distress, and afterwards darted 

 suddenly down into the depths of the sea. Col. 

 H. Smith has himself witnessed, with intense 

 curiosity, an event in all respects precisely simi- 

 lar."* " 



Passing by many genera that are not destitute 

 of interest, we notice, before quitting this family, 

 the genus 



probably so named on account of the compressed 

 form of its body, being much deeper than broad; 

 the upper part of the head even runs in a sharp 

 ridge ; the dorsal extends along the whole body. 

 They are universally, though erroneously, called Dol- 

 phins by our sailors, and are famed for their reputed 

 changes of colour when dying. We have had an op- 

 portunity of witnessing the death of one Coryphene, 

 (C. Psittacus ?} whose changes were not exactly 

 what are generally believed to take place. We had 



* Anim. Kingd. vol. x. p. 636. 

 *f* Koguipa7os, koryphaios, vertical ? 



