ABDOMINAL MALACOPTERYGII. 139 



mentum, they were only able to rise out of it a few 

 inches. The lines which they traverse when they 

 enjoy full liberty of motion, are very low curves, and 

 always in the direction of their previous progress in 

 the water."* 



Mr. G. Bennett paid much attention to these 

 fishes in his late voyage to the South Sea. " I 

 have never," he observes, " been able to see any per- 

 cussion of the pectoral fins during flight : and the 

 greatest length of time that I have seen these volatile 

 fish on the^w has been thirty seconds by the watch, 

 and their longest flight, mentioned by Captain Hall, 

 has been two hundred yards, but he thinks that sub- 

 sequent observation has extended the space. The 

 most usual height of flight, as seen above the surface 

 of the water, is from two to three feet ; but I have 

 known them come on board at a height of fourteen 

 feet and upwards : and they have been well ascer- 

 tained to come into the channels of a line-of-battle 

 ship, which is considered as high as twenty feet and 

 upwards. 



" But it must not be supposed they have the 

 power of elevating themselves in the air, after having 

 left their native element : for, on watching them, I 

 have often seen them fall much below the elevation 

 at which they first rose from the water, -but never in 

 any one instance could I observe them raise them- 

 selves from the height at which they first sprang; 

 for I regard the elevation they take to depend on 

 the power of the first spring or leap they make on 

 * Vol. x. p. 466. 



