182 THE OCEAN. 



Dolphins, although the fair narrator herself takes care 

 to inform us that she means the Corifphaina hij^puris: 

 "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 the sea at some 

 distance. With the rapidity of lightning he wheeled 

 round, made one tremendous 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 wings. 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 brilliant 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 Dol- 

 phin, animated by the certain prospect of success, 

 grew more vigorous in his bounds ; exhausted, they 

 dropped their wings, and fell one by one into the 

 jaws of the Dolj^hin, or were snapped up by the 

 vigilant Gulls."* 



Captain Basil Hall has described a very similar 

 scene in nearly parallel terms ; but, to prevent mis- 

 understanding, he also informs his readers that "the 

 Dolphin" of his narrative is the Coryphcena Jiippuris 

 of naturalists, and a true fish. 



• Miss Lloyd's Sketches of Berraudii. 



