Some Ocean Aeronauts 345 



sea, and in the vivid word painting of which 

 he was master, described their flight from the 

 waves high into the air. In this he was sup- 

 ported by Gardner, who based his conclusions 

 on observations made on the Brazilian coast. 

 Cuvier took an opposite view, as did Agassiz 

 and others; yet there are still careful observers 

 who are positive that they have seen the flying 

 fish flap its so-called wings and fly. 



The Santa Catalina Channel between the 

 island of that name and the coast of Los Angeles 

 County, Southern California, is about twenty 

 miles broad, a sheet of extremely deep water 

 fairly in the lee of the great mountain island, 

 and famous as a feeding ground for many tribes 

 of marine animals. The channel is a favorite 

 resort of this flying fish, which is but a type of 

 all the others, and during the trip across the 

 observer is frequently entertained by the exhibi- 

 tions of the marine flier. 



It was partly to solve the question of flight or 

 soaring that I made a trip into the heart of the 

 flying-fish country, and on many subsequent 

 crossings I watched the fishes hour after hour 

 from every possible point of vantage. One of 

 these fishes which came aboard the steamer eight 

 or ten feet above the water line, crashing through 

 a pane of glass and playing havoc among the 

 glasses, may serve as an illustration. 



The fish resembles a mullet about eighteen 



