Some Ocean Aeronauts 355 



combining many tints which when caught by 

 the sunlight causes them to resemble gorgeous 

 insects. In the patches of sargassum, where I 

 have observed them in flight, the surroundings 

 are sombre. The floating weed is of a subdued 

 olive tint, and the animals which live in it are 

 of the same hue, which, apparently, they have ac- 

 quired as a protective measure. The flying gur- 

 nard alone has a coat of many colors, and as it 

 rises, lends vitality and color to the scene, its 

 trembling wings flashing with vivid lines of 

 blue, green, yellow, and other less conspicuous 

 colors, transforming these silent regions of calm 

 into a scene of beauty and animation. 



