398 



ESOC1D.E. 



ABDOMINAL 

 MALACOPTERYGIL 



ESOCID&. 



THE FLYING FISH. 



Exocetus, LINNJEUS. 



,, CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 286. 



,, volitant, Winged Flying Fish, PENN. Brit. Zool. vol. iii. p. 441, 



pi. 78. 



,, ,, Common Flying Fish, DON. Brit. Fish. pi. 31. 



>, LINN.? JENYNS, Syst. Cat. p. 29, sp. 101. 



Generic Characters. Head and body covered with scales ; pectoral fins very 

 large, nearly as long as the body ; dorsal fin placed over the anal ; upper half 

 of the tail the smallest ; both jaws furnished with small teeth. 



SEVERAL instances being on record of a species of Fly- 

 ing Fish having been either captured or seen at different 

 parts of our coast, the subject requires to be noticed here ; 

 although the exact species, or even whether more than one 

 species may not have occurred, has not as yet been positively 

 decided. 



Pennant states, that in June 1765 one was caught at 

 a small distance below Carmarthen, in the river Towy, 

 being brought up by the tide, which flows as far as the 

 town. 



