62 CATECHISM OF 



tant of the tropical seas ; the head is scaly, and it 

 has no teeth ; it is of a whitish colour, and the 

 pectoral fins, the instruments of flight, are very 

 large and long. 



Q. What are the peculiar habits of this genus ? 



A. It is a fish that appears to lead a most miser- 

 able life; in its own element, it is perpetually 

 harassed and pursued by Dorados and other fish 

 of prey. When, by means of its long fins, it flies 

 out of the water to escape these devourers, itraeets 

 its fate from the gull or the albatross, or is obliged 

 to drop into the mouths of those ravenous fish, 

 from which it attempted to escape. 



Q. Can it fly for an indefinite time ? 



A. No ; for when the fins grow dry by exposure 

 to the air, the fish is obliged to drop into the water 

 to wet them anew. Many hundreds of these animals 

 are seen in the air at once, in the climates where 

 they abound, and they sometimes fall on the decks 

 of ships ; they are a palatable and nourishing food. 



CHAPTER XV. 



Of Soft Finned Abdominal Fish (continued}. 



Q. DOES the genus Cyprinus consist of many 

 species ? 



A. Yes ; not less than thirty-one ; those most 

 deserving of attention are 1. Carpio ; 2. Barbus ; 



Tropical seas, seas that lie within the torrid zone. 



