FLYING-FISH. 11 



more taper at the extremities than that of the species 

 hitherto common.* 



Nov. 2%th.—Y\ve of the little Blue-backed Flying- 

 fishes flew on board early in the morning, by which 

 I was enabled to secure specimens, and to make a 

 careful drawing while the colours were yet undimmed. 

 The brilliancy of the deep-blue on the upper parts, 

 and of the burnished silver of the sides and belly is 

 very striking. While passing Radonda, a rock to 

 the north of Montserrat, multitudes of this species 



* This is the " Volador" of Parra (pi. xv.), but certainly not the 

 Exoccetus mesoff aster of Cuv. et Val., which those learned zoologists 

 have identified with Parra's Volador, after Bloch. They describe 

 their mesogaster as having the pectorals of the same deep blue tint as 

 the back, with a large transverse band ; the ventrals of the same deep 

 colour, with white at the base of the internal ray, and a little at the 

 tip of the second external ray ; the dorsal and caudal, grey ; the anal 

 white. Its length is seven inches French, or nearly seven and a half 

 inches English. How importantly this differs from the species men- 

 tioned in the text will appear from the following description of the 

 latter : — 



Back deep blue ; sides and belly pearly : pectorals perfectly hya- 

 line and colourless, except a tinge of black on the basal half of the 

 interspace between the first and second rays ; no trace of any band ; 

 ventrals colourless ; dorsal colourless for the basal half, the terminal 

 moiety black ; caudal white ; anal colourless. The anterior part of 

 the pectorals, and of the ventrals, runs out in a short point; the in- 

 sertion of the latter is just midway between the extremity of the lower 

 jaw and the fork of the caudal. The eye is large, the iris is blue, 

 tinged with yellow anteriorly ; the muzzle is tipped with black. 

 Total length five inches. 



Fin-ray formula. P. 13. — D. 12. — V. 7. — A. 13. — C. 19. 



Believing that this species, though allied to mesogaster, is distinct 

 from it, and as yet unnamed, I propose to honour it with the appellation 

 of Exoc. HilUamis, after the name of Richard Hill, Esq., of Jamaica, 

 a gentleman, whose scientific attainments are equalled only by his 

 urbane manners, and truly estimable character. 

 B 6 



