Ocean Life 173 
The Portuguese man-of-war is a colony of small jelly-like 
animals who sail the sea by means of a float about six inches 
long with a little sail on top. They are able to raise and lower 
the sail at will, and do not sail directly with the wind, but 
tack across it at 45° according to Dr. Woodcock of the Woods 
Hole Oceanographic Institution. 
Suspended from the floating bladder are numerous fila- 
ments extending down to 25 or 30 feet beneath the surface. 
These long threads can sting severely, and are used to par- 
alyze small fishes. 
One kind of fish, the so-called Portuguese man-of-war fish, 
is not affected by the poison. It finds the filaments a safe 
refuge, and usually stays safely inside of them. 
Flying fish. 
