176 THE WINGED FLYING-FISH. 



its appearance in the air." Its destiny is, however^ 

 by no means peculiarly severe : we should consider 

 that, as a fish, it often escapes the attack of birds; 

 and, in its winged character, the individuals fre- 

 quently throw themselves out of the power of 

 fishes. 



The eyes of these fish are so prominent at to ad- 

 mit of their seeing danger from whatever quarter it 

 may come; but, on emergency, they are able, in 

 addition, to push them somewhat beyond the sock- 

 ets, so as considerably to enlarge their sphere of 

 vision *. 



They are frequently either unable to direct their 

 flight out of a straight line, or else they become 

 exhausted on a sudden ; for sometimes whole shoals 

 of them fall on board the ships that navigate the 

 seas of warm climates. 



In the water they have somewhat the manner of 

 the swallow in the air, except that they always 

 swim in straight lines ; and the blackness of their 

 backs, the whiteness of their bellies, and their forked 

 and expanded tails, give them much the same ap- 

 pearance. 



They were known to the ancients ; for Pliny 

 mentions them under the name of Hirundo, and re- 

 lates their faculty of flying. 



* Brown in Phil. Tran. vol. Ixviii. p. 791. 



