A VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO BOMBAY. 243 
dolphin that I was very glad to have an opportunity of seeing this 
fish, which is certainly one of the most splendid of living creatures. 
When in the water it shines with dazzling brilliance, like burnished 
brass in a green light; but as soon it is taken out, it changes to 
various shades of dark green, blue, and purple, sprinkled all over with 
round spots of the most intense blue, and bordered or touched at 
various points with green and gold. As life ebbs, the colours become 
rapidly duller, but even in death it is a most beautiful fish. This is 
the fish to which Byron refers in describing a sunset in the 
Mediterranean— 
“yarting day 
Dies like the dolphin, which each pang imbues 
With a fresh colour as it gasps away, 
The last still loveliest, till—’tis gone, and allis grey.” 
The khalasees considered the coryphene a great prize; but the captain 
and officers did not grudge it to them. I suppose it is coarse, The 
chief business of the coryphene is to pursue and eat the flying fish, 
and the chief use of the wings of the flying fish is to help it to 
postpone death by the coryphene. Flying fish are found in many 
seas; but between this and Aden they are so thick as to leave little 
room for water. All day they rise on both sides of the steamer like 
locusts, their silver sides glittering in the sun, Atthisseason (in 
September) they are mostly about four inches long. In April or May 
they seemed to me much larger and not nearly so abundant. At 
night they fall upon the deck in numbers and are eagerly picked up 
by the khalasees to be converted intocurry. As they fall, a splash of 
phosphorescence marks the spot. Many speciesof fish are phosphore- 
scent; but without amicroscope it was impossible tosettle whether the 
luminosity inthis case wasnotdue simply to minute organisms in the 
water which fell from thefish. Thewatersof the Arabian Seaatthis 
season become brightly luminous when agitated, owing to the presence 
of minute species of phosphorescent protozoa; but on the other hand 
I twice noticed the whole sea become luminous for half an hour, so 
faintly that it just looked like Bombay milk, and this the captain 
attributed to a passing shoal of small fishes, probably flying fishes. 
Even if he was right, the effect might not be due toluminosity in the 
fishes themselves, but to the gentle agitation of the water as they 
passed through it. Before I leave this subject, I will remark that it 
does not appear to be generally known that the great Sea Serpent 
is phosphorescent. Nor did I know it till one dark evening just a 
