102 LIFE OF AUDUBON. 



" June 23. Near Cape Florida. This morning we. entered the 

 Atlantic Ocean from the Florida Straits with a fair wind. The 

 land birds have left us. I leave America and my wife and 

 children to visit England and Europe and publish my ' Birds 

 of America.' 



" In the Gulf of Mexico our vessel was becalmed for many 

 days ; the tedium of which we beguiled by catching fish and 

 watching their habits. Among the others caught we were 

 fortunate in securing several beautiful dolphins. Dolphins 

 move in shoals varying from four or five to twenty or more, 

 hunting in packs in the waters as wolves pursue their prey on 

 land. The object of their pursuit is generally the flying-fish,, 

 now and then the bonita ; and when nothing better can be had 

 they will follow the little rudder-fish and seize it immediately 

 under the stern of the ship. The flying-fishes, after having 

 escaped for awhile by dint of their great velocity, on being 

 again approached by the dolphins, emerge from the water, and 

 spreading their broad wing-like fins, sail through the air and 

 disperse in all directions, like a covey of timid partridges before 

 the rapacious falcon. Some pursue a direct course, others 

 diverge on either side, but in a short time they all drop into 

 their natural element. While they are travelling in the air 

 their keen and hungry pursuer, like a greyhound, follows in 

 their wake, and performing a succession of leaps many feet in 

 extent, rapidly gaias upon the quarry, which is often seized just 

 as it falls into the sea. Dolphins manifest a very remarkable 

 sympathy with each other. The moment one of them is hooked 

 or grained, as sailors technically name their manner of harpoon- 

 ing, those in company make up to it, and remain around until 

 the unfortunate fish is pulled on board, when they generally 

 move off together, seldom biting at anything thrown out to 

 them. This, however, is the case only with the larger in- 

 dividuals, which keep apart from the young, in the same manner 

 as is observed in several species of birds ; for when the smaller 

 dolphins are in large shoals they all remain under the bows 

 of the ship, and bite in succession at any sort of line, as if 

 determined to see what has become of their lost companions. 

 The! dolphins caught in the Gulf of Mexico during our voyage 

 were suspected to be poisonous ; and to ascertain whether this. 



