104 LIFE OF AUDUBON. 



the. upper fin, which reaches from the forehead to within a short 

 distance of the tail, is of a fine dark blue. The upper part of 

 the body in its whole length is azure, and the lower parts are of 

 a golden hue, mottled irregularly with deep blue spots. 



" One day several small birds, after alighting on the spars, be- 

 took themselves to the deck. One of them, a female rice bunting, 

 drew our attention more particularly, for, a few moments after 

 her arrival, there came down, as if it were in her wake, a beautiful 

 peregrine falcon. The plunderer hovered about for awhile, then 

 stationed himself on the end of one of the yard-arms, and 

 suddenly pouncing on the little gleaner of the meadows, clutched 

 her and carried her off in exultation. I was astonished to see 

 the falcon feeding on the finch while on the wing with the 

 same ease as the Mississippi kite shows while devouring, high in 

 air, a red-throated lizard, swept from one of the trees of the 

 Louisiana woods. 



" One afternoon we caught two sharks. In one of them we 

 found ten young ones alive, and quite capable of swimming, as 

 we proved by experiment ; for on casting one of them into the 

 sea it immediately made off, as if it had been accustomed to sliift 

 for itself. Of another that had been cut in two, the head half 

 swam out of our sight. The rest were cut in pieces, as was the 

 old shark, as bait for the dolphins, which, 1 have already said, 

 are fond of such food. Our captain, who was much intent on 

 amusing me, informed me that the rudder-fishes were plentiful 

 astern, and immediately set to dressing hooks for the purpose of 

 catching them. There was now some air above us, the sails 

 aloft filled, the ship moved through the water, and the captain 

 and I repaired to the cabin window. I was furnished with a 

 fine hook, a thread line, and some small bits of bacon, as was 

 the captain, and we dropped our bait among the myriads of 

 delicate little fishes below. Up they came one after another, 

 so fast in succession that, according to my journal, we caught 

 three hundred and seventy in about two hours ! What a mess ! 

 and how delicious when roasted ! if ever I am again becalmed 

 in the Gulf of Mexico, I shall not forget the rudder-fish. The 

 little things scarcely measured three inches in length ; they 

 were thin and deep in form, and afforded excellent eating. It 

 was curious to see them keep to the lee of the rudder in a 



