363 



NIMROD OP THE SEA; OB, 



again shoots into the sunlight after the palpitating sparkles 

 which flit before it. Thus the distance shortens, and as the 

 exhausted flying-fish drops into the waves this beautiful sea- 

 tiger seizes them. 



In observing the motions of these and other fishes from 

 the mast-head, whence the eye is enabled to penetrate to con- 

 siderable depths in the water, it seemed to me that the mo- 

 tion of the flying-fish alone provoked the pursuit of the dol- 

 phin and albicore ; for we have noticed that in calms, or when 

 the ship has had little headway, the shoals of albicore would 

 swim lazily about the ship, or lie almost motionless di- 

 rectly under the flying-fishes, without noticing them. The 

 latter apparently escaped attention by lying motionless with 

 the wings partially extended, as though dead. Doubtless, 

 one of the causes of the albicore's flocking about vessels 

 in such great numbers is that their motion through the wa- 

 ter alarms their prey, and causes it to betray its presence 

 by flight. These fish accompany the whale for like reasons, 

 and their presence is considered a good sign of whales on 

 cruising -ground. The pilot-fish precedes the shark or a 

 running vessel. The albicore also '::ek the presence of the 

 ship as a protection against their most deadly enemy, the 

 sword-fish. The habit of sea-fishes, of congregating fre- 

 quently in immense numbers about ships, is the source of 

 a welcome supply of food to the crews. 



The capture of these magnificent fish, thus herded and 

 driven to our hands by the wolfish sword-fish, afforded a 

 fine field for the exercise of my angling propensity. For 

 tackle I had a hundred yards of three-stranded line, careful- 

 ly twisted and laid by my own fingers ; a large cod-hook, the 

 shank mounted with a revolving plate of mother-of-pearl, and 

 wings of white muslin, which made a very pretty fiying-fish. 

 Time, whenever the ship had a good breeze, and on a wind, 

 so that the line would be carried well out to leeward ; posi- 



