102 THE NATUEALIST IN BERMUDA. 



Flying Fish {Eomccetus ?). A very beautiful 



species, three inches in length, is the only one I ever 

 examined. It was marked with indigo blue on the back, in 

 the manner of the common mackarel, had two curious fan- 

 like barbs suspended from the lower jaw, was barred with 

 brown and yellow on the underside of the body, and the 

 pectorals dark and crossed by two irregular bars of white. 

 The ventral fins were nearly as large as the pectorals. This 

 fish was washed on the rocks in rough weather. Another 

 specimen flew on board the Salt Kettle ferry boat ; Capt. 

 Drummond considered it a new species.* 



The Bone Fish, oe Geubbbe. In January, 1849, a boat 

 from Castle Harbour brought in a number of large fish I 

 had never seen before. They were from ten to thirteen 

 pounds weight each, and resembled the common mullet of 

 the Islands in appearance, but with a longer and sharper 

 head. The fishermen called them " rooters," and assured 

 me they were rarely met with. A ship-master who was 

 present described them as common in Jamaica^ where they 

 are termed " bone fish." Several hundreds were enclosed 

 in the net, but not being sufficiently strong they dashed 

 through it, and most of them escaped. 



Common Mullet op Beemuda {Mugil albula). Very 

 abundant at times, being found of large size in the shallow 

 bays. Hamilton Harbour swarms with them, but from the 



* On our voyage from Halifax to Sermuda, and within sight of the 

 Islands, several flying fish rose from the water beneath the bows of the 

 steamer, and 6fter skimming about forty or fifty yards, would drop again. 

 We did not observe one of them use the fins as wings, or tv/m in their 

 ariel course. This species was about eight or ten inches in length, as near 

 as we could judge from observation. 



