SCOMBRESOCID^E. 155 



Habits. — A marine gregarious* fish, which leaves the water, springing into 

 the air, due to fear of some danger, not for the purpose of seeking food : it 

 would seem that the distance it can cover in such nights is limited, while some 

 have asserted that they are unable to voluntarily change the direction of their 

 course. Professor Mobius (Zeits. fur wiss. Zool. Band, xxx, suppl. p. 343) records 

 his observations on the flight of Exocoeti. He observes that they spring with great 

 velocity out of the water, regardless of the direction of the wind or course of the 

 waves. During their flight they do not make any regular fluttering movements with 

 their pectoral and ventral fins, but merely keep them extended or spread out. Rapid 

 vibrations may however be perceived in their outstretched fins. The hinder part 

 of the body is kept at a lower elevation than the fore part. The cause of these 

 movements through the air is due to the springing movements which they impart 

 to their bodies by means of then* very powerful lateral muscles, in the same 

 manner as other fish employ them for propulsion through the water. They spring 

 out of the water with great velocity due to the air presenting less resistance than 

 the water, and when they fall into the sea their outstretched fins act like a 

 parachute. The action of the wind may be favourable or the reverse to their 

 flight. During the day-time they can choose the direction of their spring, and 

 so avoid ships. At night-time, due to the deficiency of such a power, they may 

 fall into a vessel. As any air in strong motion striking against any obstacle (as a 

 wave or side of a ship) rises, this would also raise the fish and thus lift it on to 

 the vessel. It may be a combination of an oblique forward movement of the fish, 

 acted upon by the wind. Mr. Howard Saunders (Zool. 1874, p. 3839) observes 

 that not even the frigate-bird was ever seen by him to swoop at, much less 

 to catch one on the wing, and in South Sea Bubbles, either the "Earl" 

 or the " Doctor " ridicules the very idea of any bird being able to do so. 



Means of capture. — Off the British coasts it is merely taken by chance. Mr. 

 Smith (Zool. 1875, p. 4413) details how in January they angled for these fishes, 

 while on a voyage from Peru to Callao, " a variety of baits were employed 

 in their capture — bits of red bunting, small spoon-baits, and artificial minnows, 

 of these the most taking being a large red fly and a small gilt minnow, but 

 all the baits mentioned caught some. In following the minnow through the 

 water, the fish would open their pectoral fins and poise themselves for a rush 

 at it, spreading the wings also had the effect of checking their progress if 

 their suspicions were aroused' by a near inspection of the bait. When hooked 

 they proved very game fish, taking out several yards of line in their first rush, and 

 often taking a flight in the air, line and all." When swimming under water 

 the pectoral fins are held close to the body. 



Breeding. — Eggs with external filaments as in the gar-fish (p. 146). 



As food. — Inferior. 



Habitat. — Atlantic coasts of Europe, but more common in the Mediterranean. 

 A few stragglers have been captured off our coasts, but the shoals which have 

 been recorded, but none of the members of which have been captured, may not 

 improbably have consisted of skippers, Scombresox saurus (see p. 152). 



In July, 1823, a flying-fish, the species not recorded, was taken ten miles from 

 Bridgewater (Taylor, Ann. of Phil, xxii, p. 152). Some were said to have been 

 seen off Portland Island in August, 1825, from the deck of a vessel going down 

 Channel (London Quarterly Journ. of Science, xx, p. 412), but none were 

 procured. Another shoal was observed at the mouth of the Bristol Channel in 

 August, 1876 (Taylor, Zool. p. 5128). A fine example in October, 1849, was left 

 by the tide in Stonchouse Pool, and was, but is not now in the Plymouth Museum. 

 R. Couch, however, remarks not rare in Mount's Bay, Cornwall, in the summer 

 of 1845, while about five miles off shore I saw many start from the water into 

 the air, but none seem to have been procured. One was found on the beach at 

 Helford, near Falmouth, and given to Couch : another was thrown on to the 



• I do not consider that as yet we have sufficient evidence to prove that shoals of these f.shes 

 approach our shores ; but rather tliut such as have been captured were a tew stragglers, mostly 

 arriving singly. 



