298 CLASSIFICATION OP FISHES. 



parachutes, and do not, as in birds, propel the fish for- 

 ward by repeated motion : this, again, admits of doubt : 

 the flight of these fishes, although short, is very rapid, — 

 almost as much so as that of a swallow; and every one 

 knows that these birds will go over a good extent of 

 ground with little or no beating motion of the wings. 

 In crossing the line, in the year 1816, we were very 

 anxious to ascertain this point in the economy of the 

 flying fish ; but although we had them before our eyes 

 almost every quarter of an hour for a week, their flight 

 was so rapid, that, at the nearest distance they ever were 

 to the ship, we found it as utterly impossible for the 

 eye to determine this question, as it is to see the vibra- 

 tion of the wings of a fly. Our impression is, that this 

 act of flying is effected in two ways : first, there is a 

 spring or leap, by which the fish is raised out of the 

 water; and then, that the pectoral fins are spread, and 

 are employed to propel the fish in a forward direction, 

 either by a few flappings, or by that motion which is 

 analogous to. the skimming of swallows. That this could 

 not be continued when the moisture of the fins began 

 to be absorbed, is quite obvious ; but we think that it is 

 only discontinued until the fish suppose themselves to 

 be out of danger. It is quite true that they have not 

 the power of elevating themselves in the air in an un- 

 dulating direction, as we see in swallows, — the course of 

 their flight being always that of a very slight arch, the 

 height of w T hich, we believe, varies with the species. We 

 have frequently seen great variation in the height which 

 flying fishes ascend : those towards the equinox of Ame- 

 rica have a low flight; so that, although innumerable 

 flocks rose round our vessel in all directions, not one 

 ascended sufficiently high to fall into it. On the other 

 hand, it has been mentioned, that they have fallen into 

 ships which were from fourteen to twenty feet-above the 

 water : it may be as well to observe, that this could 

 only have originated in the flying fish having been im- 

 peded in their course over the vessel by the ropes or 

 other tackle ; because their return to the water is always 



