410 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Their Migrations. — Flying Fishes of the Exocoetus type are 

 acknowledged oceanic habitants of gregarious nature, usually 

 met with by seafarers in considerable — nay, even vast — shoals. 

 Some of the Atlantic species, though more numerous within the 

 warmer latitudes, are yet distributed widely. They frequent the 

 African seaboard, the neighbourhoods of Cape Verde Islands, 

 Canaries, Azores, &c, enter the Mediterranean, and occasionally 

 run up the Adriatic for a short distance. Smaller bands, or 

 perhaps mere roving detachments, appear at irregular intervals 

 along the Western Lusitanian and French coasts. Great Britain 

 and Ireland come in for their advent more sparsely, particularly 

 around the entrances to the English, the Bristol, and St. George's 

 Channels. Even stragglers once upon a time hie north as far 

 as Norway.* Dr. Day! casts doubts as to shoals approaching 

 our shores, though admitting their gregarious habits. But 

 surely R. Q. Couch's personal observations! may be [trusted ! 

 Even if it holds good that but a third of British records are 

 based on capture of single specimens (vide infra), it does not 

 necessarily follow that these have had no companions whatsoever 

 in the vicinity — e.g., Couch's lot pursued by Bonitos. If Day 

 meant immense shoals the qualification might be allowed. 



Subjoined we have drawn out in tabular form the chief data 

 upon which Flying Fish have been reckoned among the British 

 marine fauna : — 



Up Kiver Towy. 1 

 Solway Firth ; Allonby. 

 Up Eiver Parrett, near Bridgewater. 

 Off Portland Island (shoal). 

 Up Helford Eiver, near Falmouth. 

 Off shore (shoals). 

 Plymouth Quay. 

 Mount's Bay (shoal). 

 Plymouth ; Stonehouse Pool. 

 Bristol Channel ; Weston-super- 

 Bristol Channel (shoal). [Mare. 2 

 Bristol Channel ; Cardiff. 3 

 Up Eiver Medway, near Eochester. 

 Swale, inside Isle of Bheppey. 4 

 !, 2 , 3 supposed to be E. evolans ; 4 , E. lineatus ; and all the others 

 E. volitans. 



■■'■ Collett (E.). 'Norvege, Carte Zool.-Geograph. Liste Animaux Verteb. 

 de Norvege,' 1875. Eefers to specimen taken in Christiania Fjord, 1848. 

 f ' Fishes of Great Britain and Ireland,' vol. ii. p. 155, footnote. 

 I ' Zoologist,' 1847, p. 1614. 



1765 



June. 



Carmarthen. 



1796 



Sept. 



Cumberland. 



1823 



July. 



Somerset. 



1825 



Aug. 



Dorset. 



1827 ? 



— 



Cornwall. 



1830-38 ? 



Summer. 



Cork, Waterford, 



1840 



>» 



Devon. 



1S45 



)> 



Cornwall. 



1849 



Oct. 



Devon. 



1860? 



— 



Somerset. 



1876 



Aug. 



Somerset. 



1891? 





Glamorgan. 



1898 



Sept. 



Kent. 



1905 



Sept. 



Kent. 



