that their fhort flight might be the efFed of a 

 fingle mufcular effort, fupported by the expan- 

 fion of long membranous fins ; and this opini- 

 onbecame ftrengthened from obferving them, 

 occafionally, touch the water, as if to gain new- 

 force from its refiftance, and then rife again, 

 and fly as far as before. But, upon regarding 

 them with ftrift attention, we obferved their 

 wings employed, like thofe of birds, in flut- 

 tering motion as they flew. We faw them 

 change their courfe, from a direct line ; we 

 perceived them rife and fall in their flight, 

 to fur mount the waves they met, and re- 

 marked that they often continued their pro- 

 grefs to the diftance of two or three hundred 

 yards, without touching the water : at length 

 two or three of them flew on board the £hip, 

 and, fl:rlking againft the mafl:s, fell dead upon 

 the deck ; this aflforded us an opportunity of 

 fatisfying our doubts ; and after very minutely 

 examining their external form, we further 

 afliired ourfclves, by carefully difl^eding them ; 

 and we have now no hefitation in faying 



that fifhes do jiy ! The wings are 



very long, : arifing from behind the gills, 

 they lie folded at the fides nearly the whole 



