16 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



water, evidently with a view to break and sink them ; being careful 

 however, not to touch the long fibres with their mouth, being sensible, 

 I suppose, that these contain a venom, and have the property of stinging 

 severely. In the human limb which touches them, they excite pain and 

 swelling in a high degree. 



Skip-Jacks derive their name from a habit which they have, of 

 vaulting out of the water, and making an arch in the air, of several 

 yards in extent. This appears to be one mode in which they take their 

 prey ; and the flying-fish is frequently the unfortunate object at which 

 they aim. We caught one of these voracious tyrants just after we had 

 seen him seize a victim. On opening his stomach immediately, the 

 flying-fish was found apparently dead, and without any visible marks of 

 injury. It had gone head foremost down the throat, and we fancied that 

 it had died from fright ; for, on being placed in a bucket of salt water, it 

 soon recovered, and we restored it in vigour to its native element. When 

 swimming in the water, which it does very rapidly, the skip-jack appears 

 of a brown colour, for then only its back is seen ; when it leaps into the 

 air its white sides and belly show themselves, and hence it has obtained 

 the name of albacore ; when caught and brought on board it is found to 

 possess dimly, the beautiful marks of the mackerel, and on this account 

 has been called the bonito. It is seldom found in a solitary state, but 

 swims at least with one companion, and generally in a shoal of twenty or 

 more together. They are frequently eaten at sea, and are said to have 

 sometimes endangered the lives of a whole ship's company. The danger 

 arises from worms which infest the body of the fish, and make their 

 appearance first in small white specks on the inside of the chest. If the 

 slightest symptom of this disease be observed, the fish should be 

 immediately condemned as unwholesome and thrown overboard. 



Between the tropics Flying-fishes abound ; but are evidently larger on 

 the southern than on the northern side of the line. Their progressive 

 motion in the air is produced by a very rapid vibration of their tails, and 

 not by their long fins, which serve as balances rather than as wings. 

 They rise out of the water in large shoals, with their fins extended, 



