CHAPTER XLVIII 
THE ORDER OF FLYING-FISHES 
S YNENTOGNA Till 
The Common Flying-Fish 1 is as necessary 
to a perfect ocean voyage as a whale and a school 
of “ dolphins.” Suddenly and unexpectedly it 
breaks out of the side of a wave, and with a trem- 
ulous flutter of wing-like pectoral fins, — that from 
the ship’s forecastle seem to be ultramarine 
blue, — it feebly guides its course away from the 
disturbing mountain of throbbing steel. The 
flight of a Flying-Fish is usually from four to six 
in schools so near to the island of Barbadoes that 
the fishermen capture it in great quantities, for 
the markets. It is not unusual to see 2,000 in the 
market at one time. I have heard much of the 
pursuit of the Flying-Fish by the “dolphin” 
( Coryphania hippurus), but have seen nothing 
of it. 
The Flying Gurnard or Sea Robin ( Dac-ty - 
lop'ter-us vol'i-tans), is a wonderful pink fish, 8 
Drawn by J. Carter Beard. THE COMMON FLYING-FISH. 
feet above the water, and is sustained for from 
50 to 100 feet. The greatly enlarged pectoral fins 
act as wings, and furnish the motive power. 
Someone has raised the question, “ Does a 
Flying-Fish move its wings in flight? ” Of course 
it does. On all up grades it gives a stiff wing- 
stroke about every three feet, rises to over- 
top each advancing wave, and drops as the wave 
rolls on, like a stormy petrel. 
This is distinctly a mid-ocean fish, but it swims 
1 Ex-o-cae'tus vol'i-tans. 
inches long, that is found from Cape Cod to Brazil. 
It is often picked up on the sea-shore near pound- 
nets, because fishermen throw it away as un- 
marketable; but as fish become more scarce, it 
will be eaten. Its pectoral fins are of enormous 
size, but useless for flight. This fish is not 
closely related to the flying-fish, but belongs in 
the Order of Spiny-Finned Fishes. It is the 
only representative of its Family in the New 
World, and only one other species exists else- 
where. 
