OSSEOUS PISHES. 
563 
considerable time. The length of the dolphin’s first spring could not 
be less than ten yards, and after he fell we could see him gliding like 
lightning through the water for a moment, when he again rose, and 
shot upwards with considerably greater velocity than at first, and of 
course to a still greater distance. In this manner the merciless 
pursuer seemed to stride along the sea with fearful rapidity, while his 
brilliant coat sparkled and flashed in the sun quite splendidly. As he 
fell headlong in the water at the end of each leap, a series of circles 
were sent far over the surface, for the breeze, just enough to keep 
the royals and topgallant studding-sails extended, was hardly felt as 
yet below. 
“ The group of wretched flying-fishes, thus hotly pursued, at length 
dropped into tho sea ; but we were rejoiced to observe that they 
merely touched the top of the swell, and instantly set off again in a 
fresh and even more vigorous flight. It was particularly interesting 
to observe that the direction they took now was quite different from 
the one in which they had set out, implying but too obviously that 
they had detected their fierce enemy, who was following them with 
giant steps along the waves and was gaining rapidly upon them. 
His pace, indeed, was two or three times as swift as thoirs, poor little 
things ! and the greedy dolphin was fully as quick-sighted ; for when- 
ever they varied their flight in the smallest degree, he lost not the 
tenth part of a second in shaping his course so as to cut off the chase ; 
while they, in a manner really not unlike that of the hare, doubled 
more than once upon the pursuer. But it was soon plainly to be 
seen that the strength and confidence of the flying-fish were fast 
ebbing; their flights became shorter and shorter, and their course 
more fluttering and uncertain, while the leaps of the dolphin seemed 
to grow more vigorous at each bound. Eventually this skilful sea- 
sportsman seemed to arrange his springs so as to fall just under the 
very spot on which the exhausted flying-fish were about to drop. This 
catastrophe took place at too great a distance for us to see from the 
deck what happened ; but on our mounting high on the rigging, we 
may be said to have been in at the death ; for then we could discover 
that the unfortunate little creatures, one after another, either popped 
right into the dolphin’s jaws as they lighted on the water, or were 
snapped up instantly after.” 
Unhappy Exocoetus! Nature has cruelly expiated the double 
2 o 2 
