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1 The Ribband-Fish. 
'T’HE Middle Figure on the Plate {hews the natural Size of this Fifh. The 
upper Figure is the common flying Fifh, and the Bottom-Figure is the fuck¬ 
ing Fifh, which two lad were drawn of the Size of Nature, from final 1 Fifhes, and 
are figur’d here to All up the Plate ; the Middle Fifh. only being a Nondefcript. 
The Middle Fifh is pretty draight along its Belly, and riding on the Beginning of 
the Back, which is very thin, and forms an Edge along its Ridge j it is broader 
towards the Belly, tho’ much comprefled Sideways; it is Brown on the Back, and of 
a lightifh Colour on the Belly, which when living, I believe, was of a Silver-Colour. 
It hath a Fin on each Side of the Head, and a Pair of Fins beneath them, between the 
Plead and Belly; it hath a Angle Fin on the lower Part of the Belly near the Vent; 
it hath a long {harp Fin riflng from the highefl Part of the Back, and behind that a 
narrow Fin running the whole Length of the Ridge of the Back towards the Tail. 
The Fins and Tail are of a dufky Colour. It hath a reddifh Circle round the Eye, 
and a black Spot between theNodrils : It hath alfo a broad black Lid running round 
the Head, and palling through the Eyes; it hath two other black or dufky Lids 
bordered with White, the And palling a little obliquely below the Head, the other 
from the long Fin on the Back, quite through the Tail, which makes the Filli ap¬ 
pear as if it were bound with Ribbands. 
This Fifh was fent from the Caribbee Hands in the Weft-Indies to James Theobald , Efq^ 
F. R. S. who obliged me with a Sight of it. I mud leave the Curious to range it in its pro¬ 
per Clafs. 
The upper Figure is the flying Fifh, defcribed and figur’d already by a great Number of 
Voyagers and Natural Hiflorians, yet I find no Figures fo near Nature as I could wifh to fee 
them, therefore I have endeavoured to make an Improvement. The Body for Shape and Colour 
pretty much refembles that of an Herring;, the Eyes are larger in Proportion, and more rifing *, it 
hath two Pair of Wings, the greater Pair a little behind the Gills, and the leffer about the 
Region of the Vent: The Figure exprefifes their precife Shape *, they are of a thin finny Sub¬ 
dance, variegated with dark dufky Spots on a light cinereous Ground. Near the Tail it has 
a narrow Fin on its Back, and another on its under Side, of an Afh-Colour •, the Tail is 
Afh-colour’d and forked •, the lower Part of the Fork much the longed, which others have 
not obferved, tho’ I have found it fo in all I have examin’d. Pettier on Plate 30. Fig. 2. hath 
given us an unknown Flying-Fifh, of which he fays, “ this wonderful Fifh is Red throughout; 
all its Flefh will, in one Night, by hanging up, diflblve into a florid red Liquor, which they 
ufe in Staining, and is very lading : It is a Span and a half long, and hath Wharfs indead of 
Scales.” He calls it, Hirundo luzon. venenata ruberrima Bangol didia. 
The lower Fifh is the Sucking-Fifto. It fadens itfelf to the Sides of larger Fifhes, by that 
flat Part on the Crown of the Head, and I believe that Part is form’d for progreflive Motion, 
as in Snails, the Mouth being fo formed as to touch the Sides of the Fifh to which it fadens, 
by which Means, I fuppofe, it feeds on the flimy Subdance it finds on the Skins of the greater 
Fifhes. It feems to be without Scales: It is all over of a dark Afh-Colour •, it has a Line 
along each Side, two Pair of Fins near the Head, a Angle Fin on’ the Back near the Tail, 
and one of equal Length on the under Side behind the Vent: It hath fome tranfverfe Fur¬ 
rows on its Sides. Pettier has figur’d a different Species of this Genus, found in the Phillip- 
fine Hands. See PI. 44. Fig. 12. of his Works. 
Vol. IV. 
P 
A Brief 
