FLYING FISII. Jera,d ul bahr, ARAB. The flying fish are species of the genus Exocetus, be longing to the abdominal Malacopterygii, form ing part of the family Exocidem. Their pectoral fins are very long, nearly equal to tho length of the body. The fish, to escape its enemies, rises into the air, and the pectoral fins vibrat,e while wet, and re-vibrate as often as they pass through a crest wave, wetting the fins afresh. There are many species,—Exoeetus volitans, Linn., E. soli tarius, E. evolans, E. exiliens, E. mesogrtster, and others. The E. volitans is usually 10 or 12 inches long, but E. solitarius attains to 15 or 20 inches at greatest. They are e.aptured by torch light in the West Indies. At the island of St. Helena they aro from 15 to 20 inches long ; are used there, as in the West Indies, for food, being very sweet and of delicate flavour. E. solitarius is so named from not being seen in large flocks like the others ; and it appears to have other specific differences. When watching these fishes closely, as they passed under the stern of the ship, Dr. Bennett remarked that the extension of both the pectoral and ventral fins was effected with an audible rustling noise, and only a vibratory motion was perceptible afterwards ; nor was there any expansion and contraction of those organs (luring flight, after the first effort. Had there been any percussion of the pectoral fins, it would have been distinctly visible, owing to the proximity of the fish ; indeed, to produce percussion of the fins, it would bo requisite to have an elaborate muscular apparatus ; and art, on dissection, such is not found, the theory of that action of the lIns may be considered unsupported by facts. The
fish, when keeping in a direct line of flight,proceed for a great dtstance ; but when this is deviated from, and it turns round (which action wax apparently performed by the tail, not by the pectoral fins), it only proceeds about the length of a yard, and drops into the water. The greatest length of time he had seen them fly has been 32 seconds, and their longest flight from 200 to 250 yard.s. The flying fish has a steady flight, resem bling that of a flock of SIVBIlOWB ; but when pur• sued by e,nernies, or frightened by the passage of a ship through the water, it loses this graceful style of volition, its flight becomes hurried, irre gular, stiff, and awkward,—a kind of scrambling pace,—and it frequently drops into the water, and again renews its flight in the same unsteady manner. When a large shoal of them emerged at the same time from the sea, it was perceived that some of them dropped immediately, others passed over a distance of 20 yards and fell, while the rest continued a steady flight of 170 to 200 yards, and passed out of sight. Their long pectoral fius or wings have the rays united by a fine delicate membrane, flexible and transparent ; the colour of this membrane varies ; and some have the ventral fins so largo as to appear to have four wings.—Collingtreed ; Gatherings of a Natu ralist in Australia, by G. Bennett, 1ILD., p. 15 ; Captain B. Hall's Fragments.