of Fishes and Whales.

ON FLYING FISH.

Pliny recorded three types of flying fish—namely the Swallow, the Kite, and the Lantern fish. While these species are very well known in our own time, many more have been observed since then that were not included in Pliny’s accounts. For instance, scaly flying fish, quite distinct from our common flying swallow-fish, are found around the Cape of Good Hope. These creatures are said to have two primary enemies: the albacore in the water and the crow in the air. They can support their bodies above the waves with wings for a short time before dropping back into the sea.

These fish seem somewhat similar to those mentioned by the Jesuit Juan Eusebio in his *Natural History*. He writes that at night, certain flying fish about a palm's length often fall onto the decks of the Indian fleet and are captured. These fish possess membranous wings much like those of bats. When these wings are spread, the fish can fly over the waves for a distance of a hundred paces or more to escape the fish pursuing them; however, they occasionally stumble into the talons of predatory sea birds. Beset by peril on all sides, they quickly dive back into the water to escape the dangers of the sky. Illustrations of some of these fish are featured on the map of Africa, as shown here.

Scaly flying fish.