Large Flying-Fish

Abstract

A FLYING-FISH flew on to the lower deck last night about 8.30 p.m. The deck is 20 feet above the water-line, and the railing is 4 feet 6 inches above the deck, but it is possible for it to have flown through the railing; the fish measured 17¼ inches from tip of nose to tip of tail. I forgot to weigh it before it was cooked. It was the largest flying-fish I have ever handled. Could any reader of NATURE kindly inform me what is the largest size known? We were about fifty miles north of Teneriffe when it came on board. The species up here appear to be larger than those in the tropics and near South America. I have seen large ones in the Gulf of Aden, but never caught one, though I am inclined to think this was a larger species. The longest flyers always appear to be the largest fish; the longest flight I have seen has been about 400 yards.