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“...30 POCKET GUIDE TO THE WEST INDIES
of interest. With the sun glinting on their silvery wings,
they look like dragon-flies as they leap from the sea in
shoals near the bows of the ship. That they actually
fly cannot be denied, but their flight appears to be like
that of the original “ glider ” aeroplane, requiring some
considerable impetus to give it a start, which is soon
expended. The fish forces its way through the water,
and, rising from it, is carried forward and skims the
surface, gaining momentum each time it touches the
waves. The size of the fish is that of a small herring
and there are always many old travellers who will tell
one how they have seen them fly on board the ship,
though really this can only occur on sailing ships, whose
gunwales are near the water—as described by Jeaffreson
in 1676 (see next page)—unless, perhaps, the fish with
unerring aim flies through the port-hole.
The first sight of the island of Barbados is, as a rule,
obtained overnight, when the Ragged Point...”
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