. Audubon and his journals [microform]. Birds; Ornithology; Oiseaux; Ornithologie. r EPISODES 305 prey to their enemies the Balacouda and the liottle-noscd Porpoise. One that had been grained while lazily swim- ming immediately under the stern of our ship, was found to have its stomach completely crammed with Flying-fish, all regularly disposed side by side, with their tails down- wards— by which I mean to say that the Dolphin always swallows its prey tail-foremost. They looked in fact like so many salted Herrings packed in a box, and were to the number of twenty-two, each six or seven inches
. Audubon and his journals [microform]. Birds; Ornithology; Oiseaux; Ornithologie. r EPISODES 305 prey to their enemies the Balacouda and the liottle-noscd Porpoise. One that had been grained while lazily swim- ming immediately under the stern of our ship, was found to have its stomach completely crammed with Flying-fish, all regularly disposed side by side, with their tails down- wards— by which I mean to say that the Dolphin always swallows its prey tail-foremost. They looked in fact like so many salted Herrings packed in a box, and were to the number of twenty-two, each six or seven inches in length. The usual length of the Dolphins caught in the Gulf of Mexico is about three feet, and I saw none that exceeded four feet two inches. The weight of one of the latter size was only eighteen pounds; for this fish is extremely nar- row in proportion to its length, although rather deep in its form. When just caught, the upper fin, which reaches from the forehead to within a short distance of the tail, is of a fine dark blue. The upper part of the body in its whole length is azure, and the lower parts are of a golden hue, mottled irregularly with deep-blue spots. It seems that they at times enter very shallow water, as in the course of my last voyage along the Florida coast, some were caught in a seine, along with their kinsman the "Cavalier," of which I shall speak elsewhere. The flesh of the Dolphin is rather firm, very white, and lies in flakes when cooked. The first caught are gener- ally eaten with great pleasure, but when served many days in succession, they become insipid. It is not, as an article of food, equal to the Balacouda, which is perhaps as good as any fish caught in the waters of the Gulf of Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Audubon, John James, 1785-
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectorn
