FLY-CATCHER. 771 FLYING FISH. about one-tenth occur in the I I are more or less solitarj and sedentary in their habits, and Iced like the I Il catchers, The shape of the wings and tail enables these bi to twist and turn in the ail with remarkable agility and grace. The fly-catchers, being entire )y insectivorous, arc necessarily migratory in most parts of the United States. Thej have no power of song, lint their notes are i baracti ristic, and in sonic species not unmusical. The colors are generally dull, thougl i I the tropical forms offer striking eNceptions. Among the nu merous remarkable birds of this family can be mentioned only a few genera: Tyrannulus, n« table for the diminutive size, the type species being less than three inches long; it is found in northern South America. Todirstrum, small, very brightly colored South A rican -p with a bill like that of a tody (q.V.). T'luvicola, small black and white birds of the Sooth Ameri- can pampas, called water-caps, because of their fondness for water. Pitangus, the large derby fly-catchers of Mexico, nearly a foot long. Mil vulus, the graceful and striking swallow-tailed fly-catchers, in which the tail is verj lung and deeply forked, as in the barn-swallow; tiny are found in tropical America, but one species is common in the Southern United States, especially Texas. Among the common fly-catchers of lie eastern United States may be mentioned the kingbird (q.v. ) ; the least fly-catcher (Empidonaw minimus) , called 'chebec,' from its characteristic note; the small green Acadian and Traill's fly- catcher, or 'pewees'; the olive-sided Ih catcher (Contopus borealis) , a very solitary but noisy woodland species nowhere very common; and (lie great-crested fly-catcher ( M yiarchus orinitus), a handsome woodland species with a loud and very characteristic note. See also King-Bird; Pewi I . Phoebe-Bird; Plate of Fly-Catchers ; Plate of Eggs of Song-Birds. FLYING BRIDGE. See Fekky. FLYING COLUMN. Usually a small army of cavalry and infantry, and, where possible, horse artillery, complete in itself, and carrying its own principal supplies. It i- organized for rapidity of movement, freedom from all unneces- sary impedimenta, and i- comparatively inde- pendent of its original base of operations. It is generally used for imperative purposes, as the securing of strategical points, the relief of garri- sons in extremities, or to circumvent some coun ter-move of the enemy. The most important in- stance of modern times was the flying column of British troops, organized after Maiwand, under General (now Lord) Roberts, who marched -loo miles in 20 days, fighting a decisive battle at the end of the march. The march was commenced on August 9, 1880, at Kabul, and carried out through a mountainous and hostile country. FLYING DRAGON, or FLYING LIZARD, See Dragon. FLYING DUTCHMAN. According to the legend, the shade of the Dutch sea captain Van Straaten, condemned for his sins to sail the high seas in a spectral ship, the sight of which is a -bad omen to sailors, who quickl; their course to avoid its fatal influence. The legend ' has its prototype in many tales of the German mythology, and similar stories are current in other countries. In England, Vanderdecken is the name of the captain, and I he pie, the exact ■ n<l i he ubjecl ol u agi era Der Ft <j< mli Holland* i i '| i FLYING FISH. A name given i that i>y ii i hem i bej i i in -hort seeming flight long to two irerj different families I. and I ■ |>li i lacant hida- ; but I lie mm , i imi limited to thoa lily, I hoe (it the hi In ds (q.v.) . 'I he 1 1 ui i ocoetus, in which .. rly as long as the body, arc nu ion- in species, and ti ii i part - of I I- world. I he known i Forth Mlai | . « hich occurs abundant ly in the open seas, is found on the coast oi South Europe, and i- n..t uncommon on the Atlantii mi i of Noil h America ; it is also found in ir the Hawaiian Islands, It i- dark brown, with an oblique whitish band from the axil back to the middle of Hie tin. I Sec Plat ii.) Another common species of the Atlantic i- / ciiiiii furcatus, having about the same range as the above, 'the great Hying ti- , a tut Californii us I . i roon on the Califoi nia coast, attain- a length of 18 inches. The other ,],. range from 6 to 12 inches in length. -■ what different one i- the sharp-nosed flying lish {Fodiator acutus), common on both sides of Central America. All these are good food-fishes, and the favorite food of many predatory fishes, such as bluefish, albacore, porpoises, etc escape which their flights are undertaken. Hirds often seize them in the air. and they frequently leap on board boats and small ships. Close observations of their method of flight have been made by .Ionian and his assistants, Cilhert and T'.vei innnn. a summary of which is given in Fishes of forth I (Washington, 1883), as follows: The Hying fishes live in the open sea, swimming in large schools. They will 'fly' a distance of from a few rods to more than an eighth of a mile, rarely rising more than three or four feet. Their movements in the water are extremely rapid; the sob? source of motive power is the action of the strong tail while in the water. No force is acquired while the fish is in the air. On rising from the water the move- ments of the tail arc continued until the whole IhhIx is out of the water. While thi tail is in motion the pectorals scan to be in a state of rapid vibration, hut thi- i- apparent only, due to the resistance of the air to the motion- of the animal. While the tail is in the water the ventrals arc folded. When the action of the tail ceasi the pectorals and ventral- are spread and held at rest. They arc not used as wings, but act rather a- p to hold the body in the air. When the il touches the water, when it- motion again begins, and with it the apparent motion of tie It is thus enabled to resume its flight, which it finishes finally with a splash. While in the air it resembles a large dragon-fly. The motion is very swift, at first in a straight line, but later deflected into a curve. The motion has no rela- tion to the direction of the wind. When a vessel is passing through a school of th i they spring up before it. moving in all directions, as grasshoppers in a meadow.
