Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/136

it in both of its phases. In the warmer parts of the Atlantic we have frequently watched with delight, some two or three of these little fishes, playing under the stern from day to day, attending the ship on her course through many degrees of longitude; always conspicuous in their livery of dark blue bands across a silvery-grey ground, as they turned hither and thither, and hurried to and fro in the "dead-water" between the rudder and the ship's counter, sometimes shooting out a yard or two after some swimming atom, and then darting back to the favourite corner. The singularly unequal friendship subsisting between this little fish and the terrible White Shark we have also many times observed, and never without astonishment and admiration. Once, during a long calm, in a voyage to the Gulf of Mexico, as well as both before and after its prevalence, these hateful fishes were perpetually stealing round the ship; but we do not recollect ever having seen a Shark of any considerable size, without one or more of these Pilots attending him. This little creature generally keeps his station just over the head of the Shark, but sometimes over one of the pectoral fins, within an inch or two of his body, turning when he turns, stopping when he stops, and never leaving him, except to swim a-head to examine some bait. Having examined it, he instantly returns and resumes his place. It would really appear as if some communication took place between them, for the Shark, who before seemed quite unaware of the proximity of any food, on the return of the Pilot-fish instantly quickens his motion and bustles towards it. But an instance still more