. Audubon and his journals [microform]. Birds; Ornithology; Oiseaux; Ornithologie. . the Rudder-fish. The little things scarcely measured three inches in length; they were thin and deep in form, and afforded excellent eating. It was curious to see them keep to the lee of the rudder in a compact body; and so voracious were they that they actually leaped out of the water at the sight of the bait, as " sunnies " are occasion- ally wont to do in our rivers. But the very instant that the ship became still, they dispersed around her sides, and would no longer bite. I made a figure of on
![. Audubon and his journals [microform]. Birds; Ornithology; Oiseaux; Ornithologie. . the Rudder-fish. The little things scarcely measured three inches in length; they were thin and deep in form, and afforded excellent eating. It was curious to see them keep to the lee of the rudder in a compact body; and so voracious were they that they actually leaped out of the water at the sight of the bait, as " sunnies " are occasion- ally wont to do in our rivers. But the very instant that the ship became still, they dispersed around her sides, and would no longer bite. I made a figure of on Stock Photo](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RJ5C5E/audubon-and-his-journals-microform-birds-ornithology-oiseaux-ornithologie-the-rudder-fish-the-little-things-scarcely-measured-three-inches-in-length-they-were-thin-and-deep-in-form-and-afforded-excellent-eating-it-was-curious-to-see-them-keep-to-the-lee-of-the-rudder-in-a-compact-body-and-so-voracious-were-they-that-they-actually-leaped-out-of-the-water-at-the-sight-of-the-bait-as-quot-sunnies-quot-are-occasion-ally-wont-to-do-in-our-rivers-but-the-very-instant-that-the-ship-became-still-they-dispersed-around-her-sides-and-would-no-longer-bite-i-made-a-figure-of-on-RJ5C5E.jpg)
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. Audubon and his journals [microform]. Birds; Ornithology; Oiseaux; Ornithologie. . the Rudder-fish. The little things scarcely measured three inches in length; they were thin and deep in form, and afforded excellent eating. It was curious to see them keep to the lee of the rudder in a compact body; and so voracious were they that they actually leaped out of the water at the sight of the bait, as " sunnies " are occasion- ally wont to do in our rivers. But the very instant that the ship became still, they dispersed around her sides, and would no longer bite. I made a figure of one of them, as indeed I tried to do of every other species that occurred during this deathlike calm. Not one of these fishes did I ever see when crossing the Atlantic, although many kinds at times come close to the stern of any vessel in the great sea, and are called by the same name. Another time we caught a fine Porpoise, which meas- ured about two yards in length. This took place at night, when the light of the moon afforded me a clear view of the spot. The fish, contrary to custom, was grained, in- stead of being harpooned; but in such a way and so effect- ually, through the forehead, that it was thus held fast, and allowed to flounce and beat about the bows of the ship, until the person who had struck it gave the line holding the grains to the captain, slid down upon the bob- stays with a rope, and after a while managed to secure it by the tail. Some of the crew then hoisted it on board. When it arrived on deck, it gave.a deep groan, flapped with great force, and soon expired. On opening it next morning, eight hours after death, we found its intestines still warm. They were arranged in the same manner as those of a pig; the paunch contained several cuttle-fishes partially digested. The lower jaw extended beyond the upper about three-fourths of an inch, and both were fur- nished with a single row of conical teeth, about half an inch long, and just so far separated as to admi