Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others Part 25

"That's true," I would say, "they lead a very lazy, humdrum life, and don't hustle much for a living."

"But for a real racin' yacht," he would continue, "give me the kingfish, or Spanish mackerel, or boneeto; they ketches their food on the run and jump; and speakin' o'jumpin', sir, look at the tarpon, and bone-fish, and skipjack; they is the kankeroos o' the sea."

"Many fishes," I would observe, "have their a.n.a.logues; that is, they seem to bear some fancied resemblance, either in habits or appearance, to some object or animal of the land."

"Vell, sir, it's as true as gospel; a man is like a fish out o' water; 'e puffs like a porpus and drinks like a fish. And the b.u.t.terflies are the yellow grunts and pork-fish and little snappers and c.o.c.keyed pilots; and the red snappers and squirrel-fish are the fillimingoes and pink curlews; and the n.i.g.g.e.r-fish and conies is the le'pards; and the blowfish and puffers is the 'edge'ogs and porkupines. And then there's the poll-parrots, red, blue, yellow, and green, from the puddin'-wife to slippery-d.i.c.k; if they'd vings like the flyin'-fish, we'd put 'em in cages."

"True, enough," I would a.s.sent; "and up north we have fish that go into hiding and sleep all winter, like the bears; and some that make nests for their eggs, and guard them, and take care of their young ones like a hen broods her chicks. And in some countries there are fish that crawl out on the land, and climb trees like squirrels."

He listened to this apparently very doubtfully, and frowned fiercely, but kept silent until he filled and lighted his pipe; then, after scanning the horizon, he said meekly:--

"I think we'll be goin' 'ome, sir; it looks werry squally in the sou'

east."