CORAL JUNGLES OF SEA-COW REEF 



behind a veil of millepores. On. our way, as we 

 clambered over some bad going, I saw a dead 

 Eques in a deep cavern, and to reach it I had to 

 lie as fiat as my helmet permitted. As I straight- 

 ened up, I saw an enormous fish just ahead — a 

 grouper. He showed no signs of fear, and in fact 

 came still closer to examine us. He was of a 

 monochrome elephant's-breath color, with darker 

 fins, deep and heavy body almost as long as our- 

 selves, and bulging yellow eyes. The great mouth 

 was filled with irregular teeth, an inch or more of 

 many being visible. From these and other char- 

 acters we identified him as a large jewfish, Garrupa. 

 He swam slowly and majestically out from the 

 shelter of a coral crag, and, turning slowly and 

 gently head down, almost at our feet, the great 

 fish skilfully picked up and swallowed a dead 

 parrot. As we watched, fascinated by the hulk 

 of the big fellow, ready with my crowbar as I was 

 uncertain of his mood, I saw a twelve-inch shark 

 sucker, Echeneis, slipping over his body. It was 

 hardly ever quiet, but kept slithering about like 

 a skater on ice, over body, head, back almost to 

 the tail and once even over the eyes. When the 

 jewfish moved, the sucker took up a position on the 

 nape and lay along the slope in front of the dorsal fin. 

 In the wake of the giant there followed a dozen 

 blue-lined jacks, swimming slowly a few feet 

 behind their great baron. Wlien he came to rest, 

 they gathered in a huddled group, a little distance 

 away, like whispering courtiers in an anteroom. 



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