204 I N A G U A 



egret had taken its exit. Near the last print was a claw of the 

 devoured crab which had become detached and fallen in the 

 water. 



The claw was the excited center of attention of a host of 

 tiny fishlets which were crowding around the manna which 

 had literally dropped from heaven. Here at one swoop were a 

 hundred divisions to the main thread; strands that went off at 

 a tangent. The fishes were accidental beneficiaries from the 

 hunger of a creature which to them was purely nebulous, ex- 

 cept possibly for the sight of a thin leg or long black claws 

 reaching from the bottom of their world to its very top. An 

 egret to a fish is a pair of feet and a vague shadow. Occa- 

 sionally it is the shadow of death, when a long bill lashes out 

 and with a slight splash snatches a minnow to the world of 

 upper air from which it never returns. 



The wave of excitement of the small fishes spread out in a 

 widening circle as the innermost scrambled to the feast. Some 

 came streaking hurriedly, thrusting aside smaller minnows and 

 in their turn being thrust aside by still larger ones. The claw 

 rocked and swirled at the pushing and shoving; once it started 

 off on a straight line as a larger fish seized hold, but it was torn 

 away again and mobbed by a fresh horde of hungry creatures. 



Then I saw a very interesting thing. On the very edge of 

 the melee of food-crazed animals was the algae-covered remains 

 of a long dead razor-clam. Once this moUusk had stood upright 

 in the sand but then it lay on its side in the water with the valves 

 half open. Peering out of this shell was the head of a dark 

 brown fish with a face so old and gnome-like as to have be- 

 longed to a book of fairy tales. Strange little tufts of fringed 

 tissue took the place of hair and the eyes were soft and golden. 

 There was almost an expression of amazed good humor, a look 

 half of surprise and half of doltishness; yet an appearance of 

 stolidity. It was a hairy blenny, a fish that was common in 



