3i8 I N A G U A 



able characteristic of these fishes was their thinness. When 

 swimming directly toward or away from one, all that was visi- 

 ble was a narrow line extending in a vertical direction. It was 

 fascinating to watch the thin line suddenly form into a broad 

 oval and then as quickly fade as the fishes wheeled and turned. 

 A sort of now-you-see-me and now-you-don't. 



Although the tide was whirling a vast horde of larvae fish 

 and transparent spawn towards the outer wastes of the open 

 ocean, it was also bringing a bounty to the many fishermen 

 crouched on the rocks. Not human fishermen these, but an 

 array of fantastic creatures of considerable variety. They were 

 armed with an astonishing assortment of hooks, entangling 

 snares, poisoned arrows and cleverly designed nets. Among 

 the netmen were those most enchanting, highly successful and 

 amazing creatures, the barnacles. Superficially, nothing is more 

 stupid than a barnacle. Yet these doughty animals are clever 

 enough to maintain themselves all over the world, from the 

 frigid Arctic to the equally frozen Antarctic. There is almost 

 no place in the sea where one cannot expect to find them at 

 their interminable net casting. They think nothing of taking 

 a world voyage on the bottom of some dirty tramp, or to go 

 frolicking off on the hide of a whale. Certain species of whale 

 barnacles are so fastidious that they will most often reside on 

 the whale's lips and the front edge of its flippers, while others 

 are said to prefer the throat and belly to the exclusion of the 

 rest of the animal. Still other species are known to take to the 

 air on the persons of flyingfish, and not the least unusual are 

 certain forms that attach themselves to the umbrellas of large 

 dead jellyfish. 



As seen from underwater barnacles are creations of con- 

 siderable beauty, not from their color, for they are always drab, 

 but from the exceedingly graceful and lacy form of their fish- 

 nets. These nets, which are really legs which have been trans- 



