84 DAHLAK 



common parrot fish, and therefore a Scams, but what variety? 



We gutted it . . . and the deck of the Formica became a 

 stinking bog. The intestines of the rhinoceros — as we called 

 it — contained pounds of coral sand. The repulsive yellow 

 mess spread over the deck accompanied by a chorus of 

 disgust. What was this? Then I remembered reading in 

 Commander Yves Cousteau's account of the French expedi- 

 tion to the Red Sea the previous year, about an extraordinary 

 fish, which like the smaller Scaridae, fed on the madrepore 

 for the micro-organisms which it contained and then expelled 

 the indigestible calcareous pulp in frightful clouds. Cousteau 

 and his colleagues observed the behaviour of these animals 

 with care and formulated the theory that the origin of the 

 madrepore sands of the lagoons and the coral shallows could 

 be traced simply to the coral-eating activities of these fish. 

 Cousteau concludes : 'The currents, the sea and the wind heap 

 up the sand produced in this way and so form the low-lying 

 islands . . .' which, in fact, are commonly met with all over 

 the Red Sea. However, 'neither the dynamite of Dumas, nor 

 the gun of Dupas, nor the harpoon of Nesteroff ever had the 

 chance of capturing a specimen*. The Cousteau expedition 

 had to be content with an underwater photograph of the fish. 



Now it was at our feet. That evening, we solemly toasted 

 Raimondo (with mineral water, since there was nothing 

 better). 



On the following day we were travelling in our small 

 launch towards the channel of Nocra and discussing the 

 scientific importance of Raimondo's catch. The weather, for 

 the first time, was unsettled. It was the 12th of February. The 

 sea was choppy and breaking against the rocks of Nocra. The 

 ospreys stared at us from their nests and wrapped themselves 

 up well. It must have been cold for them. The temperature 

 had dropped considerably and stood at 76°F. 



