Conclusion 399 



the tarpon, and bone-fish, and skipjack; they is 

 the kankeroos o' the sea." 



" Many fishes," I would observe, " have their 

 analogues; that is, they seem to bear some 

 fancied resemblance, either in habits or appear- 

 ance, to some object or animal of the land." 



" Veil, 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 butterflies are the 

 yellow grunts and pork-fish and little snappers 

 and cockeyed pilots ; and the red snappers and 

 squirrel-fish are the fillimingoes and pink cur- 

 lews ; and the nigger-fish and conies is the le'p- 

 ards ; and the blowfish and puffers is the 'edge'ogs 

 and porkupines. And then there's the poll-par- 

 rots, red, blue, yellow, and green, from the puddin'- 

 wife to slippery-dick; if they'd vings like the 

 flyin'-fish, we'd put 'em in cages." 



" True, enough," I would assent ; " and up north 

 we have fish that go into hiding and sleep all win- 

 ter, 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, 



