The Eambles of an Idler 



broadened to a shallow pond, its bed checkered 

 with squares of white sand and green, waving 

 milfoil, and a narrow channel divides the space, 

 which looks like a black hand. It hides effec- 

 tually all it contains. The contrast between the 

 bare sandy spots and those covered with vegeta- 

 tion is very marked. In the former are several 

 beautiful banded sunfish that are as conspic- 

 uous, with their ebony and silver markings, as 

 many of the tropical fish. With fins somewhat 

 depressed, they move leisurely about but, spying 

 prey, at once they hold themselves erect and 

 dart at objects which I cannot detect. I can 

 judge of what they are doing only by their ac- 

 tions and this is usually a safe thing to do. 

 People do not run unless in a hurry, nor are they 

 given to flinging their fists into the face of the 

 wind ; so these sunfish dart about when there is 

 something to overtake and float lazily when 

 there is nothing else to do. We can see our- 

 selves in any school of fish. It is for some pur- 

 poses an excellent school to go to before the day 

 of our enslavement to self-conceit arrives. 



With these black and silvery-sided ones are 

 others, somewhat larger, rich brown in color and 

 thickly spotted with richest, royal purple. 



178 



