FISH SKETCHES AND FISH STORIES 379 



thought the parrot fish was a small creature about 

 the size of a shad, but as Mat, the engraver, said : 

 "It was as long as a plumber's bill and as fat as a 

 police captain/' and he had toted that blamed 

 thing on his shoulder from Ann Street along 

 Broadway to Dey Street. 



HE CAUSED GREAT HILARITY 



and a brilliant flow of witticisms among the crowds 

 that he passed, and when he reached my studio 

 his face was red with anger and chagrin, which was 

 increased by the burst of laughter with which I 

 greeted him and his big parrot fish. It may be 

 that before Mat died, he had forgiven me for the 

 joke he thought I played upon him, or it may be 

 before that time that the good fellow really be- 

 lieved that it was an accident and that I had no 

 more idea of the size of the fish than he had. The 

 incident, however, served to teach us both not 

 only the size of a parrot fish but incidentally 

 their habits and general appearance. Since then 

 very much smaller live specimens have been ex- 

 hibited at the New York Aquarium, but this one 

 of Wallace's was a "sockdologer" and a real 



AMERICAN PARROT FISH. 



There is probably no more curious and beautiful 

 fish in American waters than this great green fish, 

 yet, after having spent nearly a day in a diligent 

 search at the library, the writer was unable to find 



