382 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



the fish must therefore be provided with suitable 

 instruments for crushing their prey from their 

 stony coverings. 



Although we may laugh at the ignorance and 

 superstition of the ancients when 



THEY SAID THAT THE PARROT FISH COULD TALK, 



and declared that it had the habit of sleeping at 

 night and ruminating by day, we must acknowledge 

 that there was some logic in their method of rea- 

 soning, for the parrot fish certainly browses upon 

 the corals much after the manner of ruminating 

 animals, and until a comparatively recent date 

 corals themselves were believed to be vegetables 

 and the little creatures that inhabit them to be the 

 flowers. 



Cuvier was of the opinion that the parrot fish 

 of Adrovandus is the species celebrated by 

 the ancients, by whom it was endowed with most 

 wonderful qualities and intelligence. They as- 

 serted that he was a sort of good Samaritan, 



GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD 



to his neighbor by releasing all unfortunate fish 

 found entangled in the nets set for them by their 

 enemy man. It was also believed that this species 

 alone among all fish slept at night and had the 

 power of chewing its cud like cattle. The parrot 

 fish was highly esteemed as a delicacy, the flesh was 

 said to be tender and palatable. They were cooked 

 like woodcock without removing the intestines 



