THE BOOK ABOUT THE SEA GARDENS 



covered with a diaper of six-sided plates instead 

 of overlapping scales. The colour of the cowfish 

 is gold and green and black, and the sudeay black 

 and white, but their patterns not only differ be- 

 tween individuals, but are ceaselessly changing 

 with every mood. They are so rapid as to seem 

 almost like the changes in a kaleidoscope. The 

 box or trunk fish are the fishy submarine, armour- 

 plated throughout, and so hard that only the ham- 

 mer of Thor could make an impression on them. 

 For toughness, though, the porcupine fish prob- 

 ably holds the belt, though he can't wear it owing 

 to the prickles. When caught this fish swells up 

 to a nearly circular shape, and is covered with 

 sharp, erect spines which call for thick leather 

 gloves. A big fisherman told me that "for a bit 

 of fun" he once dropped a rock that he could only 

 just lift over his head on to an inflated porcu- 

 pine fish. The "fun" was, of course, to explode 

 it, but the fish won. The rock bounced high into 

 the air again, for it happened to hit square, while 

 the piscatorial expert had to skip sideways like 

 a spider on a warm shovel. The porcupine fish 

 also has a hard beak with which the wise do not 

 tamper, as it often succeeds in nipping right 

 through a stout steel hook. 



Next in order of strangeness comes the pipe or 

 spike fish, which is often about a yard long, 

 exceedingly narrow, as its name suggests, and 



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