FISH, THE PEOPLE OF THE SEA 



colours, if not very brilliant, defy description by 

 their delicacy. The eye is a rich orange gold and 

 scarlet ; and upon its tail are herringbone stripes 

 of scarlet and yellow. The hogfish is a brilliant 

 gold with a light purple back; its dorsal fin is 

 long and beautifully dentated. It has prominent 

 teeth and uncommonly soft lips, which curve like 

 a cheerful smile. The grunt is one of the com- 



monest fish. It swims in shoals among the rocks, 

 and is locally known as of several kinds, the yel- 

 low and the boar grunt being the most noticeable. 

 They are a strong yellow with stripes of pale blue. 

 The boar seems to have a slightly longer head with 

 noticeably regular blue stripes on it. In the watet 

 the head appears purplish grey. They are easily 



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