The Parrot-fishes 341 



fishermen believed that this armament enabled 

 the parrot-fishes to bite off the tips of branch 

 coral, which constituted their principal food. 

 When I expressed a doubt of this, Long John 

 took me to a " grove " of branch coral and 

 showed me the tips of countless branches where 

 the polyps had been destroyed by the parrot- 

 fishes; but I found that the real "coral eater" 

 was a huge marine worm, which literally drew 

 itself over the tips of branch coral as one would 

 pull the finger of a glove, swallowing it to a dis- 

 tance of four or more inches, thus securing the 

 polyps. That the parrot-fish could bite off a 

 coral branch there is little doubt, or that it does 

 at times I would not venture to deny; but its 

 principal food consists of crustaceans, seaweed, 

 echini, and the ordinary game of the tropical 

 shallows, this from an examination of its inter- 

 nal economy. 



But a few ardent anglers will have the temerity 

 to spend a summer on the outer reef where my 

 old boatmen, Long John, Bob Rand, Chief, and 

 Busby, lie buried by the great current which 

 sweeps silently on through these isles of eternal 

 summer. 



