336 Big Game Fishes 
easy-going, playing about the coral heads, lying 
in gorgonian snug corners, a gorgeous poseur, a 
scaled coxcomb of the fishes’ rialto, perhaps the 
last individual of this gorgeous throng that would 
be selected as a hard fighter, a breaker of hooks. 
The names given fishes are sometimes without 
rhyme or reason; but no better appellative could 
be chosen than the sea-parrot for this doughty 
creature which lay upon the surface, rolling its 
oddly colored blue and yellow eyes, flapping its 
broad pectoral fins, and occasionally lifting its big 
tail to scatter water over the boat, as though to 
emphasize the fact that while in the toils it 
hurled defiance at us. In color and general 
appearance it suggested some of the gaudy ma- 
caws, especially in color, as encased in an armor 
of huge scales it was painted a vivid turquoise 
blue from head to tail, and possessed a remark- 
able set of beaks, solid nippers, and biters also 
colored. Other fishes have more tints, are more 
beautiful; yet I recall none which made a more 
striking impression upon my mind than this sea- 
parrot, which eyed me so intently, I fancied, 
wondering whether I was the kind of an angler 
who had a high appreciation of a good fighter 
and would release it, or whether I was merely 
