154 CONFESSIONS OF A BEACHCOMBER 



about to pick up the dog the dorsal fin of the shark indi- 

 cated the wily, leisurely way in which it was keeping pace, 

 reconnoitring and waiting until its prey was exhausted, 

 .while the dog did not appear to realise that a " frightful 

 fiend" did close behind him swim. As the boat ap- 

 proached, the shark swerved off flippantly, but hovered in 

 the vicinity, unsatisfied as to the identity of the new and 

 strange animal that had so unaccountably appeared in its 

 natural element and as suddenly disappeared. A rifle 

 bullet, a little to the rear of the base of the dorsal fin, 

 however, made it wobble and bustle away on a most 

 eccentric route. 



The term " skipper," purely local, is intended to distin- 

 guish that singular fish, of the " long torn " {Zylosurus, sp.) 

 or alligator-pike, which shoots from the water and 

 skips along by striking and flipping the surface with its 

 tail, while keeping the rest of its pike-like body rigid 

 and almost perpendicular. Each stroke is accomplished 

 by a ludicrous wriggling movement. It would seem that 

 by the impact of the tail upon the water the fish maintains 

 its abnormal position and also sustains for a time its 

 initial velocity. For a hundred yards or so its speed is 

 considerable, equal to the flight of a bird, but the length of 

 each successive skip rapidly diminishes, as the original 

 impulse is exhausted, and then the fish disappears as 

 suddenly as it shot into view. The " skipper " is an 

 exceptionally supple fish. It is excellent eating, probably 

 the sweetest fish of these waters, and it is much appreciated 

 by blacks, who call it by the pretty name of " Curram-ill," 

 and spear it whensoever chance affords. 



Gorgeous and Curious 



The most gorgeous denizen of these waters is likewise 

 one of the most curious — a fish resembling the surf parrot 

 fish {Pseudoscarus rivulatus), but seeming to surpass even 

 that brilliant creature in colouring. It subsists on limpets 



