FIRE! FIRE!! FIRE!!! 



Where is it? Where is it? Why, it is in the water! Isn't that 

 funny? Bnt you see it isn't a real fire, but only a fire-fish. Sweet 

 creature, isn't he? Suppose you were a little, innocent mermaid, 

 swimming alone for the first time; how would you feel if you were 

 to meet this fellow darting towards you with his great red mouth 

 open? Why, you would scream with fright, and swim to your 

 mother as fast as you could, and catch hold of her tail for protec- 

 tion. At least that is what /should do if I were a mermaid. But 

 Mrs. Mermaid would tell you that the fire-fish will not hurt you 

 unless you hurt him first, in which case he will prick you dread- 

 fully with his long, sharp spines. 



I never see his picture without thinking of a red Indian in his 

 war-paint and feathers. Perhaps — who knows? — pei'hap.s when 

 Indians are greedy, and eat too much fish, they may turn into fire- 

 fish, and have to swim about forever under water, and never see a 

 green forest again. If you are an Indian I advise you to be care- 

 ful, my dear. 



Nobody knows why this fish has such enormous wing-like fins. 

 Wise men used to think that he could raise himself out of the 

 water with them, like the flying-fish, but it is now proved that he 

 cannot, and there seems to be no reason why a set of plain, small 



