There has been much in the newspapers recently about Blue Devil Fish, that hide in caves along the underwater reefs off the coast of Adelaide. These fish, they say, are most mysterious. In colour they are the darkest midnight blue, and their bodies are spotted with pale blue spots as numerous as the stars in the Milky Way.
Each fish has a distinctive pattern of spots by which it may be recognised, and divers have made numerous field trips to local reefs to photograph the fish, that they might make a study of their habits, and the size of their populations.
A study of the earbones of the Blue Devil Fish has shown that they can live to be as old as fifty nine. It makes me melancholy to think that I may be outlived by a fish. For I remain forever fifty seven. Not that it holds me back in many ways. But I will never qualify for free travel on the bus or train.
And therefore, should I wish to join the divers in their study of the Blue Devil Fish, for example by catching the train to Port Noarlunga and joining with them there, I cannot, unless I am willing to part with more money than I can spare. For the cost of bus and train tickets is close to four dollars nowadays, and that is four dollars each way, because it is not possible to walk to the beach from the station, swim out to the reef and back and return to the station in under two hours.
Furthermore, I believe the line is temporarily closed while it is being upgraded.
Blue Devil Fish, I should add, are not edible fish.
Tomorrow I shall be writing on chocolate biscuits. Farewell!
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