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“Right, now I know you’re just pulling my leg.” Ned Land leaned over the edge of his bunk and pulled the taxonomy manual from Conseil’s grasp. Ned couldn’t read the volume, as he’d never learned Latin, but he didn’t have to believe that any fish had a name as ridiculous as that.
“I was only saying,” Conseil continued in his usual unflappable manner, “That the eastern Atlantic seabream, commonly known as the bogue but scientifically as Boops boops–”
“ Boops boops? ” Ned scoffed.
“ Boops boops, ” Conseil repeated, as if Ned hadn’t interrupted him, “Of the family Sparidae, order Spariformes, class Actinopterygii, which of course consists of the ray-finned fishes within the phylum Vertebrata of the kingdom Animalia, is frequently found at these depths throughout the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, and so, we could easily catch more, if you particularly desire them.”
“I know what we had for supper tonight,” Ned dropped the book back onto Conseil’s bunk, “and it wasn’t half-bad, for a fish, anyway. But you’re really telling me that it’s scientific name is Boops boops ?”
“My friend Ned, have you ever known me to deceive you on such a serious subject as taxonomy?”
Ned chuckled. Conseil’s earnestness on such a subject could not be mistaken. “I suppose not. But really– Boops boops?”
“From the Greek, as I understand. ‘Bo’ meaning cow or oxen, and ‘ops’ meaning eyes, for the large size of the fish’s eyes– do you find that humorous, Ned?”
“Oh, you know,” Ned laughed again and pushed off his bunk and leaned halfway onto Conseil’s, grinning as he raised his finger and tapped Conseil’s nose.
“Boop.”