"But I don't understand," said Margaret. "Dogs don't live in the sea."
"These dogs do."
"Why! What kind of dogs are they?"
"They are sea-dogs," replied the Admiral. "The King's own pack of hounds. The Royal Dog-fish."
"Oh!" cried Frances, laughing. "I see. So they are fish after all, and not dogs."
"But," remarked Margaret, "if they are fish, how can they bark? I never heard of fishes barking; not even dog-fishes."
"They don't as a rule," replied the Admiral; "but these have been trained for the purpose. Just as soon as ever they cut their first teeth their diet is most carefully regulated with the special object of cultivating their voices."
"What are they fed on, then?" asked Margaret. "Dog biscuit?"
"No. Bark," replied the Admiral. "The bark of the dog-wood."
"Oh! Of course!" cried both the children. "We might have guessed that."