An unusual sight greeted visitors to the waiting room at County General Hospital yesterday: an eight-foot barracuda swimming in a giant tank. The barracuda, who made the trip from local dentist Simon Rockefeller's home by pickup truck yesterday, was until recently a pet.

"He just kept getting bigger," said Rockefeller, "and we didn't have any more room in the garage, so I thought maybe the hospital would want him."

Rockefeller contacted hospital administrator Janice Combs to find out whether the hospital might be interested in this unusual outsize donation. Combs was reluctant at first, but, she commented, "I realized how special it would be for our guests to spend time with this magnificent fish while they wait for their appointments. Anyway, every hospital needs a mascot."

The hospital board agreed last week that the barracuda, nicknamed Barry, should spend a trial period of one month in the hospital waiting room before he is officially adopted as County General's mascot. "We want to make sure our patients are comfortable with this barracuda before we commit to keeping him," stated board president Michael O'Rourke.

Judging by the reaction of 6-year-old Timmy Thompson, admitted yesterday for a tonsillectomy, Barry is here to stay. "I love Barry!" whispered Thompson from his hospital bed "He's the best fish I've ever seen in a hospital waiting room!"