THE MACKEREL AND ITS ALLIES. 177 



and seize a fish, which was almost instantly killed by a bite in the back 

 of the neck with the sharp beaks. The bite was always made in the same 

 place, cutting out a triangular piece of flesh, and was deep enough to pene- 

 trate to the spinal cord. The attacks were not always successful, and 

 were sometimes repeated a dozen times before one of these active and 

 wary fishes could be caught. Sometimes after making several unsuccessful 

 attempts one of the squids would suddenly drop to the bottom, and, resting 

 upon the sand, would change its color to that of the sand so perfectly as 

 to be almost invisible. In this way it would wait until the fishes came 

 back, and when they were swimming close to or over the ambuscade, the 

 squid, by a sudden dart, would be pretty sure to secure a fish. Ordinarily 

 when swimming they were thickly spotted with red and brown, but when 

 darting among the Mackerel they appeared translucent and pale. The 

 Mackerel, however, seemed to have learned that the shallow water is the 

 safest for them and would hug the shore as closely as possible, so that in 

 pursuing them many of the squids became stranded and perished by hun- 

 dreds, for when they once touch the shore they begin to pump water from 

 their siphons with great energy, and this usually forces them farther and 

 farther up the beach. At such times they often discharge their ink in 

 large quantities. The attacks on the young Mackerel were observed mostly 

 at or near high water, for at other times the Mackerel were seldom seen, 

 though the squids were seen swimming about at all hours ; and these 

 attacks were observed both in the day and evening." 



The dog-fish is doubtless a dangerous foe to the Mackerel weakened by 

 the act of spawning and remaining near the bottom. An old fisherman 

 has described to me with great animation how greedily the dogfish devour 

 the Mackerel which have become gilled in the nets, how they follow them 

 to the surface and linger about the vessel while the process of cleaning is 

 going on, drinking the blood of the fish as it flows from the scuppers. 



The Chub Mackerel, Scomber colias, or, as it is called, the "Thimble- 

 eye," "Big-eyed Mackerel," or "Bull Mackerel," closely resembles in 

 general appearance the common Mackerel, from which it is distinguished 

 chiefly by the presence of an air-bladder, and also by the occurrence of a 

 row of indistinct circular spots upon the sides below the lateral line. This 

 is the fish which is called " Spanish Mackerel " in England, and the name 

 was brought to us by the early English fishermen of New England. It 

 lias been found at Pensacola and Charleston, as well as in New England. 

 There is another fish closely related if not identical with 6*. colias, which 

 Prof. Jordan found to be abundant in California, which corresponds to 

 the S. piicumatophorus of the Mediterranean, and has been described from 



