THE GROUPERS AND THE JEW FISH. 49 



twelve cents a pound, though its flesh was considered tough, and not very 

 highly esteemed. Gill, writing of the same market in 1856, said: "This 

 species is sometimes sent to our market from Key West and the reefs of 

 Florida in May and the summer months. I have never seen more than two 

 or three exposed for sale at a single time ; it appears to be considerably 

 esteemed, and is sold at from twelve to fifteen cents a pound." 



Genio Scott writes: "The Grouper is an excellent dinner-fish, and 

 when boiled and served with drawn butter and shrimp or lobster sauce is 

 said to fully equal the turbot." 



The Black Grouper, Epinephelus nigritus, is called in Florida and Texas 

 the "Jew-fish," and at Pensacola, known by the name "Warsaw," evi- 

 dently corruption of the Spanish name Gnasa. It was first brought to 

 notice by Holbrook, who had received one specimen from the vicinity of 

 Charleston ; north of that point it had not yet been observed, though it 

 appears to be abundant along the coast of East Florida and in the Gulf of 

 Mexico. Mr. S. C. Clarke has observed it in the Indian River region, 

 and communicated the following notes to Professor Baird : 



"The Black Grouper is resident all the year, though not abundant. 

 The greatest size attained is about fifteen pounds. They pass the winter 

 in the salt-water rivers, living in holes in the rocks and under roots and 

 snags and about piles. They are solitary in their habits. They feed on 

 small fish, particularly mullet, and on crustaceans, and breed in the salt 

 rivers in May and June. Their spawn is very small, and pale yellow. 

 They are taken with hook and line by the use of mullet and crab bait, and 

 are seldom seen except when thus captured. They are much esteemed as 

 food." 



In an essay on "Florida Game Fishes," published in The American 

 Angler, the same writer says :^ — " From a deep hole in the Halifax River, 

 two of us took in one morning, seven groupers, from four to eight pounds 

 in weight, and lost three larger ones which broke our lines. That hole 

 had not been fished for years, and although I have often fished it since, I 

 have never taken another from it." 



Mr. Stearns remarks that it is a common fish at sea along the Gulf coast, 

 living chiefly on the same spots with snappers and Groupers. At some 

 places it is found in abundance in the bays, and lives on the bottom, feed- 

 ing upon small fishes, crabs, etc. On the fishing grounds when fish are 

 being caught rapidly it is not of unusual occurrence. 



