32 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



fish ; it is found also in the West Indies and along the coast of the United 

 States north as far as Wood's Holl. 



A closely related species, Decapterus macareUus, is found also in the 

 West Indies and along the eastern coast of the United States. Accord- 

 ing to Stearns, individuals of this species are rather rare in the northern 

 part of the Gulf, but more common along the South Florida coast. They 

 live in shallow water and in harbors, usually moving about in small 

 schools. At Key West they are caught in seines and are eaten. 



The Jurel. 



{Paratractus pisquetiis.) 



This fish, known about Peusacola as the "Jurel," "Cojinua," and 

 "Hard-tail," along the Florida coast as "Jack-fish" and "Ski[)jack," in 

 the Bermudas as the "Jack" or "Buffalo Jack," in South Carolina as 

 the "Horse Crevalle," at Fort Macon as the "Horse Mackerel," about 

 New York and on the coast of New Jersey as the "Yellow Mackerel," is 

 found in the Western Atlantic from Brazil, Cuba, and Hayti, to Hali- 

 fax, Nova Scotia, where specimens were secured by the United States 

 Fish Commission in 1877. It is one of the commonest summer visi- 

 tants of the West India fauna along the whole coast of Southern New 

 England and the Middle States, and is especially abundant in the Gulf 

 of Mexico, and is one of the commonest fishes in the Bermudas. This 

 fish is occasionally brought to the New York market; but is of no 

 special importance as an article of food north of the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Concerning its habits in those waters, Mr. Stearns has contributed a 

 very interesting series of notes. His observations are especially in- 

 structive since nothing has previously been known of its life history. 



"It is extensively abundant everywhere on the Gulf coast of Florida, 

 Alabama, and Mississippi. At Pensacola it is one of the important 

 fishes of trade and is highly prized for food. It is one of the class of 

 migratory fishes of this coast, like the Parapano, Mullet, Spanish Mack- 

 erel, and Eedfish, liaving certain seasons for appearing and disappear- 

 ing on the coast and also has habits during these seasons that are 

 l^eculiar to tliemselves or their class. It appears on the coast in April 

 in small scliools that swim in shoal water near the beach during pleas- 

 ant weather, when there is little or no surf, in 8 or 10 feet of water, and 

 in stormy weather some little distance from the breakers. Their move- 

 ment is from the eastward to the westward. As they seldom swim at 

 the surface their movements can be watched only when in shoal water. 

 The schools 'running' in April and first of May are usually smaller 

 than those of a few weeks later; but the individuals of the first are 

 somewhat larger. The mass or largest ' run' comes in May, and it is on 

 the arrival of these that schools are first seen coming in the inlets. 



"A noticeable peculiarity of the Hard-tail comj)ared with some other 

 common migratory fishes, is that the first schools do not stay about the 



