BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 123 



44.— FlSn KIl.IiED BY COI^D AKiOIVO TIES: OUKiF OF ITIFXT€0 AND 



COAST OF FL,OKIDA. 



By JOSEPH WII.I.COX. 



[From a letter to Prof. S. F. Baircl.] 



While in Florida, during: and after the severely cold weather last win- 

 ter, I had ample opportunity to witness the great destruction caused 

 among the fish along the coast from Cedar Keys to Punta Rassa. At 

 Cedar Keys a great loss was reported ; but I did not have an opportu- 

 nity to see many dead specimens there. 



In the fresh water of the Homosassa Eiver many thousand catfish 

 were killed by the cold, but they appeared to be the only species that 

 suffered there ; while in the salt-water tributaries of the same river many 

 sheepshead and sea-trout {Cynoscion maculatitm) were killed. 



While proceeding farther south, the great mortality among the fish 

 became more noticeable. On the shores of Manatee River the dead fish 

 were seen in great abundance, and from Tampa Bay to Punta Eassa 

 they were washed ashore in the bays, especially in Little Sarasota Bay, 

 in such quantities as to make the air foul from their decomiiosition. 



Tlie greatest loss of life appeared to be among the cavally {Caranx 

 hippos). Next were the skipjacks or bonyfisli {Elops saurus), though 

 many redfish, sea-trout, and sheepshead were also killed. Even the 

 large tarpum {Megalops thrissoides) did not escape destruction ; many of 

 which were killed in Charlotte Harbor, Manatee County, and in the 

 Caloosahatchee Eiver. 



The mortality of the fish enumerated above appeared to be confined to 

 the shallow waters of the bays and rivers, as I saw very few of them on 

 the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, except near the inlets, where the tide- 

 water probably carried them out from the bays. On the shore of the 

 Gulf of Mexico, however, two species of fish killed by the cold weather 

 were seen in great abundance, namely, the cow-fish {Ostracion quadri- 

 cornis) and the balloon-fish {JDiodon maculato-striatus). A few of the sea- 

 horse {Hippocampus hudsonius) were also killed. 



Buzzards, eagles, and alligators feasted upon the decomposing fish; 

 but I did not observe any effort made b^^ farmers to use them as a fer- 

 tilizer for their land, though in many places a cart could have been 

 loaded with them in a short time. 



Along the coast of Florida many oysters are exposed above water 

 at low tide, especially when a north wind is blowing. Such oysters 

 were killed in vast numbers by the cold weather in January. 



Academy of ISTatural Sciences, 



Philadelphia, Fa., May 25, 188C. 



