THE SHEEPSHEAD. 85 



Gulf States, where it frequently ascends, especially in Florida, high up the 

 fresh-water rivers. In the Gulf, according to Stearns, it is abundant on 

 the coast from Southern Florida to Mexico. 



The Sheepshead is a bottom-loving species, quiet in its habits, and little 

 given to wandering. North of Charleston it is absent from the inshore 

 waters during the winter season, but it is probable that its migrations do 

 not carry it far. Holbrook records that it has been taken in Port 

 Royal Sound as early as January, while in Charleston it makes its appear- 

 ance in April and continues until November. Dr. Mitchill, whose obser- 

 vations on this species in the vicinity of New York, made sixty years ago, 

 are perhaps as satisfactory as any which have been made, remarked that its 

 term of continuance was from the beginning of June to the middle of Sep- 

 tember. He had, however, known it to stay later, for one of the most 

 numerous collections of Sheepshead he ever saw was on the 4th of Octo- 

 ber, 1814 ; he had observed it as late as the 17th of October. 



In Florida the Sheepshead is found along the shores throughout the 

 entire year, and also in the Gulf of Mexico. 



It is curious to see how much at variance were the statements of early 

 observers concerning its habit of entering fresh-water streams. Mitchill 

 states explicitly: "He confines himself strictly to the salt water, 

 never having been seen in the fresh rivers." Holbrook, speaking of the 

 vicinity of Charleston, says: "It enters shallow inlets and mouths of 

 rivers, but never leaves the salt for fresh water." In the St. John's and 

 other rivers of Florida the Sheepshead becomes almost a fresh-water spe- 

 cies, and the young, especially, are constantly taken in seines in company 

 with bass, perch and suckers, far above the limits of perceptibly brackish 

 water. It is not yet possible to infer with any certainty what the tempera- 

 ture \imits of this species may be, but it would seem probable that they 

 never willingly encounter water colder than 60°, except perhaps in fall, 

 when they are reluctant to leave their feeding grounds. 



The statement just made, however, requires a certain qualification. No 

 one knows whether the Sheepshead of our Northern waters go south in win- 

 ter or whether they simply become torpid and remain through the season 

 in deep holes near their summer haunts, their presence unsuspected. Per- 

 haps it would be wiser to say that they are not actually engaged in feeding 

 when the temperature is lower than 60°, and that their winter habits are 

 entirelv unknown. Where the water is warmer than 60° throughout the 



