PERCH-I.IKF FISHES 153 



SPANISH MACKERELS OR "KING-FISHES. 



(Genus S comber omor us.) PI. Ill a. 



The body is long and covered all over with rudimentary 

 scales, but there is no distinct corselet in the " shoulder " 

 region. The head is rather bmall and pointed in front. Both 

 jaws are provided with strong, pointed, more or less flattened 

 teeth, and there are some very small pointed teeth on the roof 

 of the mouth. The dorsal fins are very close together, and 

 the spinous dorsal, which has 12 to 15 spines, is low. The 

 soft dorsal and the anal fin are short, with moderately high 

 lobes in front, and each is followed by 7 to 10 finlets. The 

 pectoral fins are rather short, and the pelvics are small. An 

 air-bladder is present. The coloration is usually more or less 

 silvery, with the back a metallic bluish-black ; some species 

 are uniformly coloured, but others have a number of round or 

 oblong dark spots on the body, or a number of narrow vertical 

 stripes. The spinous dorsal fin is generally black. 



The larger species grow to a length of 5 or 6 feet and a 

 weight of about 10c lb. 



There are a number of species, of which the following are 

 perhaps best known and all attain to a fair size : The Sierra 

 or Pintado (S. regalis), found on the Atlantic coast of America 

 from Cape Cod to Brazil ; the King-fish, Cero or Cavalla (S. 

 cavalla), found on both sides of the tropical Atlantic ; the 

 Seer or Commerson's King-fish (S. commersoni), from Indian 

 and Pacific seas ; the Spotted Spanish Mackerel (5. guttatus), 

 with a similar distribution ; and the Chinese King-fish or 

 " Inusawara " \S. chinensis), from China and Japan. 



These graceful and beautifully coloured fishes are generally 

 to be found at or near the surface of the sea in shoals of large 

 or moderate size. Full-grown and immature fishes are never 

 found together. They are active, predaceous fishes, that feed 

 mainly upon herrings, sardines and other sorts of small fishes. 



Spanish Mackerels are of considerable economic importance, 

 the flesh., except in very large fish, being firm, white and very 

 palatable. They are caught by means of nets of all kinds, as 

 well as on hooks. Some of the species give very good sport 

 to the angler, and few fishes excel them in strength, swiftness 



