800 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



Some of the fislicnnen who have larger boats 

 go out for a week and return with a load of 

 groupers. If one has no motor and is becalmed 

 there will not be enough circulation in the over- 

 crowded well and many of the fish will die un- 

 less bailing is resorted to for aerating the water. 

 Often a boat with a motor will tow in its be- 

 calmed brother and thus save many dollars worth 

 of fisli. or the fislierman may resort to sculling 

 his heavy boat. It is a strange thing that row- 

 ing, which is so much more effective, is here 

 seldom jjracticed, — it is a matter of custom like 

 paddling among tile Indians. Most of the fish- 

 ermen take fisli pots along with them to set 

 while line fishing. The pot is made of wire 

 woven into a he.art-shapcd box with the entrance 

 at the depression, and the bait, — crawfish with 

 the legs and feehrs removed as "they would 

 frighten the fish," is fastened at the apex. The 

 fish must enter the funnel-like entrance down- 

 wards to secure the bait and he seldom looks u)) 

 to find his way out, but noses around the wings 

 or tries to force his way through the sides. I f the 

 fisherman knows where a jew-fish lives he will 

 endeavor to get a "jack" or a "runner" for bait, 

 and watching the big bass tlirough his water 

 glass he lets down the tempting live bait and 

 knows just when to ))idl. 



The favorite bait among fishermen is crawfish, 

 which they procure bj- "striking" — spearing 

 them as they hide during the day under rocks 

 in a few feet of water, or they are taken at night 

 with a "bully," a long handled net, to which 

 they are attracted with a light. Another bait 

 much used is "sardines," the fry of several fish, 

 princip.illy herring. To catch these two men 

 get overbo.ird in the shallow water around the 

 market and with a seine made of ])otato sack- 

 ing, round up quarts of tlie little fellows. The 

 Cubans, or others who intend to fish for s))ort, 

 catch this bait by letting down a piece of mos- 

 quito netting stretched on a hoop the while they 

 masticate a sweet potato and spit the resultant 

 lure over the net, and when a number of the 

 little fish come to feed the net is slowly drawn 

 up and the fry secured. Others prefer to catch 

 their bait with tiny hooks on a thread, but these 

 enthusiasts are mostly boj's. Five cents pur- 

 chases about a quart of this bait when it is to 

 be had. 



Turtle steak to eat or make soup from is the 

 best treat for the northerner, or very good 



clams, turtle eggs, or conchs can be had. 

 Conchs retail for five cents and the meat can be 

 removed only by mutilating the beautiful shell 

 by chop))ing oft' the apical whorls and twisting 

 out the animal, or the most expert chop a narrow 

 incision near the ape.x, and, by severing the 

 upper part of the body of the conch, the animal 

 is easily removed. It is then cleaned and pounded 

 and generally served raw in salad. The turtle 

 eggs are as good as hens eggs and sell at about 

 the same price. The "yaller aigs," clusters of 

 yelks taken from turtles, sell for thirty cents a 

 pound, or when salted they bring more, as they 

 have dried somewhat but have lost none of their 

 food value for cake making. Green turtle up 

 to thirtj' pounds or more is called "chicken," and 

 sells for ten cents a pound. Larger turtles sell 

 for less, and those weighing two hundred pounds 

 or over are sold by the head. The meat of the 

 valuable shell-producing hawksbill turtle is more 

 highly esteemed than that of the green. The 

 jiroducts of the ruddy skinned loggerhead turtle 

 are inferior, and those of the trunk or leather- 

 back are inedible. 



ZOOLOGICAL PARK NOTES. 



BaUtiii<i Tifici-.i. — The two Siberian tigers exliibit a 

 trait very unusual in eat animals, and that is a habit 

 of going into water. The male of this really mag- 

 nificent pair of great cats will not only stalk into the 

 pool in their cage, but lie clown in the water, drop 

 his meat to the bottom of tlie tank, then "duck" for it. 

 These animals are far less spectacular in their sum- 

 mer coats than during the winter, when they are cov- 

 ered with hair so long and fluffy it seems like a good 

 imitation of wool. They give promise of attaining 

 huge prri])ortions. This northerly phase of the tiger 

 iitt.'iiiis the greatest size to be found among the big 

 cat animals. 



llnrtUiii/ lUarlc-Tdiltd />('('/•.— We are particular- 

 ly proud (if the sueecss of Keeper (^uinn in rearing 

 tlie Coluuibian black-tailed deer twins. Born at a 

 time of the year when captive individuals of this 

 delicate species are much enervated, we were none 

 too sanguine of bringing the mother and her babies 

 past the crisis. The young are now old enough to 

 niblile over a pan of specially prei)ared food, and 

 the mother is rapidly gaining strength. There was a 

 time when we despaired of keeping the black-tailed 

 deer, and the nude deer, but a thorough study of 

 their diet has lirought s\ieeess. We now have several 

 vigorous specimens, and have bred both s)iceies. The 

 antlers of our largest mule-deer buck are uiuisually 

 large and fine, and attract much attention. 



