THE FISHES OF NORTH AMERICA. 



BY WM. C. HARRIS. 

 (Continued from page 230.) 



In this family, Elopidce — Elops, a 

 Greek word, signifying' the "name of 

 some sea-fish " — are included the tar- 

 pons and the big'-eyed herring, Elops 

 saiirtis, to which reference has been 

 made under the chapter-caption of 

 "The Bonefish or Ladyfish," accom- 

 panied by a drawing of the same. It 

 will be seen that one of the most char- 

 acteristic features in this fish is its large 

 and brilliant eye. It has an elongated 

 body, the caudal peduncle being un- 

 usually long, and the tail-fin deeply 

 forked ; the rays number twenty in the 

 dorsal and thirteen in the anal fin. The 

 scales are very small, none on the head, 

 and the number along the lateral line 

 (120) will serve, on sight, to distinguish 

 it from the true bonefish, Albula viilpes 

 (see illustration, page 226), which has 

 an average of only seventy scales on 

 the lateral line. Another peculiar for- 

 mation serves to distinguish E. saurus 

 from the last-named fish — a series of 

 membranous sheaths developed at bases 

 of fins and on other parts of the body. 

 It will also be seen that the gular plate 

 (a bony plate situated on the upper fore 

 neck) is very long and narrow, about 

 three times as long as it is broad. 

 This fish has a very wide distribution, 

 being found in all warm seas, and is 

 very abundant in the gulf of Mexico, 

 along the east cost of Florida and 

 Texas, and in all tropical waters. It is 

 a straggler north of the Chesapeke, and 

 only found there in the depths of sum- 

 mer. 



The big-eyed herring has a wealth of 

 popular names — ten-pounder, John Ma- 



riggle, ladyfish, bonyfish, Matajuelo 

 Real, chiro, Lisa Francisca, silverfish, 

 silver-shuttle, and horse-mackerel. It 

 is a bottom as well as surface feeder, 

 and when land-breezes prevail, causing 

 the shore-water to be free from floating 

 sand, they come into the inlets or passes 

 of the Florida coast in immense shoals, 

 and at such times will take a surface- 

 lure, artificial or natural, with ferocious 

 greed. I caught, some Winters ago, 

 seventy-five on Jock Scott flies tied on 

 No. 4 hooks, during the last half of a 

 flood-tide, and could have doubled the 

 score had I been so inclined. From my 

 own experience, it affords more sport 

 than any other fish of its size on the 

 Florida coasts. No sooner is it hooked 

 than it begins to throw itself from the 

 water in successive and lofty leaps, 

 then darting round and round the boat, 

 under it and over it until exhausted, or 

 until it escapes by casting out the hook, 

 or cutting the line with its sharp labials. 

 In fact, it seems to do most of its acro- 

 batic feats on the tip of its tail. No 

 Reynard of the field ever doubled, 

 leaped and skipped to the dogs in better 

 fashion. 



The big-eyed herring is esteemed as 

 a table-fish in Bermuda, and in some 

 sections of Florida; the quantity of 

 small bones in its body has created a 

 prejudice, as they do toward all other 

 fishes except the shad, as to its edible 

 qualities, but when cooked fresh from 

 the water, it has a pleasant taste, su- 

 perior, I think, to the pond-pickerel of 

 our northern waters. It is said to grow 

 to a weight of ten pounds, but I have 



