100 
Dr. Morris Gibbs has, however, when 
traveling through Florida, as the staff 
THe AMERICAN AN- 
GLER, made a partial study of this fish 
at or near Lake Worth, and presents 
It is 
gaff-topsail reaches a 
correspondent of 
some new facts as to its habits. 
said that the 
weight of twelve pounds, but nothing 
as large infests Indian river, and it 
may be that the larger specimens are 
more confined to deep water. Six and 
eight pounds is as large as they grow 
in the Indian river waters, and the ma- 
jority are not so large. Most of the 
specimens met with were from three to 
five pounds in weight, a size evidently 
matured, as many females were loaded 
with spawn. January is, no doubt, the 
spawning season, as a great many are 
then taken in small inlets and the 
mouths of rivers, evidently intent on 
spawning. Some females, dissected, 
contained from fifty-four to sixty-eight 
These eggs were ar- 
much re- 
matured ege's. 
ranged on each side 
sembled bunches of grapes when taken 
into the hand. In two specimens ex- 
amined, the number was exactly divided 
in the two sacs, there being twenty- 
and 
nine and thirty-two respectively on 
each side. The eggs were from fifty- 
two to fifty-eight one hundredths of an 
inch in diameter and of a golden hue. 
Composed almost entirely of albumen, 
they are surely nutritious and were 
very palatable, as was demonstrated at 
the table of an Indian river hotel. 
Most of the specimens were caught 
in a gill net, but some were taken with 
hook and line, and when taken from the 
hook or net the hands are besmeared 
with a very persistent glutinous slime, 
which adheres tenaciously to every- 
thing touched. For this reason, the 
species is considered a nuisance by 
zesthetic fishermen and by those who 
The American Angler 
are annoyed by these fish biting when 
others are sought. 
The flesh of the gaff-topsail is white 
and firm, and well flavored, but many 
are very averse to it, and one writer, 
speaking of this fish, states that it is 
never eaten. He says: 
‘“T tried it onceas a matter Otsex- 
periment, and, although my curiosity 
was: satisfied, my palate was so out- 
raged and disgusted that I have ever 
since been almost ashamed to look one 
in the face. And really I have no gas- 
tronomic use for a. fish that makes a 
cradle of its mouth by carrying its eggs 
and young in it.” 
‘(It seems,” writes Dr. Gibbs; ‘Sto 
me unfair to deprecate a fish from its 
habit of caring for its eggs and young; 
rather should the species be ranked 
higher and studied with greater inter- 
At least, merit as to its availability 
as a pan-fish should be allowed, if 
proven. But Ido not think that this 
species carries its young or eggs in its 
mouth, as it is not reasonable to sup- 
pose that the mouth is large enough to 
carry one-half of the spawn. An at- 
tempt was made to place the eggs of 
one in its mouth, and not one-half 
would be accommodated even when the 
mouth was distended.” 
As will be seen, by the illustration, 
the gaff-topsail is a handsome, clipper- 
built fish with a large, well-forked 
caudal fin, a formation which seems to 
be characteristic of many of the hard- 
fighting salt-water species. It is an 
active fish and feeds, like the channel 
bass or red drum, at the bottom, mid- 
water and on the surface, taking all 
baits and fighting hard. Dr. Gibbs, 
however, differs from this statement, 
which is made by Mr. S. C. Clarke, an 
octogenarian Florida angler. The 
Doctor wrote me: 
ESL. 
