Fish and Fishing tn America. 
“When hooked, they act like the 
common séa cat, but, from their larger 
size, they are more enduring, and they 
may be termed game fish from their 
resistance. Some one has likened their 
tactics to the movements of the channel 
bass, but this does not agree either 
with my observations. They are bot- 
tom fish and live on worms and crus- 
tacea, refusing, however, nothing in 
the form of flesh.” 
It is well to state, in part explanation 
of this wide difference of opinion, that 
Mr. Clarke fished for the gaft-topsail 
in waters one hundred miles farther 
north than that part of the Indian river 
section where Dr. Gibbs had his exper- 
fencer with these fish. This fact, as 
similar ones in other cases often do, 
may account for the difference in 
habits and game qualities of the gaff- 
topsail, as recorded by these two excel- 
lent authorities on the subject. 
We now reach the salt-water catfish 
—TLachysurus felis (Tachysurus from 
two Greek words, meaning ‘‘swift”’ 
an@uctail, and /ei7s, fromthe Latin, 
‘‘cat”). Mr. Silas Stearns is the only 
writer who has made a special study of 
this fish, and, although rather scanty, 
his notes are extremely interesting. 
He states that the salt-water catfish is 
very abundant everywhere on the west 
coast of Florida. It is found on the 
sea-beach, the shores and bottoms of 
bays and bayous, and even some dis- 
101 
tance up fresh water streams. It is a 
bottom-loving fish, feeding upon worms 
and small crustaceans chiefly, but will 
readily eat anything else—fish, flesh or 
fowl, dead or alive. As the pest of 
these waters, it is ever present and 
never welcome. It breeds in the sum- 
mer, in June, July and August. The 
spawn is deposited in a depression in 
the sand and impregnated with the 
milt. Oneof the parent fish then takes 
the eggs in its mouth, and by some 
movement fixes them against the gills, 
or between the leaves of the gills. The 
eggs are carried in this position until 
the embryo fish are hatched and have 
become perfect and able to take care 
of themselves. The eggs, when full- 
size, resemble white grapes; they are 
large and clear. Sometimes the jaws 
of the parent fish are much distended 
by the eggs and the young fry, and 
present an appearance which is- not 
only unusual but comical. 
Ihave caught this fish when casting 
from the Gulf beach, below Tampa 
bay, for channel bass. It is not a 
fierce fighter and was quite a nuisance 
when we were longing for the game 
play of the bass. Their range is from 
New work to Mexico, but they are 
most abundant south of Cape Hatteras. 
With the exception of the gaff-topsail, 
it is the only catfish found in salt-water 
along our eastern coast, hence it will 
be at once recognized by the angler. 
(To be continued.) 
