38 THE TARPON 



consideration of all the facts, one is led to the conclusion that 

 tarpon breed over a very wide area. 



Many fish deposit their eggs in the open sea and the tarpon 

 may do the same, which accounts for the fact that the larval 

 condition has not been noticed. The subject is worthy of 

 patient investigation in the field and I hope that all sportsmen 

 and guides will report any facts which may come to their 

 attention throwing light upon this obscure subject. 



Dr. Alexander Meek, M. S., in his book entitled "The Migra- 

 tions of Fish" considers the spawning habits of the Elopldae. 

 Attention is invited to his statements bearing in mind that the 

 term "anadromous" is applied to a fish which migrates from 

 the sea into fresh water like a salmon." "Contranatent" sig- 

 nifies swimming against and "denatent" swimming with the 

 current. 



''The family Elopidae includes Elops lacerta of the 

 West Coast of Africa where it enters rivers and E. saurus, 

 which is generally distributed in tropical waters. The 

 latter also enters rivers as in East Africa, where it is 

 called Cape Salmon. But it is evident that spawning takes 

 place at sea, since a leptocephalus stage is known. The 

 tarpon (Megalops atlanticus of the Atlantic tropical and 

 southern region and M. cyprinoides of the Indian Ocean 

 and the seas of the East Indies) is well known in the open 

 seas and periodically visits the coasts, even ascending the 

 rivers in pursuit of shoals of fish. At the period of its 

 visits to the coast it attracts the angler, who, in search of 

 adventure, essays with success to capture a giant fish with 

 the rod. Megalops is represented in the marine Lower 

 Eocene of Sheppey and probably Elops as well and allied 

 genera have been obtained from the Cretaceous of Europe, 

 Mount Lebanon and Brazil. 



"It is probable that these more oceanic allies of the 

 herring have pelagic eggs, and that spawning takes place 



