18 THE TARPON 



The tarpon has few kinsmen. The Megalops cyprinoides is 

 the type of the genus and is found in the Indian Ocean, Africa 

 and Northern Australia, where it is known as the Ox Eye. 



The posterior insertion of the dorsal fin distinguishes the 

 tarpon from this fish, which carries its dorsal fin above the 

 ventrals. (Jordan & Evermann). There are other distin- 

 guishing features not necessary to refer to here. 



Flops saurus, commonly known as the "ten pounder" is a 

 kinsman and it too has a blood brother in the Congo and in 

 the waters of Western Africa bearing the scientific name of 

 Flops lacerta. There are very few survivors of Flopidae, once 

 a great and numerous family. The tarpon ranges over a wide 

 domain, for its deeply forked tail and symmetrical and stream- 

 line body fit it for swift and enduring action. It is found as 

 far south as Argentina and is common along the coast of Bra- 

 zil. It has been recorded twice as far north as Nova Scotia ; 

 once off Isaac's Harbor and once at Harrigan Cove, where it 

 was speared in eel grass. The latter specimen was taken on 

 September 6th, 1906, and is in the Provincial Museum at Hal- 

 ifax (Check list of fishes of the Dominion of Canada, 1913). 

 These facts indicate that the tarpon can live in cold water if 

 the temperature slowly declines. It frequently ranges as far 

 north as the coast of Massachusetts, where it has been taken 

 in fish traps and nets. The fish was described as occurring in 

 Long Island Sound in the Proceedings of the Academy of Nat- 

 ural Science, Phil. 1858. The author is indebted to Dr. C. H. 

 Townsend, Director of the New York Aquarium, for the fol- 

 lowing interesting information : 



"The Aquarium (New York City) has had living tar- 

 pons at three different times, all of which were taken in 

 summer in the southern part of New York Bay. 



"The tarpon is known to visit our coast as a late sum- 

 mer straggler. Two specimens were captured in a pound 

 net in the lower bay on July 27, 1906. They were brought 

 to the Aquarium and placed in a large pool, where they 



