134 THE TARPON 



surement is taken where it is greatest. The weight should be 

 duly witnessed, and if possible, a photograph should be taken 

 showing the fish on the scales and the angler with his guide 

 and the tackle used. The reader is referred to the form of 

 affidavit in the appendix which sets forth the essential facts 

 necessary to authenticate a catch. 



When the fish is normal in form and is not heavy with roe 

 the following formula will give the approximate weight. 



Girth^ (inches) x length (inches) . , 



800 ~ weight. 



If you will take the length in inches, add one-fourth (in 

 inches) to the length so taken; multiply the total by the square 

 of the greatest girth and divide by 100, you will reach the 

 same result given by the above formula. 



I have weighed and measured several fish with care. 



The following table shows a comparison of the actual weight 

 of the fish with that given by the formula : 



WEIGHT BY SCALE WEIGHT BY FORMULA 



This table shows the ordinary working of the formula as 

 applied to moderate sized fish, but I have found cases where 

 there was over ten pounds difference in the result, due, no 

 doubt, to the presence of roe in the fish, or abnormal develop- 

 ment. The formula does not seem to work out with even ap- 

 proximate accuracy in the cases of some very heavy fish. 

 There is either something the matter with the scales or the 

 measurements of record fish, or the formula, as the reader 

 will note from the records of such fish set forth elsewhere in 

 this book. 



