﻿282 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  2. 
  Yellow 
  Grimt 
  or 
  Ronco 
  Amarillo, 
  Hn'mulon 
  scicrus 
  (Shaw). 
  Less 
  common 
  than 
  

  

  the 
  preceding 
  species, 
  hut 
  very 
  plentiful. 
  Found 
  in 
  schools 
  on 
  rock 
  bottom. 
  

   One 
  fisherman 
  rejiorts 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  often 
  caught 
  500 
  to 
  GOO 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  day. 
  

   It 
  is 
  most 
  common 
  in 
  summer; 
  cold 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  afieet 
  it 
  seriously. 
  The 
  best 
  

   iishing 
  for 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  in 
  August. 
  The 
  best 
  bait 
  is 
  a 
  long 
  worm 
  which 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  get 
  from 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  a 
  tall 
  grass 
  which 
  grows 
  on 
  the 
  bars. 
  

   The 
  yellow 
  grunt 
  reaches 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  1 
  pound 
  or 
  less. 
  Nothing 
  could 
  be 
  

   learned 
  concerning 
  its 
  spawning 
  habits, 
  except 
  that 
  it 
  probably 
  spawns 
  in 
  

   August. 
  

  

  3. 
  Mar-gate-fish, 
  llwmulon 
  album 
  Cuvier 
  & 
  Valenciennes. 
  The 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  

  

  name 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  is 
  not 
  generally 
  imderstood. 
  It 
  appears, 
  however, 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  derived 
  from 
  Margate, 
  a 
  seaport 
  and 
  watering-place 
  in 
  Kent, 
  England, 
  

   situated 
  on 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Thanet, 
  64 
  miles 
  east 
  by 
  south 
  of 
  London. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  Bahamas 
  came 
  originally 
  from 
  Margate 
  and 
  ajiplied 
  the 
  

   name 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  which 
  they 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Bahamas. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bahama 
  fishermen 
  (Conchs) 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  brought 
  the 
  name 
  

   with 
  them. 
  The 
  name 
  Margate 
  is, 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  sometimes 
  corrupted 
  into 
  

   "Margat" 
  and 
  ^'Margaret," 
  while 
  in 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  it 
  is 
  "Margat," 
  "Mar- 
  

   ket," 
  or 
  ''Margarite." 
  The 
  Margate-fish 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  and 
  imj^ortant 
  si)e(;ics 
  

   at 
  Key 
  West. 
  It 
  reaches 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  8 
  or 
  10 
  pounds, 
  the 
  average 
  Vteiug 
  

   about 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  pounds. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  deeper 
  water 
  than 
  the 
  preceding 
  species, 
  

   and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  reef. 
  It 
  spawns 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  sumujer, 
  

   probably 
  in 
  July, 
  on 
  rock 
  bottom, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  school. 
  One 
  

   intelligent 
  fisherman 
  says, 
  however, 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  school 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  

   though 
  it 
  does 
  at 
  the 
  Bahamas. 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  found 
  on 
  rock 
  or 
  barry 
  bot- 
  

   tom, 
  around 
  shoals. 
  At 
  night 
  it 
  comes 
  into 
  more 
  shallow 
  water 
  to 
  feed, 
  crabs, 
  

   crawfish, 
  worms, 
  etc., 
  constituting 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  its 
  food. 
  The 
  bait 
  used 
  for 
  it 
  

   is 
  crawfish 
  or 
  crabs. 
  Cold 
  is 
  said 
  not 
  to 
  affect 
  this 
  fish 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  extent. 
  

   4-. 
  Sailor's 
  Choice, 
  RwmnJon 
  parra 
  (Desmarest). 
  This 
  species, 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  

   sailor's 
  choice 
  {Lagodou 
  rhomboides) 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  is 
  abundant 
  

   about 
  Key 
  West. 
  It 
  collects 
  into 
  schools 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  

   it 
  spawns 
  on 
  rocky 
  bottom. 
  It 
  reaches 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  2 
  pounds, 
  the 
  average 
  

   being 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  pound. 
  The 
  best 
  fishing 
  for 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  in 
  summer. 
  

  

  5. 
  French 
  Grunt, 
  Hwmulon 
  flaroVmeatuvi 
  (Desmarest), 
  Not 
  uncommon, 
  but 
  nothing 
  

  

  of 
  imjiortance 
  was 
  learned 
  regarding 
  it. 
  

  

  6. 
  Tom-tate, 
  Jiatlnjstoma 
  rimator 
  (Jordan 
  it 
  Swain). 
  Said 
  to 
  be 
  common. 
  Only 
  a 
  

  

  few 
  examples 
  noticed, 
  and 
  nothing 
  was 
  learned 
  of 
  its 
  habits. 
  

  

  7. 
  Porkfish, 
  Anisotremiis 
  virginiciis 
  (Linnieus). 
  Coumion 
  about 
  Key 
  West. 
  It 
  

  

  schools 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  August, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  ; 
  found 
  then 
  

   about 
  the 
  shoals, 
  but 
  soon 
  retires 
  to 
  deeper 
  water. 
  It 
  spawns 
  all 
  through 
  

   the 
  channel 
  about 
  the 
  shoals, 
  and 
  is 
  theu 
  caught 
  in 
  greatest 
  numbers. 
  About 
  

   a 
  month 
  after 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  inmienso 
  numbers 
  of 
  young 
  are 
  seen 
  on 
  

   the 
  shoals. 
  This 
  fish 
  reaches 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  and 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  2 
  

   pounds. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  those 
  brought 
  to 
  market 
  probably 
  does 
  not 
  

   exceed 
  one-third 
  of 
  a 
  pound. 
  

  

  8. 
  Saucer-eyed 
  Porgy, 
  C'aZam)(Sc«Z«H(HS 
  (Cuvier 
  & 
  Valenciennes). 
  Common. 
  Tlie 
  

  

  average 
  weight 
  is 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  pound, 
  the 
  maximum 
  being 
  about 
  a 
  pound. 
  

   The 
  principal 
  fishing 
  season 
  for 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  winter, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  taken 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  Nothing 
  was 
  learned 
  of 
  its 
  spawning 
  habits. 
  

  

  9. 
  Little-head 
  Porgy, 
  Calamus 
  prorldens 
  Jordan 
  & 
  Gilbert. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  found 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  saucer-eye 
  and 
  is 
  equally 
  common. 
  It 
  reaches 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  2 
  pounds, 
  

   the 
  average 
  being 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  pound. 
  

  

  10. 
  Sheepshead 
  Porgy, 
  Calamus 
  penna 
  (Cuvier 
  & 
  Valenciennes). 
  Common 
  with 
  

  

  the 
  preceding, 
  reaching 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  4 
  pounds, 
  the 
  average 
  being 
  about 
  a 
  

   pound. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  winter. 
  

  

  