﻿[57] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES, 
  273 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  smackeesj 
  the 
  swarthy 
  faces 
  of 
  the 
  Cuban 
  crew* 
  peering 
  up 
  

   from 
  the 
  dim 
  light 
  of 
  tbe 
  ice-house 
  iu 
  the 
  vessel's 
  hold; 
  the 
  many 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  ejaculations 
  in 
  Cuban 
  Spanish, 
  negro 
  patois, 
  and 
  the 
  peculiar 
  

   dialect 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  white 
  tisherinen, 
  made 
  up 
  a 
  combination 
  liable 
  to 
  

   impress 
  even 
  the 
  most 
  casual 
  observer. 
  The 
  bustle 
  attending 
  the 
  

   departure 
  of 
  boats 
  that 
  had 
  discharged 
  their 
  fares, 
  or 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  new 
  

   arrivals 
  that 
  came 
  dashing 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  pier 
  head, 
  under 
  a 
  press 
  of 
  sail, 
  

   which, 
  a 
  moment 
  later, 
  fell 
  in 
  graceful 
  folds 
  on 
  deck, 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  spirit 
  

   of 
  the 
  scene, 
  while 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  little 
  craft 
  were 
  handled 
  

   gave 
  one 
  a 
  fine 
  impression 
  of 
  the 
  boatmen's 
  skill. 
  

  

  The 
  smaller 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  always 
  marketed 
  alive, 
  with 
  few 
  ex- 
  

   ceptions. 
  A 
  quantity 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  boat's 
  well, 
  but 
  iu 
  

   addition 
  each 
  crew 
  has 
  a 
  live 
  car 
  — 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  cube, 
  and 
  about 
  4 
  

   feet 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  — 
  built 
  of 
  boards, 
  in 
  which 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  fish 
  are 
  kept, 
  

   the 
  amount 
  seemingly 
  being 
  limited 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  recepta- 
  

   cle. 
  These 
  fish 
  are 
  sold 
  at 
  retail 
  by 
  the 
  boatmen, 
  who 
  take 
  them 
  from 
  

   the 
  car 
  or 
  boat's 
  well, 
  as 
  the 
  case 
  may 
  be. 
  The 
  car 
  is 
  kept 
  fastened 
  to 
  

   the 
  wharf, 
  and 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  customers 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  cover 
  is 
  

   turned 
  back, 
  and 
  any 
  fish 
  that 
  maybe 
  selected 
  from 
  the 
  numerous 
  

   varieties 
  is 
  dipped 
  out 
  with 
  a 
  scoop-net. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  species 
  

   of 
  food 
  fish 
  usually 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  market: 
  Moonfish,pompauo, 
  

   yellow 
  jack, 
  grunt, 
  yellow 
  tail, 
  red 
  grouper, 
  black 
  grouper 
  or 
  gag, 
  mut- 
  

   ton-fish, 
  red 
  snapper, 
  gray 
  snapper, 
  laying 
  snapper, 
  spotted 
  hind, 
  angel- 
  

   fish, 
  porgie, 
  blue 
  tang, 
  chub, 
  Jew-fish 
  or 
  guasa, 
  Spanish 
  hogfish, 
  amber 
  - 
  

   fish, 
  marget 
  -fish, 
  runner, 
  parrot-fish, 
  turbot, 
  pug, 
  jack 
  fish, 
  boiie-fish, 
  

   sailor's 
  choice, 
  barracouda, 
  bluefish, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  (?), 
  kingfish, 
  

   rock 
  shell 
  fish, 
  horn-fish, 
  tarpum, 
  drum, 
  redfish, 
  mullet, 
  sheepshead, 
  

   scamp, 
  glass 
  eyed 
  snapper, 
  squirrel-fish, 
  permit, 
  old 
  wife, 
  dog 
  snapper, 
  

   French 
  grunt, 
  whiting, 
  bream, 
  goat-fish, 
  nigger-fish, 
  four 
  eyed 
  fish, 
  shad, 
  

   moray, 
  gar-fish, 
  ballahou, 
  schoolmaster, 
  flounder. 
  

  

  I). 
  — 
  The 
  turtle 
  fishery. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  turtle 
  fishery 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  is 
  comparatively 
  of 
  less 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  than 
  some 
  other 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  pursued 
  from 
  the 
  

   port, 
  of 
  which 
  mention 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  made, 
  it 
  is 
  nevertheless 
  a 
  

   well-recognized 
  industry, 
  employing 
  some 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  sloops 
  and 
  schoon- 
  

   ers, 
  of 
  six 
  to 
  ten 
  tons 
  each, 
  these 
  vessels 
  being 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  class 
  as 
  

   those 
  engaged 
  iu 
  sponging. 
  Besides 
  these 
  vessels 
  other 
  boats 
  engage 
  

   iu 
  turtle-fishing 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  at 
  irregular 
  intervals, 
  but 
  they 
  cannot 
  

  

  *Althongh 
  this 
  smack 
  belongs 
  to 
  Key 
  West, 
  she 
  is 
  manned 
  entirely 
  by 
  a 
  crew 
  

   who 
  are 
  natives 
  of 
  Cuba: 
  though 
  residents 
  of 
  Key 
  West, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  unable 
  

   to 
  converse 
  in 
  English. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  fact 
  perhaps 
  not 
  generally 
  known, 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  per- 
  

   centage 
  — 
  estimated 
  by 
  some 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  30 
  per 
  cent. 
  — 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  Key 
  West, 
  

   came 
  from 
  Cuba, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  political 
  refugees, 
  and 
  one 
  hears 
  Spanish 
  spoken 
  

   iu 
  the 
  streets 
  as 
  frequently 
  us 
  English. 
  

  

  S. 
  Mis. 
  70 
  18 
  

  

  