GAME FISH OF FLORIDA. 57 



two to eight pounds in weight, with mullet bait, on the 

 bottom. The grouper has a stronghold under the man 

 grove bushes, or in a hole in the bank, to which it re 

 treats when hooked, and being a vigorous fish often suc 

 ceeds in reaching its fortress, from which it can with 

 difficulty be dislodged, and the loss of fish and tackle is 

 the result. More hooks are lost by the grouper than by 

 any other fish, but as it affords good sport and excellent 

 food, it is a favorite object of the angler s pursuit. A 

 bass rod and reel, with a strong line and Virginia hook, 

 with lead enough to keep the bait on the bottom, is the 

 best rig for the grouper, and, after all, the prospect of 

 getting him is uncertain. He fights so hard that you 

 have to give him line, and if you give him too much he 

 is sure to escape into his hold. 



COBIA, CRAB-EATER, OR SARGEANT FISH (Elacate 

 Atlanticus). CUYIER. This fish I have never seen, ex 

 cept in the Indian river, where it is a common species, 

 lying under the mangrove bushes in wait for prey like a 

 pike, which it much resembles in form, and in the long 

 under-jaw, full of sharp teeth. It derives its trivial 

 name from a black stripe running along its silvery sides 

 from head to tail, like that on the trowsers of a sergeant. 

 I found it rather coarse and indifferent food, in that 

 also resembling the fresh- water pike. Size from two to 

 three feet long. 



THE POMPAXO (Bothrolcemus pampanus). HOL- 

 BROOK. Most persons who have been in Mobile or New 

 Orleans have heard of the pompano. Perhaps few have 

 seen or tasted it, though it has the reputation of being 

 the finest fish in the world, and brings in the southern 

 markets three or four times the price of any other fish. 

 It is a rare fish, which may in part account for its high 

 3* 



