GAME FISH OF FLORIDA. 59 



coast all his life, and knew every fish in the waters. 

 He had been with us when we caught the cavalli in 

 the Indian river, and named both species at once. My 

 specimen was a splendid creature. His colors were as 

 brilliant as those of a fresh-water salmon, but instead of 

 bright silver lie was like a bar of frosted silver. This 

 changed after death, to dark blue above and lemon-yel 

 low beneath. We had him cut in slices and fried, and 

 even under that treatment, which I suspect was not the 

 most appropriate, he was superb. A combination of 

 richness and delicacy of flavor quite unique like a 

 New Brunswick salmon and Lake Superior whitefish, 

 which, of all the fishes on this Continent, I hold to 

 be the best. 



This specimen measured eighteen inches long and 

 six in depth. 



THE CAVALLI, or CEEVALLE (Caraux defensor). 

 DEKAY. Belongs to the same family as the last, and 

 much resembles it in appearance* The cavalli has a 

 more pointed head and snout, with moderately large 

 conical and pointed teeth. The mouth is larger than 

 in the pompano, the body not as deep in proportion to the 

 length, the eye is larger, has two dorsal fins, and at the 

 junction of the tail with the body it is smaller than the 

 pompano. In color it is olive green, and silvery above and 

 yellow beneath. I found it quite numerous at the Indian 

 Eiver Inlet. It goes in schools, swims near the surface, 

 and takes readily a trawl, either bait or red rag. It is an 

 active, sporting fish, but of indifferent quality on the 

 table, being dry and tasteless, like the dolphin of 

 tropical seas. Those I caught were of about two 

 pounds weight, but I am told that it grows to five times 

 that size. 



