CONTINUATION OF DIARY 



killed a tarpon of 201 lbs., and it was stated during discussion 

 that this was 4 lbs. less than the record fish caught by Mrs. 

 Stagg. After dinner, therefore, I went with Mr. Van Cortlandt 

 and other visitors to see the monster. It measured 6 ft. 11 in., 

 and girthed 4 1 in. Without question it was the finest fish I 

 had seen, and by the light of the lanterns it looked really 

 bigger than it was. Talking over the measurements, and not 

 being quite able to make them tally, the fish was reweighed by 

 all the scales which could be borrowed in Myers. These weigh- 

 ing machines, being those of sellers and not buyers, varied a 

 good deal, but we ultimately agreed to book this fish at 1 7 8 lbs. 

 The following clipping, from an American paper, is the 

 story of the smallest tarpon already incidentally mentioned : — 



Mr. A. T. G. Parkinson now holds a tarpon record. He hasn't 

 beaten Mrs. Stagg's record- of 205 lbs. for the largest fish, but he has ^ 



gone to the other extreme and caught the smallest 



rr., , , , . , A Baby 



tarpon on record. The baby tarpon was taken with a 



. Tarpon. 



fly at Alva by hmi on 21st Januar)' last, and wpighed 



1 1 lbs., length 18 in. Last week he was fishing for bass at the same 



place, using his rod and reel with a phantom minnow, when he caught 



another baby tarpon- weighing 2 lbs. and measuring 19 inches. The 



scales upon which the records are placed are not larger than a cent 



piece, and make quite a contrast alongside the large three-inch scales 



of the 100 lb. tarpon. 



G 



