Fort Myers 
of a small sailing cutter of six or seven tons, in 
which we used to go up and down the Caloot- 
shihatchi River, and sometimes make excur- 
sions beyond those limits. 
A tarpon is a magnificent fish, and when 
freshly caught its scales shine like beaten silver. 
Tt is now so commonly seen in England in a 
stuffed state that a description may almost 
seem superfluous, but there may be those who 
have never seen even a cased specimen. [ 
therefore shall try to describe, however in- 
effectually, this very handsome fish. It is 
supposed to be of the herring tribe, I Say sup- 
posed, for I do not think a great deal is known 
about it in reality. Personally I could never see 
such a striking resemblance to a herring, except 
perhaps as regards the Shape and _ projecting 
under jaw and the more or less forked tail. It 
has a curiously shaped addition or appendage 
behind the dorsal fin, which is locally known as 
the bayonet —in fact, the resemblance to that 
weapon is somewhat striking. The fish has a 
hard, bony lower jaw, in shape somewhat like 
the lower jaw of a man, but minus teeth; the 
lips and tongue in the fresh specimen are blackish, 
and very hard and rough, which suggested to 
me the idea that they prey not so much on fish 
—although I have seen them chasing fishes, 
and have caught them with a hook baited with 
a live mullet—but rather that they habitually 
175 
