1'28 FISHES OF THE EAST ATLANTIC' (JOAMT. 



wter, running under and around the boat, and conducting itself in 

 tin* cf.'imest fashion. Spawns in May, in the ocean. 



One spring day, while at Halifax Inlet, being attracted by the 

 feighi of great schools of cavalli chasing the mullet along the shores, 

 I went out with my rod, and found at the mouth of a creek the shore 

 shining with the silvery bodies of small mullet and menhaden, driven 

 up high and dry by their ravenous pursuers, while a number of 

 brown pelicans were filling their pouches with them, and various 

 gulls and other sea birds were also feeding on them. The river 

 fairly boiled with the rushing hosts, and attaching a bright spoon to 

 my line I cast it into the current. Directly it was seized by a ca- 

 valli, which in due time I secured, and afterward several others. 

 While the schools of mullet and cavalli remained near, the sport was 

 good, but soon the crowd of pursued and pursuers passed by up the 

 river with the tide. 



Jordan and Gilbert describe eight species of Caranx on tbe coast 

 of North America, of which <?. hippus, (Gunther) the horse crevalli, 

 is most abundant, and probably our fish. 



DE50RIPTIOIS. 



Olivaceous above ; sides and below silvery or golden ; a distinct black blotch on 

 opercle, and one on lower rays of pectorals, the latter sometimes wanting ; axil of 

 pectoral dusky ; anterior edge of dorsals black ; upper edge of caudal peduncle 

 dusky. Body oblong, tue anterior profile very strongly arched. Head large and 

 deep. Mouth large, low and nearly horizontal below axis of body ; lower jaw 

 included ; maxillary extending to nearly opposite posterior border of eye. Teeth 

 teeth ; teeth in lower jaw in one row, i distinct canine on ea side of symphysis 

 in upper jaw in a broad villiform band ; an outer series of large wide-set conical 

 villiform teeth on vomer, palatines and tongue. Lateral line with a wide arch ; its 

 length three-fourths that of straight part ; plates not covering all of straight part. 

 Dorsal spines short, rather stout ; procumbent spine obsolete. Gill-rakers stout, 

 not very long, fifteen below angle. Occipital keel sharp. Eye not very large, 

 longer than snout, 4 in head. Pectoral falcate, longer than head. Breast naked; 

 with a small patch of scales in front of ventral only. Caudal lobes equal. Heal 

 3^ ; depth 2 l / 2 ; Lat. I (scutes) about 30. D. VIII-i, 20 ; A. II-I, 17. ^ a P e 

 Cod to West Indies ; common southward. 



MANGROVE SNAPPER Lutjanus aurorubens. Professor Jordan's 

 description is like our South Florida fish, except as to canine teeth. 



