EESORTS OF OF SEA TKOTJT. 83 



It is also sprinkled all over, including its dorsal fins and tail, 

 with jet black dots about the size of a pea. 



Professor Mitchill, in writing of the squeteague, states : 

 " A beautiful variety of this fish is sometimes seen with the 

 following characters, to wit : Spotted squeteague [Lab. Sq. 

 maculatus\. There are black, well-defined spots among the 

 specks over the back and sides, and checkering the caudal 

 and second dorsal fins. The pectoral fins are rather small ; 

 ventral and anal fins not yellow, but brownish. The parts 

 thus variegated with spots have a pretty appearance." With- 

 out doubt, the professor alluded to the Southern sea trout ; 

 and as it shoals with the squeteague, and only visits the 

 shores of New Jersey occasionally and in small numbers, he 

 did not see proper to distinguish it by other than a peculiarly 

 marked variety of the squeteague ; whereas it differs more 

 palpably from the squeteague than do some families of the 

 mackerel tribes, eminently the Spanish mackerel and the cero, 

 which differ only in the color of their spots, the first being 

 gold color, and the latter black. 



The sea trout is superior to the squeteague as a table-fish ; 

 its scales are about the same size, but firmer, brighter, and 

 not so viscid. As a game fish, it is fully equal to the sque- 

 teague, as free a biter, and as readily netted. Both fishes are 

 summer spawners, laying from 175,000 to 700,000 eggs. 



The sea trout appears along the coast and estuaries of the 

 Southern States nearly all the year round, but takes the hook 

 most freely from June until December. It is taken of all 

 sizes between a pound and fifteen pounds' weight, and if there 

 is a difference in game between this fish and the squeteague, 

 it is in favor of the sea trout, which is a heavier fish of its 

 size, and rather more elaborately rigged with fins. It should 

 be angled for in the same manner and with the same tackle 

 used for taking squeteague ; and shedder crab is its weak- 

 ness. But as all the shores and estuaries of the South are 

 alive with crabs, as well as other Crustacea, baits are easily 

 obtained for striped bass, trout, golden mullet, hogfish, grunt- 



