The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



live on Crustacea, crabs, and the like. The tarpon 

 are covered, when freshly caught, with a thick 

 slime ; this, if you get it on to your clothes, is 

 almost impossible to remove ; a worthless suit 

 is therefore the only thing to wear when out 

 fishing for them. Their scales, some of which 

 are as large as small saucers, are peculiar, a 

 quarter of each one being tipped with a coating 

 of silver, the subsequent scales overlapping one 

 another, so that the silver portion only appears. 

 The largest scale on each side of the fish is 

 to be found on the centre of the body ; above 

 and below and on each side of this one, the 

 scales gradually diminish in size. The tarpon is 

 supposed to have a lung of sorts. I can vouch 

 for the fact that on a very still calm evening 

 whilst fishing for them they can be heard to 

 give forth a sort of puff as they rise to the surface 

 of the water, which sound I cannot account for, 

 unless it is produced by expelling the air through 

 the mouth. The flesh is very dark red, somewhat 

 like horse-beef, and they bleed profusely when 

 cut open. The inhabitants of the district say 

 that the meat is not nice to eat, but as I did not 

 personally try the experiment, I cannot offer an 

 opinion on the subject. I was intensely puzzled 

 to know why these fish enter the freshwater 

 rivers ; I can but think that spawning purposes 

 have something to do with it. For a few miles 

 above Fort Myers little tarpon of three or four 



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