Giant Fish of Florida 



would become of such polluting offal but for services such as 

 are rendered by these useful scavengers, one shudders to 

 think. These catfish have no scales, their bodies being shiny, 

 and sleek to the touch, but the fisherman must beware of 

 insidious spikes hidden behind the fins. Any one familiar with 

 the salmon will not fail to notice a similar adipose fin on 

 the back of the catfish, in front of the tail, and the other 

 distinctive feature is the growth of whiskers, in reality sensitive 

 feelers, on the head. Many catfish are found only in the 

 rivers of the warmer regions of the globe, and German and 

 Austrian anglers have their own siluroid in the giant wels of so 

 many continental rivers and lakes. 



In the picture will be seen a couple of sea-bream, apparently 

 hovering around to pick up the leavings of the larger fish, 

 and, for this or some other reason, sea-bream are very often 

 caught in company with catfish. 



Catfish and buzzards are not the only scavengers of that 

 coast. No tarpon that is wanted again should be left on the 

 shore, for no sooner are you out of sight than every hole and 

 cranny in the sand above high-water mark gives up its ghostly 

 crabs, elfish little body - snatchers that creep stealthily, and 

 quickly eat their way into the soft parts of the fish. Ghost- 

 crabs they call them thereabouts, and phantom-like they look 

 when disturbed and tearing seawards with their attenuated 

 white legs held on high. 



130 



