Giant Fish of Florida 



THE SHEEPSHEAD (Archosargus probatocephalus) 



1 mentioned the sea-bream in writing of catfish, and one 

 of the commonest of the group on that coast is the sheepshead, 

 so-called, I imagine, from the solid, sheeplike teeth that can 

 even crunch the mangrove oysters, in the neighbourhood of 

 which these fish are so fond of foregathering. These growths 

 of oysters on the red mangrove always attract the notice of 

 visitors unused to the spectacle. The best bait for these 

 bream is a fiddler crab, a crustacean found in every lagoon 

 thereabouts, and owing its name to a singular habit of waving 

 its large claw (only the male has this disproportionate limb) 

 exactly as if it were drawing a bow across a fiddle. As the sea- 

 bream are fond of company, playing one is generally the 

 prelude to a good bag of them. They bear little resemblance 

 to their namesakes of rivers and ponds, for they are not so 

 slimy or sluggish, but on the contrary more spiny, and have 

 the dark band markings and game fighting manner of perch. 

 They feed not far from the bottom, and must be struck sharply 

 the moment they bite, and for their size they play very well. 

 They can be taken in immense quantities. 



