The Silver King 



During the winter months the tarpon Some of His 

 may be found in the shallow water of bays l 

 of southern Florida, basking in the sun, 

 under the mangroves. In such situations 

 many are speared, or " grained," as it is 

 called by native fishermen. But during the 

 summer they may be seen by hundreds roll- 

 ing and playing on the surface, at any of 

 the deep inlets of either coast. At this 

 time the angler, by trolling or surface fish- 

 ing, may get scores of strikes in an hour, 

 but as to landing them that is another 

 fish story. 



The tarpon breeds in the West Indies Breeding 

 and Central America, but not, I believe, in 

 Florida. At all events, as a collector of 

 fishes I have combed the shores and rivers 

 of Florida, with a fine-meshed seine, from 

 Titusville on the east coast to Tampa on 

 the west coast, but never found a tarpon of 

 less size than a foot in length. If they 

 breed in the bays or rivers I certainly 

 would have found some smaller ones. 



Late in the winter of 1892, when en- A Tussle with a 

 gaged in the preparation of the United Tar P n 

 129 



