218 AMERICAN FISHES 



ACANTHOPTERYGII. SCOMBRID^E 



THE BLUE-FISH. 



HORSE MACKEREL, GREEN-FISH, IN VIRGINIA ; SKIPJACK, IN 

 CAROLINA ; SNAPPING MACKEREL. 



Temnodon Saltator ; Cuvier. 



A BOLD, fierce, and well-known fish this, greatly sought after, and 

 affording fine sport to the fisherman, and right-royally good to eat 

 when quite fresh out of the water, split in two down the back, nailed 

 upon a shingle, and roasted before a quick fire. 



It is a singularly erratic fish, sometimes swarming on the coasts, and 

 again almost entirely disappearing. It occasionally runs far up rivers, 

 and was taken in the Hudson, so high up as the Highlands, in great 

 quantities in the year 1841. It appears to have been entirely unknown 

 on the coasts of New York before the year 1810, since which it has 

 been, on the whole, gradually on the increase, while in like propor- 

 tion its victims, the Weak-Fish and King-Fish, appear to be dying out. 



The Blue Fish is said occasionally to reach the weight of thirty-five 

 pounds, but the average run is from three to eight. They generally 

 frequent the coasts of New York from May until late in the autumn. 

 Their geographical range is very wide, from Brazil to Massachusetts 

 on the coasts of America, from New Holland to Madagascar, and 

 from Amboyna to Egypt. 



The young fish abound in the mouths of our rivers from four to six 

 inches in length, and even then they will take the bait with avidity. 



The ordinary mode of catching this fine fish is with what is techni- 

 cally termed a squid, or piece of bright bone or metal, hurled out 

 from the stern of a sailing boat, going with what is known as a "mack- 

 erel breeze " in a sea-way, and drawn rapidly home by hand. 



There are many worse kinds of sport than this ; the swift motion 

 of the vessel, the dashing spray, and the rapid biting of the fish, com- 

 bining to create a highly pleasurable excitement. 



