208 SPINY-FINNED FISHES 



("Game Fishes of North America") a day's sport twelve 

 miles offshore from Mayport, which for eighteen fishermen 

 yielded 208 Red Snappers averaging 25 pounds each. The 

 bait used was bluefish, young shark or skip-jack. The only 

 serious drawback to this fish is the fact that "it should always 

 be boiled, or cooked in a chowdef." This reminds me that 

 as nearly as I can figure it out the people of the South are 

 losing each year the food value of about $1,670,265 worth of 

 good fish, like the sheepshead and others, through not knowing 

 how to boil them into fine, tasty dishes! In Florida the aver- 

 age boiled fish is beneath contempt; and it is due to the 

 ignorance of the cook. 



In 1897 the fishermen of Florida caught 5,314,487 pounds 

 of Red Snappers, worth to them $171,234. Later on the 

 total catch for the last year fully reported upon (1902), was 

 as follows: 



South Atlantic states, 155,100 pounds, worth $8,203 

 Gulf states, 13,608,553 " 410,157 



13,763,653 " " $418,360 



ODD FISHES OF THE SPINY-FINNED ORDER 



THE " DOLPHIN ' ?1 of this Order is a fish, not a cetacean 

 of the Class of Mammals; and its unfortunate popular name 

 and sea-going habits cause between it and the true dolphins 

 much confusion. 



This is the mid-ocean fish with a long, paddle-like body, 

 a dorsal fin which reaches in one unbroken sweep from head 

 to tail, and which possesses when alive the wonderful irides- 



1 Cor-y-phae'na hip-pu'rus. 



