44 Big Game Fishes 



readily taking crayfish. All were cunning, and 

 well deserved the name of sea lawyer. 



The gray snapper, Lutianus griseus (Linn.), has 

 a wide range, having been observed as far north 

 as New Jersey, though it is not a common visitor, 

 and as far south as Brazil, ranging east to the 

 African coast. At Bermuda it is common and 

 attains a large size, individuals from fifty to sixty 

 pounds having been caught near Hamilton by 

 friends of mine, and I have heard of larger speci- 

 mens. The largest gray snapper I took on the 

 outer Florida reef weighed thirty pounds, and 

 this was exceptional, the average weight being 

 from seven to fifteen pounds. 



I believe with the gray snappers there is a 

 certain but limited movement into deeper water 

 in the winter months. In summer large indi- 

 viduals are frequently found about mangrove 

 roots in from five to ten feet of water. Along 

 the coast of Florida, the spawning season is from 

 about June 15 to August 15. The young are 

 found almost anywhere, as gamy as trout, I 

 discovered, and among the most attractive and 

 interesting fishes of the reef from the fact that 

 they would allow me to approach so near that I 

 could almost touch them. 



