The Hogfisb 129 



were poisonous, hence the demand for American 

 fish caught one hundred miles distant. 



The hogfish is found in water from four to six 

 or eight fathoms. Where the reef dips rapidly 

 into deep water, and is covered with coral and 

 gorgonias, in a word, is a good browsing-ground, 

 there the hogfish will be found by the discerning 

 angler. While a swift swimmer when occasion 

 demands, it is normally a slow-moving fish. I 

 have often watched it through a water-glass, or 

 from some point of vantage as it poised by some 

 plume, or sea-fan, or slowly swam about, occasion- 

 ally tipping down with a display of caracoling to 

 take some reckless crab. It has been described 

 as capturing fish, but I never found evidences of 

 this diet in scores examined; the food of its choice 

 is crabs, crayfish, shells of various kinds, as the 

 fan-shell, which it takes from the gorgonias, sea- 

 urchins or echini, starfishes and hermit-crabs. In 

 shallow water described, mullet bait would not 

 attract the hogfish, but conch or crayfish, crab 

 or squilla, was especially to its taste. The deeper- 

 water fishes appear to be more democratic. The 

 hogfish is always to be found in the localities of 

 its choice. In winter it undoubtedly moves into 

 water slightly deeper, at least in summer more 



