The Bluefisb 159 



It has a wide geographical range, being found 

 from Nova Scotia to Brazil. It is a common 

 fish in Australian waters, in the Malay Archi- 

 pelago, and off South Africa. Its movements 

 are singular and erratic. Thus, in the Mediter- 

 ranean, it is caught at Algiers, but is rare on the 

 Italian shore. It shuns the Atlantic coast of 

 Europe in the latitudes in which it is common 

 in America. It never crosses from Florida to 

 the Bermudas, and it apparently avoids the 

 islands of Cuba and Porto Rico. Doubtless it 

 disappears from certain localities, reappearing 

 again only after many years. Thus, so far as 

 known, it was not chronicled north of Cape 

 Cod prior to 1837. 



The bluefish moves north or south according 

 to the weather. It appears along the shore of 

 Delaware, Virginia, and New York in May, 

 gradually reaching the higher latitudes as the 

 summer approaches, and remains until October. 

 During this period it moves in large schools, 

 feeding on menhaden, squid, and various fishes 

 allied to sardines, herring, and mackerel, and is 

 so voracious that it is a factor to be considered 

 in the depletion of bait fishes. I have seen blue- 

 fish charge a school of small mackerel, leaving 



