230 Big Game Fishes 



the Louisiana coast it becomes the grand ecaille, 

 and along the Texan shore tarpon and savanilla. 

 The tarpon is a migratory fish, moving north 

 over the vast area of the Gulf. One pronounced 

 migration is along the coast from Mexico, so 

 reaching Louisiana; the other possibly passing 

 up the Windward Islands, so reaching Key West 

 or vicinity, following up the keys to the Cape, 

 some following the west and others the east 

 coast. I infer this from the fact that if the vast 

 schools moved north in the centre of the Gulf, 

 they would have been noticed at the Tortugas 

 group, where, as stated, the fish is rare. Around 

 Cuba and other islands some tarpon are found all 

 the time, but they are more plentiful in summer 

 at the Florida points ; schools have been seen all 

 winter between Key West and Cape Florida, par- 

 ticularly at Caesar's Inlet. They appear in Feb- 

 ruary, increasing rapidly in numbers in March, 

 April, and May, entering rivers and streams as the 

 Apalachicola, being seen, according to Stearns, 

 eight miles from the mouth. I am indebted to 

 W. S. Jenkins, chief engineer of the Aransas 

 Pass Water Company, for much interesting data 

 relating to the arrival of the tarpon in Texas. 

 He writes : " The tarpon makes its appearance in 



