404 Big Game Fishes 



An excellent fish here is the pompon, Aniso- 

 tremus surinamensis, which attains a length of 

 nearly, if not quite, four feet, and bears a super- 

 ficial resemblance to the drum. Another species, 

 though small, calls to mind the porgy, the pro- 

 file being vertical, giving the "catalineta" an 

 appearance of solidity and strength. With it is 

 seen the " pluma," or jolt-head porgy, Calamus 

 kendalli, a lusty twelve or fifteen pound fish, 

 capable of making a vigorous fight. Its large 

 head, prominent eyes, and masklike face make 

 it a conspicuous form among the Porto Rican 

 fishes. Porgies have the faculty of expressing 

 their emotions with their dorsal fins to a certain 

 extent, recognized by those who have kept them 

 in confinement. I watched this fish in an 

 enclosed aquarium on the reef for a year. It 

 became very tame, would eat from my hand, and 

 in swimming invariably kept the sharp spines 

 of the dorsal fin flat upon its back ; but when I 

 approached, up they would go, and if I made a 

 very quick movement, they would stiffen out 

 like quills upon the fretful porcupine, forcibly 

 reminding spectators of the hair on a cat's back, 

 or the tail of a cat or dog. 



The gamy white sea-bass and the weak-fish are 



