370 Bass, Pike, and Perch 



the deeper water, and the casts made under the 

 mangroves, or to the edges of sand-spits, shoals, or 

 mud-flats, which abound in all bays on the west 

 coast of Florida. 



The snook is easily captured by trolling with 

 hand-line and the spoon or minnow, though it is 

 a questionable style of sport at best. Along the 

 edges of shoals and mud-flats and over grassy 

 banks the snook will be found at home. A 

 landing-net should always be used for any kind 

 of fishing with the fly. 



THE TRIPLE-TAIL 



(Lobotes surinamensis) 



Lobotes surinamensis. The Triple-tail. Body oblong, deep, com- 

 pressed and elevated ; head 3 ; depth 2 ; scales 47 ; head small ; 

 snout short ; mouth moderate, oblique, with thick lips ; profile 

 of head concave; upper jaw very protractile; the lower, the 

 longest ; maxillary without supplemental bone ; jaws with nar- 

 row bands of villiform teeth, in front of which is a row of larger 

 conical teeth, directed backward ; no teeth on vomer or pala- 

 tines; preopercle strongly serrate; maxillary reaching middle 

 of orbit ; scales around eyes small, those on opercles large ; eye 

 small ; small scales running up on the base of soft dorsal, anal, 

 and caudal fins; caudal rounded; D. XII, 15; A. Ill, n ; soft 

 rays of dorsal and anal fins elevated, of nearly equal size, and 

 opposite each other ; anal spines graduated ; branchial rays 6. 



The triple-tail belongs to the family Lobotidce. 

 It is allied to the snapper family, but differs in 

 having no teeth on the roof of the mouth. It was 



