Tarpon Fishing" in T^lorida. 53 



iiiniimt:rable small bubbles were continually strikin!L( the bottom 

 ot the boat. The guides had many theories as to the cause. 

 They were all agreed tliat it only occurred when we were over 

 rocks. Some said it was the noise of shell fish feedintj:, others 

 thought it might be fish or rising bubbles, but there was no trace 

 whatever of these in the water, and I am quite at a loss to account 

 for the phenomenon. But what is that large dark brown object. 

 like the top of a huge water-logged sphere, lOO yards to our left. 

 It is travelling along the surface, and churning the water into a 

 regular breaker in front of its cavernous mouth, which resembles 

 a horizontal slit 2 or 3 feet long between two great perpendicular 

 lips. The devil fish or giant ray is, I presume, enjoying or about 

 to enjoy itself among one of the numerous shoals of small fish 

 which haunt these waters. 



F. has the harpoon, so I cjuickly call his attention to our 

 (juarr)'. The harpoon takes some time to adjust, and I notice 

 that F.'s sfuide seems suddenlv overcome with fatiirue. Mv own 

 guide explains, '* He no like devil fish, sar." and goes on to tell 

 me how one of these monsters recently towed a boat for eight 

 miles before it was hauled up on the shore. Fortunately, the fish 

 took them in towards the land, but it is apparently an even chance 

 whether it makes straicfht for the Gulf of Mexico or goes inside 

 the islands, with a shade of odds in la\our of that direction in 

 which the tide is running. It has been recorded that another of 

 these devil fish towed a i4-fo()t bo.it for twehc miles, and for 

 six more, three other fishing boats which had attached themselves, 

 in and out among the islands before giving an ojiportunity for a 

 shot. It is certainly possible to cut loose, but if the end of the 



