THE SPJT OR LAFAYETTE. 371 



laic in tin- fall, while, tin; young of all sizes are very abundant in the spring. Concerning this 

 species Professor liainl writes: 



"Of tli- smaller pan-lish of onr coast, in excellence of flavor none is considered superior to 

 thai known as tin- -Lafayette.' Its precise eastern range is not well ascertained, although it is 

 occasionally taken in great numbers oft' Long Island and the coast of New Jersey. It is most 

 plentiful oft' the coast of Virginia. The name of Lafayette was given to it by the New York fisher- 

 men in consequence of one of its periodical reappearances in large numbers in that region having 

 been coincident with the arrival of Lafayette in this country in 1834. It had been known before 

 that time, but only in scattering numbers. 



"According to Dr. Holbrook, it is not much esteemed for food at Charleston, owing to a want 

 of flavor. In the case of this species, as in many others, it is probable that the colder waters of 

 the North impart a superior flavor and excellence to the flesh. This is well known to be the case 

 witli the sheepshead, as well as many other 8j>ccies. 



"At Beasley's Point, New Jersey, where I have had an opportunity of studying its habits, it 

 makes its appearance in large numbers in August, the first school being composed of small fish, 

 larger ones following them. A short time later they ascend the creeks in great numbers and are 

 taken there in company with the white perch. Their usual size in New Jersey is about six inches, 

 although occasionally measuring ten inches. They do not make their appearance in the New York 

 markets in any abundance until towards the 1st of September, and remain until the end of October, 

 when they disappear. I did not succeed in finding any very young fish, and am unable to state 

 whether they actually spawn on the New Jersey coast, or whether the supply found there and 

 farther north consists of a Tun' from the more southern waters of fish migrating northward, 

 perhaps to escape the increased heat of the southern coast." 



The Spot is abundant at Mayport, Florida, in spring and summer. In the Gulf of Mexico, 

 according to Stearns, it is present in the bays all the year, living in shoal water, feeding upon the 

 bottom upon small invertebrate animals, and taken with hook and Hue and seine. It is extremely 

 abundant, and is considered a good food-fish. 



There is a rare species which has been recorded only from Charleston, South Carolina, and 

 Saint George's Island, Texas, known by naturalists under the name Stelliferwi lanceolatus. It is 

 found in deep water, and is not sufficiently abundant to have acquired a common name. 

 122. THE BED FISH, OR BASS OF THE SOUTH SCLENA OCELLATA. 



The following biography of the Bed Drum. Scitena ocellata, is quoted in full from the text pre- 

 pared by the writer for the illustrated work on "The Game Fishes of the United States," recently 

 published by Charles Scribuer's Sons, of New York: 



The Southern Ked Fish is among the important species upon the coast of the United States 

 from the Chesapeake to the Mexican boundary. Abundant as it is in the Caroliuas, in Florida, 

 and in the Gulf of Mexico, the limits of its range appear to be very sharply defined, there being 

 little tendency on the part of individuals to stray away from their wonted pastures. Although 

 the species is often found in the Chesapeake, I am unable to find any record of its capture north of 

 ( ape Charles. Mitchill and DeKay refer to it in their treatise on the fishes of New York, but their 

 descriptions are based upon market specimens, probably brought from more southern localities. 

 Professor Baird did not obtain any specimens when he explored the New Jersey coast in 1854, nor 

 are they to be found in Professor Webster's collections from the Atlantic .-itle of the east shore of 

 Virginia. Its range to the south seems to terminate with equal abruptness. Mr. Silas Stearns 

 gives the result of his observations in 1880: 'From Tampa Bay and northward to the Mississippi 

 River it is one of the most common edible fishes, while west of the Mississippi River it is more 



