THE BED-SNAPPER FISHERY. 591 



" On the home trip our captures were counted not sea-bass, porgies, and small fry, but fish 

 worth counting and it was found that the party had captured one grouper weighing 35 pounds, 

 two of 18 pounds, and 208 snappers, averaging 25 pounds each, the entire catch weighing 2 tons." 



Dr. J. Kenworthy's description gives a vivid idea of the abundance and voracity of red snap- 

 pers on their feeding grounds. 



"In April, 1877," says Mr. Goode, "the pilot-boat Nina, of Mayport, went out at noon and 

 returned at noon on the following day. She carried six fishermen who brought back with them 90 

 red snappers, weighing from 20 to 30 pounds eaehyOr about 2,300 pounds in all, besides 40 black- 

 fish. The snappers were sold to a Savannah dealer for $1 each, and he forwarded them to New 

 York. I saw 35 of them on the steamer Gazelle on the way to Jacksonville. I also had an oppor- 

 tunity of tasting one of them. The delicate flavor was destroyed by the vile process of frying, by 

 which Floridians make their good food indigestible." 



"G. W.," a correspondent of Forest and Stream, details in the issue of that paper for May 25, 

 1876, the history of a trip to the snapper banks, which is here abridged in order to present it as a 

 contribution to the history of this splendid species: 



"The snapper is a large, chunky-built fish, of bright-red color, weighing from 20 to 60 

 pounds. Its home is on a reef extending parallel with the coast, directly out to sea, from the 

 mouth of the Saint John's. It bites greedily; when hooked fights nobly; and last, but not least, 

 'eats' splendidly. The steamer Mabey was to leave Jacksonville at 2 a. m.; so half an hour before 

 that time I wended my way through the deserted streets, armed with a rope, which by courtesy they 

 called a snapper-line, and a hook about 6 inches long. Most of the excursionists were present 

 and the remainder were speedily collected, and then, with about fifty impatient fishermen, the 

 Mabey steamed rapidly down the Saint John's, and about daylight arrived at Mayport, which .is 

 near the bar. It consists of some twenty houses, built upon the white sand, without a trace of 

 vegetation. It is a summer resort for the people of Jacksonville, who go there for the sea-breeze 

 and the fishing. Having obtained our bait, we left this place and crossed the river, where a very 

 pretty collection of cottages marks the site of Pilot Town, so named from its being the home of the 

 pilots of the Saint John's Bar. Having obtained our pilot, we stood directly out to sea. Many 

 of the party were seasick, and while I myself was in a deplorable state, lying flat on my back, we 

 reached the banks. After throwing out a buoy to mark the place, the fishermen baited their hooks 

 and cast them out, and it was at this stage of the proceedings that I, who had not stirred from the 

 cabin, heard a frantic yell of ' Snapper ! ' ' Snapper ! ' accompanied by a scampering upon deck, which 

 sounded as if bedlam had broken loose. The noise continued, the yells grew more frequent and 

 were of a different character, for, mingled with the cries of ' Snapper 1' I now heard 'Blackfish!' 

 'Shark!' My sporting instinct was aroused, and, in spite of myself, I staggered to my feet, and, 

 grasping my line, frantically gained the deck. Such a sight ! The deck was strewn with black- 

 fish and five or six large snappers, while over the side leaned four and thirty frantic men, some 

 pulling in, some throwing out, and all yelling like madmen. I forgot that 1 was sick. It was a 

 triumph of mind over matter. Baiting my hook, I quietly lowered my line. It hardly touched the 

 bottom before I felt a pull that nearly pulled me over. I responded with a right good will. I 

 pulled; the fish pulled. Sometimes he gained, and then, with a mighty effort, I would bring him 

 in. The deck resounded with encouraging shouts. Finally he appeared in sight, 4 or 5 fathoms 

 deep in the clear, blue water. He soon reached the surface, and, grasping my line, I hauled him 

 on board. What a beauty ! I never had experienced such a feeling of triumph as when, out of 

 sight of land, I landed that snapper. Congratulations poured- in, for he was the largest caught 

 that day, and weighed full 40 pounds. I returned to the sport, and though I hooked another snap- 



