THETARPON 13 



teeth are minute, like velvet or plush (villiform) 

 and the interior of the cavernous mouth is hard 

 and difficult to penetrate. The eye of the tarpon is 

 large and striking and its glare has more than 

 once given a novice a tremor, as the gigantic fish 

 seemed to hang in the air dangerously near the 

 boat. The dorsal fin is high, but short, shaped like 

 a lateen sail, the last ray long and slender reaching 

 backward halfway to the base of the tail. 



"The latter is deeply forked, a powerful organ 



by which the tarpon leaps. The most remarkable 



feature is the scales, which are enormous, the 



largest being three inches and a half in length. One 



in my possession measures three inches and a half 



by three inches, almost one-half seemingly covered 



with molten silver. The upper portion of the back 



has a metallic blue cast, appearing green in the 



water; the rest of the body is pure silver. " 



The tarpon has few kinsmen. The Megalops cypri- 



noides is the type of the genus and is found in the 



Indian Ocean, Africa and Northern Australia, where 



it is known as the Ox Eye. 



The posterior insertion of the dorsal fin distinguishes 

 the tarpon from this fish, which carries its dorsal fin 

 above the ventrals. (Jordan & Evermann). There are 

 other distinguishing features not necessary to refer to 

 here. 



Elops saurus, commonly known as the " ten pounder ' ' 

 is a kinsman and it too has a blood brother in the Congo 

 and in the waters of Western Africa bearing the scien- 

 tific name of Elops lacerta. I am informed that this 



