THETARPON 15 



with pure sea water, but the supply at that time 

 was derived from the harbor, which is brackish and 

 sewage laden. The other tarpons lived about as 

 long." 



The tarpon is a littoral fish but it has been found in 

 the Northern Atlantic as far east as Bermuda, although 

 it is extremely rare there. It is apparently fond of 

 fresh water and is acclimated to it readily for it ascends 

 fresh water rivers for a considerable distance over 

 one hundred miles in one case reported from Mexico. 

 It can live in fresh water for a long time, if not per- 

 manently. 



It has been observed far up the Apalachicola, 

 Homosassa and other rivers in Florida and in various 

 rivers in Texas and Mexico, as well as Nicaragua 

 Lake, ' ' which has long been famous as the home of the 

 species " (Gill). The following 1 statements are taken 

 from "The Nicaragua Canal," by W. E. Simmons 

 (Harper & Bros., N. Y., 1900). The author is referring 

 to Lake Nicaragua and its only outlet, the San Juan 

 River, which flows into the Caribbean and is about one 

 hundred ten miles long. He says : 



"But the game fish par excellence of the fresh 

 water is the * Savalo-real ' or tarpon, which fairly 

 swarms in the river and lake. I am inclined to 

 think that the San Juan River and Lake Nicaragua 

 are the principal breeding places of this fish and 

 that it is a mere migratory visitant to our coast. 

 Wherever there is a shoal place in the river it is 

 to be seen breaking by the hundreds and at the 

 Toro Eapids above Castillo they are so numerous 



