26 THE TARPON 



Museum of National History of New York, to whom 

 this matter was submitted, kindly wrote the following 

 interpretative of Dr. Meek's text: 



"I take it the theory is something as follows: 

 1 ' When about to spawn, the fish migrate towards 

 the coast but the eggs are actually deposited 

 rather off-shore, though after or at about this 

 time the adult fish enter the mouths of rivers. 

 When the eggs hatch the young drift in-shore and 

 are found near shore, presently moving off-shore 

 again. They move in-shore for the second time 

 when of fairly good size, but move well off-shore 

 for the second time to attain their final growth 

 before coming in as adults. 



"The data of what is actually known that I 

 have to go on is no more than that with which you 

 are already familiar. The smallest fish that I have 

 seen taken were on the west coast of Florida, 

 some of them up Shark River in fresh water. The 

 very smallest I should say was about 20 inches in 

 length. Really small fish are rare in collections, 

 practically unknown except those taken at Porto 

 Rico and recorded in the i Fishes of Porto Rico' 

 by Evermann and Marsh, Bull. U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission, 1900. One of these I may say is deposit- 

 ed in this Museum. It was taken at the north- 

 eastern corner of Porto Rico, February 17th, and 

 measures about 2y 2 inches in total length. * * * 

 One of the small herrings (Opisthonema oglinum), 

 which has an elongate ray in the back fin, could 



