Miscellaneous. 239 
been a very serious mortality among the fish in the Gulf of Mexico 
near Florida, arising apparently from some peculiar condition of a 
belt of water at some small distance from the shore. Mr. M. A. 
Moore, writing on 30th November last, from Braidentown, Manatee 
County, Florida, to Prof. 8. F. Baird, gives the following account of 
the facts as brought under his observation. He says :— 
«* You are doubtless aware that we have employed here a number 
of vessels as fishing-smacks, ranging from 30 to 50 tons, whose 
vocation it is to carry live fish to the Cuban markets. This in- 
dustry provides occupation and subsistence for a large portion of our 
population in South Florida. 
“« About two years ago certain portions of our Gulf-waters became 
poisoned in some way that caused the death of all the fish that came 
in contact with it. Whenever a smack with a full fare, 7. ¢. a full 
cargo, of fine healthy fish in her well sailed into this poisoned 
water, every fish would die, and they would have to be thrown away. 
This compelled the vessel to return to fishing at the loss of a month’s 
hard work. 
“This state of affairs has occurred again, the waters of some por- 
tions of the Gulf becoming so noxious as to kill the fish. The 
poison seems to be confined to certain localities and currents for 
the time being, as sometimes this state of affairs is observed more 
marked at one place and sometimes at another. However, there 
seems to be more of it about the mouth of Charlotte Harbour and 
off Punta Russa than elsewhere. 
“¢ Where this condition of water prevails the surface of the water 
is covered with dead fish, and the beach is covered with them in 
such numbers that sometimes the stench is intolerable. 
“JT live immediately on the beach of Palma Sola Bay ; and some 
two weeks ago the beach was covered with dead fish. The only 
thing that seems to be inexplicable is, that this water seems to affect 
what are termed here bottom-fish more than any others. The prin- 
- cipal game of the fishing-smack are the grouper (Serranus nigritis) 
and the snapper (Serranus erythrogaster). These, with the perch, 
kingfish, trout, and all those fish which take the hooks, seem to be 
much more affected than the mullet (Mugil lineatus) or the pom- 
pano (Bothrolemus pampanus). ... . Numbers of sharks and rays, 
eels and catfish are thrown up dead on the beach... . . My own 
opinion is, that the state and condition of the water are caused by 
some volcanic action at the bottom.” 
These facts of the death of the fish in the wells of the smacks 
“on reaching a certain kind of water distinguishable by its colour,” 
and of the mortality among the fish in the Gulf, are confirmed by 
other writers. The noxious water is said to be of a brick-red colour, 
and to occur over a space of 200 miles. 
Various hypotheses have been put forward by local writers to 
account for the phenomenon. Mr. Moore, in the above letter, sug- 
gests volcanic action at the sea-bottom; and this opinion seems to 
be held by others. Sometimes it is put definitely, namely an 
