Miscellaneous Fishes 367 



name being a corruption of its Spanish name 

 robalo, by which it is known in Havana. It is 

 sometimes called sergeant-fish, from the black 

 stripe along its sides. It is common along the 

 shores of the Gulf of Mexico, from Texas to 

 the West Indies, and is especially abundant in 

 the bays and lagoons of both coasts of Florida, 

 often ascending the rivers to fresh water. 



It has a long, robust, and nearly round body, its 

 depth being a fourth of its length ; the back is 

 slightly elevated and arched. The head is long 

 and depressed, or flat, and is more than a third of 

 the total length of the body ; the mouth is large, 

 with a projecting lower jaw ; the gill-cover is very 

 long ; there are brushlike teeth on the jaws and 

 the roof of the mouth, but no sharp or conical 

 teeth as in the pike or pike-perch. 



The color of the back is olive-green, the sides 

 silvery, and the belly white ; there is a distinct 

 and very black stripe along the side, following 

 the lateral line from the head to the caudal fin ; 

 the dorsal fins are dusky ; the lower fins are 

 yellowish. 



The snook is a very voracious fish, feeding on 

 fishes, crabs, and other crustaceans, and resorts 

 to sandy shoals and grassy flats where its food 



