The Hogfish 129 
were poisonous, hence the demand for American 
fish caught one hundred miles distant. 
The hogfish is found in water from four to six 
or eight fathoms. Where the reef dips rapidly 
into deep water, and is covered with coral and 
gorgonias, in a word, is a good browsing-ground, 
there the hogfish will be found by the discerning 
angler. While a swift swimmer when occasion 
demands, it is normally a slow-moving fish. I 
have often watched it through a water-glass, or 
from some point of vantage as it poised by some 
plume, or sea-fan, or slowly swam about, occasion- 
ally tipping down with a display of caracoling to 
take some reckless crab. It has been described 
as capturing fish, but I never found evidences of 
this diet in scores examined; the food of its choice 
is crabs, crayfish, shells of various kinds, as the 
fan-shell, which it takes from the gorgonias, sea- 
urchins or echini, starfishes and hermit-crabs. In 
shallow water described, mullet bait would not 
attract the hogfish, but conch or crayfish, crab 
or squilla, was especially to its taste. The deeper- 
water fishes appear to be more democratic. The 
hogfish is always to be found in the localities of 
its choice. In winter it undoubtedly moves into 
water slightly deeper, at least in summer more 
K 
