286 Big Game Fishes 
appearance. The eye was large, bright, and 
beautiful. Such was the kingfish, or spotted 
cero, Scomberomorus regalis, which later it was 
my good luck to catch all along the reef from 
Key West westward. 
The fish attains a much larger size than gener- 
ally supposed, and I am confident that I hooked 
specimens on the borders of the reef to the east 
of Garden Key which would have tipped the 
scales at over seventy pounds; yet it is well to 
bear in mind that it is the largest fish that inva- 
riably escapes. At all sizes this fish is a gamy 
catch, the small specimens making excellent play, 
while the large ones are game, always hard fighters. 
The fish is fairly common on the extreme outer 
Florida reef, increasing in numbers as one goes 
to the south toward Cuba. 
The second kingfish, and the best known in 
our own waters, especially in the region between 
Key West and Biscayne Bay, is the cero, Scom- 
beromorus cavalla, It has a striking resemblance 
to the former, but can be recognized by the 
angler at once by the absence of the spots or 
bands, its gray color, and by the lateral line which 
takes a sudden dip just below the second dorsal 
fin. This species is the fish of the people, the 
