404 Big Game Fishes 
An excellent fish here is the pompon, Axzso- 
tremus surinamensis, which attains a length of 
nearly, if not quite, four feet, and bears a super- 
ficial resemblance to the drum. Another species, 
though small, calls to mind the porgy, the pro- 
file being vertical, giving the “catalineta” an 
appearance of solidity and strength. With it is 
seen the “pluma,” or jolt-head porgy, Calamus 
kendall, a lusty twelve or fifteen pound fish, 
capable of making a vigorous fight. Its large 
head, prominent eyes, and masklike face make 
it a conspicuous form among the Porto Rican 
fishes. Porgies have the faculty of expressing 
their emotions with their dorsal fins to a certain 
extent, recognized by those who have kept them 
in confinement. I watched this fish in an 
enclosed aquarium on the reef for a year. It 
became very tame, would eat from my hand, and 
in swimming invariably kept the sharp spines 
of the dorsal fin flat upon its back; but when I 
approached, up they would go, and if I made a 
very quick movement, they would stiffen out 
like quills upon the fretful porcupine, forcibly 
reminding spectators of the hair on a cat’s back, 
or the tail of a cat or dog. 
The gamy white sea-bass and the weak-fish are 
