io8 SUNSHINE AND SPORT IN 



Institute of Actuaries I have not inquired, but it is 

 worth sacrificing a little accuracy (not more, I dare 

 swear, than we cheerfully lost on the Useppa scales) 

 in order to save the fish for another fight. This 

 was formerly done at the Pass, and is still, I believe, 

 the practice in Texas and at Tampico, the gaff 

 being dispensed with and the fish handlined to the 

 beach or boat. At Useppa, on the other hand, 

 they first kill the fish and then waste it. Dozens 

 of splendid tarpon are towed back to the inn each 

 week to be weighed. Of these, one or two at most 

 find their way into the hands of the " naturalist " ; 

 the rest are towed back ag^ain and cast adrift next 

 morning to feed the sharks or pollute the water 

 until crabs and catfish devour them. The Scripture 

 tells us that " The slothful man roasteth not 

 that which he took in hunting." I do not say that 

 there is any mandate to eat tarpon, since it is re- 

 garded by so many as practically unfit for food, and 

 if anything is condemned for the table in Florida 

 I should say that it must be pretty bad. Whether 

 it actually is suitable for the table I do not know. 

 The cook at Useppa Island was not the magician 

 to work miracles out of such questionable material. 

 Yet we used also to throw away the large jewfish 

 taken daily on the tarpon grounds, whereas a 

 huge specimen, weighing over 300 lbs., which I 

 saw at Port Tampa, was taken to the icehouse 

 for sale to local restaurants. Nevertheless, if we 

 cannot eat our tarpon there is no need to kill 

 them. A fish that is useless dead may well be 

 spared. 



The geographical distribution of the tarpon, on 

 which much has yet to be learnt, is not, I think, 



