236 



Nothing was more natural than to suppose that these 

 fish traversed the entire sea coast, coming in, perhaps, 

 from the depths of the ocean or the warm waters of the 

 Gulf of Mexico where they had been feeding during the 

 winter, and gradually advancing northward as the hot 

 days progressed, sending off a cohort into each river 

 which was adapted to their propagation. Subsequent 

 experiments have tended' strongly to negative' this 

 theory as we have already explamed and it is now 

 believed among those best informed that fish move 

 their quarters rarely and to only a limited extent ; 

 and that even migratory varieties remain not far 

 from the mouths of the rivers which they ascend for the_ 

 purposes of procreation. 



The slow succession of changing varieties along our 

 own coast confirm this later view of their habits. It is 

 within the memory of man that the common blue-fish, 

 temnoddn saltator, &vr'vfeA among us. It did not come 

 all at once, but augmented slowly, displacing a coarser 

 and larger variety of the mackerel family. But it had 

 come to stay, and the advanced guard was soon joined by 

 others. 



It took up its permanent residence with us and pro- 

 ceeded to increase and multiply. It is now the most 

 abundant of our salt water fishes. It stands at the head 

 of the list and yet it may be on the way to displacement. 

 We hope it is, as it is very voracious, and if supplanted 

 at all will have a substitute its superior in every point. 

 Within the last fifteen years the Spanish mackerel, cyiiMjw 

 maGnlatum, has made its appearance among us. Taking 

 its name from the Spanish West Indies where it was first 

 only caught, it was wholly unknown on our shores till 

 quite lately. JS^or does it now seem to breed among us. 

 The young are not foupd in any of our bays or creeks, 



