THE BAYS 



Fifty years ago, chasing this fish in rowboats, harpooning it and 

 allowing it to tow the boat for miles, was the sport of sports of 

 the wealthy planters on the coast of South Carolina. Every year 

 dozens were killed amid much excitement. The fish is fairly 

 common from Tampa down, and my father once saw a large school 

 at Tampa Bay saUing around and around in a great circle. 

 At Tortugas a large one picked up the anchor of a schooner by 

 running against the chain, and towed the vessel out of the harbour 

 — a feat that has been duplicated several times in other localities. 

 A friend took several mantas near the mouth of the Mississippi 

 and sent me his photograph sitting in the mouth of one of the 

 monsters. I have had some interesting experiences, if being towed 

 about counts for sport. At St. Petersburg, Fla., boats have been 

 built Like catamarans, by members of the Tarpon Club, especially" 

 for this sport, and a number of mantas taken with exciting acces- 

 sories. At the Tarpon Club, Aransas, a manta was harpooned 

 some years ago that did not appear annoyed at towing fourteen 

 boats. 



The most extraordinary experience I know of with a large 

 manta is that of the Hon. C. G. Conn of the Tuna Club, in Mexico. 

 He harpooned the enormous fish, which after towing him about, 

 settled on the bottom, but not before it threatened to haul a 

 launch under water. Mr. Conn made a most gallant and danger- 

 ous fight with this fish, but at the end of a long-continued battle 

 he could not move it or pull it to the surface. The battle was 

 made from a twenty-foot gasoline launch, but to end it Mr. Conn 

 hailed his seventy-ton steam yacht, passed the rope aboard and 

 by this means started the fish and brought it to the surface, 

 kUling it after the pluckiest fight on record with so large a fish. 

 Mr. Conn's fish is shown in various positions in the accom- 

 panying illustrations. The name of the Cahfornia sea-devil is 

 Manta hamiltoni. 



The dimensions of this extraordinary fish, for which I am 

 indebted to Mr. Conn, are as follows : depth, two feet six inches ; 

 weight, one ton four hundred and fifty-two pounds ; width across 



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