Leiostomus 



go outside for a time during the warmest period. Tiie spawning 

 season here probably extends from spring to fall and the fish probably 

 spawn inside the river. 



The food of the red-drum consists chiefly of small fish such as 

 young mullet, crustaceans, and mollusks. 



This fish reaches a length of 4 or s feet and a weight of at least 40 

 pounds, and fish of 12 to 15 pounds are not rare. Fish of greater 

 weight than 15 pounds ai'e, however, coarse and not readily salable. 

 Those of 4 to 6 pounds are best for shipping. As a game-fish the 

 red-drum must take good rank. Mr. S. C. Clarke and others have 

 written its praises, and we ourselves have had exciting experiences 

 with it in Indian River. Still-fishing is the method employed, and any 

 sort of bait will serve, though a piece of a mullet or other fish is best. 

 The bait may lie upon the bottom or dangle a few inches above it. 

 The red-drum may be cautious and slow to take the bait, but when 

 once hooked its strength and size enable it to make a pretty fight. 



Though an important commercial fish, its flesh is not of high 

 quality, as it is stringy and lacking in flavour. 



This fish is so well known as to need no extended description. 

 It may easily be known by its colour, which is grayish silvery usually 

 washed with coppery red; each scale with a centre of dark points, 

 forming rather obscure irregular, undulating brown stripes along the 

 rows of scales; a jet-black ocellated spot about as large as eye at 

 base of caudal above, this sometimes duplicated, and the body occa- 

 sionally with ocelli. 



GENUS LEIOSTOMUS LACEPEDE 



Body oblong-ovate, the back compressed; head obtuse; mouth 

 small, horizontal, the upper jaw with a band of feeble teeth, the lower 

 nearly or quite toothless; slits and pores of upper jaw well developed; 

 lower pharyngeals separate, the teeth paved; preopercle with a mem- 

 branaceous border; U. X — 1, 31, the spines slender and rather high, 

 the last connected with the soft rays; A. II, 12, the second spine not 

 large; caudal fin emarginate; gill-membranes slightly connected; gill- 

 rakers slender. 



This genus differs from SciiViia chiefly by the absence of teeth in 

 the lower jaw and by the more paved teeth on the pharyngeals. The 

 single species, Leiostomus xaiitliiiriis, is a popular and well-known fish 



462 



