26 THETARPON 



Museum of National History of New York, to whom 

 this matter was submitted, kindly wrote the following 

 interpretative of Dr. Meek's text: 



"I take it the theory is something as follows: 

 "When about to spawn, the fish migrate towards 

 the coast but the eggs are actually deposited 

 rather off-shore, though after or at about this 

 time the adult fish enter the mouths of rivers. 

 When the eggs hatch the young drift in-shore and 

 are found near shore, presently moving off-shore 

 again. They move in-shore for the second time 

 when of fairly good size, but move well off-shore 

 for the second time to attain their final growth 

 before coming in as adults. 



''The data of what is actually known that I 

 have to go on is no more than that with which you 

 are already familiar. The smallest fish that I have 

 seen taken were on the west coast of Florida, 

 some of them up Shark River in fresh water. The 

 very smallest I should say was about 20 inches in 

 length. Really small fish are rare in collections, 

 practically unknown except those taken at Porto 

 Rico and recorded in the 'Fishes of Porto Rico' 

 by Evermann and Marsh, Bull. U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission, 1900. One of these I may say is deposit- 

 ed in this Museum. It was taken at the north- 

 eastern comer of Porto Rico, February 17th, and 

 measures about 21/2 inches in total length. * * • 

 One of the small herrings (Opisthonema oglimim), 

 which has an elongate ray in the back fin, could 



