The Channel Fishes 319 



BAIT FISHES 



For the information of anglers who would 

 like to know something of the small fishes used 

 for bait, their names at least, I think it not out 

 of place to mention them here. The mullet is 

 one of the fishes most frequently utilized. There 

 are several species belonging to the family 

 Mugilidce : the common mullet {Mugil cephalus), 

 the white mullet {Mugil curema), both of which 

 are abundant in Florida, especially the first 

 named. There is a somewhat rare species along 

 the coasts, but common at Key West, the fan- 

 tail mullet [Mugil trichodon). A very abun- 

 dant but very small species, and one that makes 

 a capital bait for fishes with small mouths, is the 

 whirligig mullet {Querimana gyrans). 



There are several species of sardines belong- 

 ing to the herring family {Clupeida). They may 

 be found in all bays along the coasts, going in 

 and out of the inlets with the tide. The most 

 common species are the silver sardine [Sardi- 

 nella kumeralis), which has a dark spot at the 

 base of the pectoral fin, and the striped sardine 

 [Sardinella sardind), which has faint streaks 

 along the sides. 



The anchovies belong to the family Engrauli- 



