SPANISH MACKEEEL EJT THE SOUTH. 311 



September, after which the number gradually diminishes, and by the first of October the last 

 individuals have disappeared. A little later they leave the Chesapeake, and few are seen on the 

 Carolina coast after the 1st of November. 



"Their summer movements are doubtless affected to a considerable extent by the movements 

 of the menhaden and other small fishes on which they feed, as they are usually most plenty in the 

 localities where these fish are found. When feeding they remain constantly among these fish, 

 exhibiting great activity in the capture of their prey, rushing through the water with great speed, 

 and often leaping into the air in long and graceful curves. This peculiar leap is characteristic of 

 the species, and by it the fishermen are enabled to distinguish the Mackerel from their allies, the 

 blueflsh, that, after jumping from the water, fall back upon its surface with. a splash, instead of 

 cutting it, as is the case with the Mackerel. 



"During the spawning season the Mackerel enter the warmer and shoaler water of the bays, 

 the individuals at this time being more generally disturbed and the schools often considerably 

 scattered. On entering the Chesapeake, they remain about 'The Capes' for some time, but as 

 the season advances, according to Mr. Sterling, of Crisfield, Maryland, they start for the upper 

 waters, and distribute themselves over the large spawning grounds of the region. Some weeks 

 later they reassemble, and proceed down and out of the bay on the way to their wintei- quarters. 



" In moving along the coast the Mackerel seem to avoid fresh or even brackish water, and for 

 this reason are seldom taken near the mouth of the larger rivers. This habit is thought to 

 account for their greater abundance on the eastern than on the western side of the Chesapeake. 

 Along the last-named shore the saltness of the water is considerably affected by the enormous 

 quantity of fresh water brought down by the large rivers of the State, while no rivers of impor- 

 tance occur along the eastern shore, and the water is therefore nearly as salt as the ocean. 



"During its stay on our coast, the Spanish Mackerel may properly be styled a surface fish. 

 It seldom descends to any great depth, but rather remains, at or near the surface, and may often 

 be seen leaping into the air or sporting at the top .of the water. On a calm, bright day the sur- 

 face of the ocean is sometimes broken for miles together by the movements of a large school of 

 these fish." 



Concerning its migrations in the Gulf Stearns writes : " The Spanish Mackerel is extremely 

 abundant on the West Florida cpast. They are first seen in March or April, four or five miles from 

 land; moving along swiftly towards the westward, or playing at the surface with no apparent aim or 

 course of movement. The time of their arrival is not certainly known, but they are quite sure tp 

 appear some time between the first of March and the last of April. One season, 1877, schools were 

 seen off th* coast in February, and the 'run' continued as late that year as usual. It is not an 

 unusual habit for these early schools to remain at sea several weeks before approaching the land. 

 During the latter part of April the first schools are seen coming into the Pensacola Bay, and from 

 this time on through the summer they are continually passing in. I do not think the tide influences 

 their movements, as far as entering or leaving, the harbor is concerned, for I have seen them swim- 

 ming against and with the tide. They move at the surface of the water, frequently jumping from 

 it and splashing conspicuously. By this commotion are atti^acted many sea-birds, which learn that 

 there is food for them in the shape of fragments of small fishes upon which the Mackerel prey. 

 The individuals that make up the schools vary considerably in size ; as a rule, the first to arrive 

 are the largest fish, and measure from twenty to twenty-four inches, while those coming later 

 measure only about fourteen or fifteen inches. Specimens of thirty -six and forty inches are some- 

 times caught by the use of troUing-lines, but these large fish are rarely found in the schools. Their 

 abundance varies with different years, although not to so great an extent as some other migratory 



