a rare fish— the tarpum. 



A FISH stall has always had its charms for us, and Mr. 

 Blackford's slab on Saturday last in Fulton Market 

 was particularly attractive. Now you may wander through 

 a fish market, either like one of Mrs. Barbauid's two little 

 boys in the story book who never saw any thing at all, or 

 like the other good little boy (of course he was good) who 

 saw everything. A mass of fish are dumped down on the 

 stand, and if you have a quick eye, if you are the most 

 casual of observers, and even not up itchyologically, you 

 may often discover quite a mine of nondesci'ipt wealth. 

 What was in view, however, at Mr. Blackford's did not 

 require peculiar sci'utinizing. There exteuded at full 

 length, full five feet six inches long, was one of the hand- 

 somest of fishes we ever saw. He looked as if Tiffany had 

 wanted to make some huge fish out of solid silver, and had 

 burnished a scale here, and there frosted another scale, 

 so that the work perfectly flashed and sparkled in the 

 sun. "Name it," said Mr. Blackford. "Came from 

 Florida?" We said dogmatically. "No, caught off Port 

 Monmouth yesterdav." "Sure of that?" we inquired 

 doubtfully. "Certain." "Then we replied oracularly, 

 pray hand us Forest and Stream of June 18th, and you 

 will see that Professor G. Brown Goode, of Middletown 

 University, has precisely descibed that fish, and get a bit 

 of card and write on it tarpum, or Jew fish, and stick it 

 on the fish and it will save you no end of questions. Now 

 will you be good enough to get us a herring? Not a 

 smoked one." A boy was dispatched to the lower whole- 

 sale market and a small sea herring some eight inches long, 

 was soon procured and laid on the big fish. "Now," we 

 commenced, much to the edification of a distinguished audi- 

 ence, a negro boy, a lady boarding house keeper bent on 

 cheap fish, and a market porter, "you will be pleased to 

 observe that your big fish is but an enlarged, a copious edi- 

 tion of this insignificant herring. Just look at those two 

 heads, one scarce an inch and a half in length, the other 

 most a foot and a half long. They bear the most striking 

 family resemblance. Note that protruding under jaw, how 

 it comes up in a lump befoi'e, on both the fishes. Fins the 

 same on both, save that just as Professor Goode says, 

 there is a great prolongation of the last spine of the back 

 fin. Little herring has not got it, but the great grand- 

 father of all the Clupeidm has. (Just here looks of astonish- 



