i882.] Ichthyological Papers. 387 



attempt is abortive. Weaker and weaker are his struggles; he 

 rolls and tumbles in the water as he is slowly drawn up; the gaff 

 is in his gills; one haul, and he's beached. 



II. The Grande Ecaille ( Megalops thrissoidcs Bl).— In shape the 

 head of the grand ecaille is similar to the shad, but his mouth is 

 much larger in proportion to the size of the fish, and his body is cov- 

 ered with large splendid silver scales, fitting like plated armor; those 

 of a fish five feet long being about two inches in diameter, and show- 

 ing at each intersection about a quarter moon. His tail is large, 

 broad and stout, and he sometimes grows to a length of eight 

 and a-half or nine feet, but generally runs from three to seven. 

 I record the killing a grand ecaille with a rod and reel as the 

 greatest piscatorial feat I ever performed, which is saying a good 

 deal after successfully playing and killing two fish, each over 

 twenty-five pounds, with two rods and reels at the same time. I 

 could never have killed the grand ecaille, however, with the 

 tackle I used, had I not been in a pirogue with a sure and steady 

 arm at the paddle, which gave me the advantage of running on 



In point of beauty, activity and strength, the grand ecaille is 

 excelled by none of the finny tribe which have come under my 

 observation. He belongs to the same family with the shad, her- 

 ring, etc., and is the king of his tribe. He scorns the seine, and 

 generally puts at defiance the efforts of the angler. Calmly he 

 swims around the netted prison, seeking quietly to escape from 

 the toils, but finds no outlet, with a quiet turn of the tail he goes 

 slowly back to the center of the net — swiftly flies the foam from 

 his vigorous tail ; with one long sweeping, graceful bound, high 

 above the floating corks he passes, and plunges with the grace 

 and ease of an accomplished diver, head foremost into the green 

 wave beyond ; or if by chance he becomes entangled in the bag. 

 he gathers his immense strength together, and like the tiger 

 springing on his prey, he rushes at the end of the bag, the corks 

 quiver for a second, and the next instant sees the silvery meteor 

 passing like a ray of light through the atmosphere, he quivers 

 his broad forked tail in triumph, and laughing at the weak net, 

 goes on his way rejoicing. See him struck by the hand line of 

 the sturdy coastman ; every inch of line is given to him and the 

 fisherman braces himself for the null : well for him that his hands 



