70 A NATURALIST ON DESERT ISLANDS. 



varied localities Lady Wilton had proved in many a fight 

 with tarpon, shark, king-fish, hurel, and heart-straming 

 jew-fish, that she was a " master fisherman." We have 

 known her to catch a two-hundred pound tarpon without 

 a scrap of assistance. Another giant which had to yield 

 to her skill weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds. 

 We have seen her kill and beach a one hundred and 

 twelve pound jew-fish totally unaided, in a workmanlike 

 fashion which might have been envied by many an 

 angler with stronger arms and sinews. Many a lithe 

 and active young shark of forty, fifty, or more pounds 

 has been brought by her to the gaff, when fishing with 

 light rod and fine tackle that we should hardly be 

 ashamed to be seen with on a trout-river. 



And now there was waiting upon these banks the sport- 

 ing and matchless queen-fish (Acanthocyhium solandri) 

 with which to try conclusions. We all tried our luck 

 with them ard failed ; all, that is to say, but her lady- 

 ship, who caught two — one of forty -eight pounds, the 

 other of sixty-eight. For some reason or other at the 

 time of our visit these queen-fish were not so plentiful, 

 or as large as usual, having no doubt strayed further 

 afield in search of other food. As a rule they average any 

 weight from sixty to a hundred pounds or over, and for 

 sheer good sport they would, among sea fish, be very 

 hard to beat. 



Imagine a mackerel of these proportions, and you have 

 a rough idea of the queen -fish. In colom'ing, however, 

 they are not so silvery ; the under-parts being of a whitish- 

 yellow or yellowish-white shade, and the sides streaked 

 with bands of a dark steely-blue. When seen in the 

 clear water following up a spinning bait they have a 



tigerish " look. They are indeed the tigers of these 

 banks. Out of the water, just after being freshly caught, 

 every fine in the almost artificial symmetry of this fish 

 gives one the impression as having been designed for the 

 very acme of speed and agility. If you have not already 

 got this impression, the fish by its behaviour will speedily 



