REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIAENIDAE 
93 
Sometimes during cold weather the trout, although not numb enough to float, 
became quite helpless. The fish school more or less and if once found they are easily 
surrounded by a net. Fisherman often make large catches at such times. 
According to Coker (in Smith, 1907, p. 313) speckled trout have not always 
been present in the shallow waters around Beaufort, N.C., during the winter. 
However, they have occurred there with a fair degree of regularity since 1914 when 
the senior author first began to make observations at Beaufort. 
Pearson (1929, p. 190) reports that speckled trout in Texas mostly depart from 
the grassy areas during cold weather and seek the deeper holes and channels. At 
Beaufort the movement seems to be in the reverse direction. 
It appears to be of interest to report a remarkable case of recovery from a very 
serious injury. This case is of special interest, as the speckled trout and other species 
of the genus Cynoscion in some localities are known as weakfisli, presumably because 
they do not stand handling well and die quickly when caught. On June 27, 1927, 
a specimen of speckled trout that had had its tail severed from the body slightly 
behind the anal fin, was caught off Pivers Island. The wound had healed completely, 
and the stump of the tail, which was entirely without a fin, had become scaled over 
in part. The fish appeared to be healthy and in a well-fed condition. 
The descriptions of the young fish, under 10 millimeters in length, that follow 
are based on specimens from Beaufort. In drawing up those of the larger fish, 
collections from the Gulf coast, made by Isaac Ginsburg and John C. Pearson, were 
used in addition to the specimens from Beaufort. 
SPAWNING 
Ripe fish, or fish with well-developed gonads, were not seen during this study 
Yarrow (Smith, 1907, p. 312) observed females with large roe in April at Beaufort. 
J. H. Potter, a local fish dealer of long experience, reported to the senior author that 
he saw a ripe female, from which eggs were ‘'running”, on June 10, 1915, the first 
and only fish of the genus he had ever seen with “roe of any size.” Pearson (1929, 
p. 180), working on the coast of Texas says, “The spawning season of the trout begins 
in early spring (not before March) and continues as late in the summer as October. 
The spotted trout * * * are found in all stages of development throughout 
the spring and summer and probably spawn for weeks. The height of the spawning 
season occurs in April and May, however.” 
The young apparently are not numerous at Beaufort. Only 47 specimens 80 
millimeters and less in length were secured during several years of rather intensive 
collecting, and generally only one to several specimens were taken at a time. Only 
17 individuals under 5 millimeters in length were secured, and of these 6 were taken 
during June of 4 different years, namely, 1927, 1928, 1931, and 1932, and the other 
11 were caught in one haul on August 26, 1929. No specimen less than 10 millimeters 
in length was caught during July. The largest specimen of the 0-class taken in 
June is 11 millimeters long, the largest secured during July is 71 millimeters, and the 
largest one taken in August is 150 millimeters in length. The size range of the limited 
number of specimens taken at Beaufort, therefore, suggests that spawning probably 
begins there in May and extends into August. 
Pearson (1929, p. 180) has stated: “The spotted trout spawns largely, if not 
entirely, within the bays and lagoons along the coast of Texas * * Twelve 
of the 17 specimens under 5 millimeters in length, caught at Beaufort, are from stations 
