NOTES ON FISHES COLLECTED IN FLOKIDx\. IN 1892. 
211 
SILURIDJE. 
9. Galeiclitliys felis (Liun.). Catjiafi. Abimdant everywhere along the coasts, in the hays and 
streams, and is everywhere considered a nuisance. It spawns iu summer. Its eggs are as 
large as cherries, and are incubated in the mouth and throat of the male. Specimens from 
Tampa. 
10. .Sllurichthys marinus (Hitchill). Caijish. Not nearly so common as the preceding species, being- 
more of a deep-water lish. Specimens from Key West. The sea-catlishes are not used for 
food iu Florida, Ijeing universally despised and detested where so many better fishes abound. 
ALBULID.E. 
11. Albnla vulpes (Linn.). Bonejisli. Common along the southern keys, and at the passes and inlets 
of the coasts. It is a graceful, silvery fish, shuttle-shaped, and (piite a good food-fish, though 
bony. It is, moreover, a good game-fish, readily taking the fly or bait, and gives the angler 
more sport, for its size, than any of the marine fishes. It grows to 2 feet in length. Specimens 
from Key West and Tampa. 
ELOPID.E. 
12. Elops saurus Linn. Ten-poutider. Not quite so common as the boneflsh, whicli it resembles in 
general conformation, color, and size. It is of no economic importance. Examples obtained 
at Key West and Tampa. 
13. Megalop.g thrissoides (Bloch & , Schneider). Tarpon. Common on both coasts, in the bays and 
lagoons, esj)ecially iu summer, the smaller ones, of from ,5 to 40 pounds, ascending the streams. 
It is a noble, handsome fish with very large scales, resembling frosted silver, which, on account 
of their size and brilliancy, are preserved as curiosities. It grows to an immense size — some 
200 pounds. It is not a food-lish, its flesh being coarse and stringy and of the color of veal. 
It breeds in Cuba, ami is supposed to breed iu Florida, but in all of my collecting, with 
fine-meshed seines, I have never seen one less than a foot in length. It is very fond of the 
sun-light, and wdll lie under the mangroves for hours, perfectly motionless, basking in the sun. 
At other times they disport themselves on the surface of deeper water, in schools, like por- 
imises. It is universally called “ tar-pon',’’ in both singular and plural, by the native lisherineu. 
The tarpon, owing to its great size and its habit of continually leaping from the water 
when hooked, has become a noted game-fish, and is much sought after Ijy Northern anglers, who 
congregate mostly about the lower part of Charlotte Harbor, near Punta Kassa, and at Fort 
Myers, 20 miles above, on the Caloosaliatchee Kiver. The largest examples so far taken on the 
rod of the angler weighed, respectively, 19S ami 20-5 pounds, the latter heiug taken by iMrs. 
George T. Stagg, of Kentuckj', the former by Jlr. McGregor, of New York. The skins of these 
two fine specimens, ha^ ing been prepared andnumnted, were exhibitcul at the World’s Colum- 
bian Exposition, where they commanded the wonder and admiration of all, especially of the 
foreign visitors. The tarpon is taken by the natives of Florida by means of the fish spear or 
“grains” (in the use of which they are very expert) when it is basking in the sun iu shallow 
water. I obtained a very fine sjiecimen, 6J feet long and weighing 12.5 p(juuds, in Sarasota 
Bay, though at the time of my visit the water was unusually cold and tarpon consequently 
very scarce. 
CLUPBID.®. 
14. Alosa sapidissiina (Wilson). Shad. I saw this fine food-fish in January at Jacksonville and St. 
Augustine, it having been taken in the St. Johns Eiver. They were mostly of small size. 
15. Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe). Herring. I obtained a number of examples of the menhaden 
at Tampa (where it is called “herring”), which I believe is the first instance of its being 
collected on the Gulf coast by any naturalist. It is, however, known from the mouth of the 
St. Jolins River on the Atlantic coast. The southern form, 71. pub-oaas Goode, is common iu 
the Gulf. 
