J 5 2 
AMERICAN FISHES. 
Guianas through the Gulf of Mexico and north to Nova Scotia, though 
never seen in the Bay of Fundy. From Cape Florida to Penobscot Bay, 
Bluefish are abundant at all seasons when the temperature of the water is 
propitious. It is not yet known what limits of temperature are the most 
favorable to their welfare, but it would appear, from the study of the dates 
of their appearance during a period of years in connection with the ocean 
temperature, that they prefer to avoid water which is much colder than 
40°. It is possible that the presence of their favorite food, the menhaden, 
has as much influence upon their movements as water temperature. Certain 
it is, that few Bluefish are found on our Middle and Southern coast when 
the menhaden are absent; on the other hand, the Bluefish do not venture 
in great numbers into the Gulf of Maine at the time when menhaden are 
schooling and are at their greatest abundance. Their favorite summer 
haunts are in the partially protected waters of the Middle States from 
May to October, with an average temperature of 6o° to 75°. The men¬ 
haden, or certain schools of them, affect a cooler climate and thrive in the 
waters of Western and Central Maine in the months when the harbor 
temperatures are little above 50° and 55 0 , and that of the ocean consid¬ 
erably lower. 
Since Prof. Baird wrote in 1871, there has been no great change in 
the abundance of Bluefish. They are quite sufficient in number to supply 
the demand for them and to make great inroads upon the other fishes, 
some of which, like the menhaden and mackerel, would perhaps, if undis¬ 
turbed by the Bluefish, be more valuable than they are at present. They 
have now been with us for fifty years. Their numbers are subject to 
periodical variations, of the causes of which we are ignorant. It is to be 
regretted that there are no records of it in the South Atlantic States. If 
such existed, we might, perhaps, learn from them that the Bluefish 
remained in those waters while absent from the northern coasts. Only 
one statement is to be found which covers this period, although Lawson, 
in his “ History of North Carolina,” published in 1709, and Catesby, in 
his “ Natural History of the Carolinas,” published in 1743, refer to its 
presence. In “ Bartram’s Travels,” published in 1791, the “Skipjack” is 
mentioned as one of the most abundant fish at the mouth of the St. John’s 
River. When Bluefish again became abundant their presence was first 
noticed at the South, and they seem to have made their inroads from that 
direction. The Bluefish was unknown to Schoepf, if we may judge from 
