THE CAVALLY AND OTHER CARANGOIDS. 
229 
Hayti to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where specimens were secured by the 
United States Fish Commission in 1877. It is one of the commonest 
summer visitants of the West Indian fauna along the whole coast of 
Southern New England and the Middle States, being especially abundant 
In the Gulf of Mexico, and one of the commonest fishes in the Bermudas. 
This fish is occasionally brought to the New York market, but is of no 
•special importance as an article of food north of the Gulf of Mexico. 
Concerning its habits in those waters, Mr. Stearns has contributed a very 
interesting series of notes. They are especially instructive, since nothing 
has previously been known of its life-history. 
“ It is extremely abundant everywhere on the Gulf coast of Florida, Ala¬ 
bama, and Mississippi. At Pensacola it is one of the important fishes of 
trade, and is highly prized for food. It is one of the class of migratory 
fishes of this coast, like the pompano, mullet, Spanish mackerel, and red- 
fish, having certain seasons for appearing and disappearing on the coast, 
and also has habits during these seasons that are peculiar to themselves or 
their class. It appears on the coast in April, in large schools that swim 
in shoal water near the beach during pleasant weather, when there is little 
or no surf, in eight or ten feet of water, and in stormy weather some little 
distance from the breakers. Their movement is from the eastward to the 
westward. As they seldom swim at the surface, their movements can be 
watched only when in shoal water. The schools ‘ running ’ in April and 
first of May are usually smaller than those of a few weeks later, but the 
individuals of the first are somewhat larger. The mass, or largest ‘ run,’ 
comes in May, and it is on the arrival of these that schools are first seen 
coming in the inlets. 
“A noticeable peculiarity of the Hard-tail compared with some other 
common migratory fishes is that the first schools do not stay about the 
mouths of an inlet and along the beach weeks before coming inside as 
those of the latter do, but continue their westward movement, without 
seeming to stop to feed or play, until the time has come for a general 
movement towards the bays. In this way they must be distributed along 
the coast, with no unequal accumulation at any one point. When once 
inside, the numerous schools break up into smaller ones of a dozen or two 
fish, which are found in all parts of the bay during the summer. On their 
arrival the larger fish contain spawn, and become quite dull, in July and 
August; after this none are seen but the young fish of about ten 
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