Bass, Pike, Perch, and OthersHenshall, James A. (James Alexander)
Science
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others
Henshall, James A. (James Alexander)
Fishes; Fishing
THE RED HIND
(_Epinephelus guttatus_)
This beautiful grouper rivals the rock hind in its gay and varied
coloration. There is some uncertainty about the correct specific name of
this well-marked species. The last name to be adopted is _guttatus_,
meaning "spotted," conferred by Linnæus in 1758, based on the early and
vague descriptions of Marcgrave and others on specimens from Brazil and
the West Indies. It belongs to the West Indian fauna, its range
extending from the Florida Keys to South America; it occasionally strays
north in the summer to the Carolina coast.
It resembles the other groupers in its general form, but is more
slender, has a larger eye, and its lower jaw does not project so much.
The depth of its body is a little more than a third of its length. Its
head is long and pointed, considerably longer than the depth of its
body, with a mouth of moderate size, and a weak lower jaw, which
projects but slightly; the eye is very large; the teeth are in bands,
with two curved canines in each.
The pattern of the coloration and the markings are similar to those of
the rock hind, but differ in color. The upper part of the body is
grayish or yellowish olive, the belly reddish; the entire head and body
are profusely covered with scarlet spots of nearly uniform size, except
those on the breast and belly, which are a little larger; there are a
few spots, both red and whitish, on the bases of the fins; there are
three broad, oblique, obscure bands running upward and backward on the
sides, extending on to the dorsal fin; the upper fins are edged with
black; the pectoral fin is reddish yellow.
The red hind, like the rock hind, frequents rocky places and feeds
mostly on small fishes. It grows to a length of about eighteen inches,
and is an excellent food-fish. Not much is known concerning its breeding
habits, though it probably spawns in the spring. The same tackle
recommended for the rock hind, and the same baits, will do as well for
the red hind, as they are found together.
THE CONEY
(_Petrometopon cruentatus_)
This beautiful fish is allied to the groupers, and belongs to the family
_Serranidæ_, previously described. It was described and named by
Lacépéde from a drawing by Plumier, made from a specimen from
Martinique. Lacépéde recorded it in his "Natural History of Fishes,"
1803, conferring on it the name _cruentatus_, meaning "dyed with blood,"
in allusion to its red spots. It belongs to the West Indian fauna, with
a range extending from the Florida Keys to Brazil; it is quite common
about Key West, being seen in the markets every day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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