Great crowds of men, women, and children patronize the excursion boats from New York and Philadelphia, in the summer season, to catch bass, porgies, tautog, and flounders on the various fishing banks off the Jersey coast, where they use hand-lines and clam bait. While such fishing is greatly enjoyed by the uninitiated, it does not appeal to the angler. THE SOUTHERN SEA-BASS (_Centropristes philadelphicus_) This species was described by Linnæus in 1758, and named _philadelphicus_, under the impression that his specimen was from the vicinity of that city. Afterward he received specimens from the South Carolina coast, which, in 1766, he named _trifurca_, meaning "three-forked," in allusion to its "triple-tail." The older name, unfortunately, must stand. Its color is olive-gray, darkest on the back, whitish below, with seven oblique dusky and diffuse bars along the upper portion of the sides. The three-forked appearance of the caudal fin is more pronounced than in the northern sea-bass; otherwise there is no structural difference, except in coloration. Its habits are similar. The same remarks apply equally to the following species, except that it has a few less gill-rakers than the northern species. They may eventually all prove to be the same species, or geographical varieties. The directions as to fishing apply as well to both these southern forms as to the northern sea-bass. THE GULF SEA-BASS (_Centropristes ocyurus_) This species was described from the "snapper banks," off Pensacola, by Jordan and Evermann in 1886, who named it _ocyurus_, or "swift tail." It has not been recorded from any other locality. It agrees with the northern sea-bass, except as mentioned, and in its coloration, which is grayish or pale olive, darker on the back, with three longitudinal rows of black blotches along the sides. It is called "tally-wag" by the snapper fisherman. CHAPTER IV THE PIKE FAMILY (_Esocidæ_) The fishes of this family have a long body, not much compressed, and not elevated. The head is long, with a flattened and prolonged snout; a very large mouth filled with long and very sharp, cardlike teeth on the jaws and roof of the mouth, and with smaller teeth on the tongue. They have a single dorsal fin composed entirely of soft rays, and situated very far back and opposite to the anal fin, which is likewise composed of soft rays. The scales are small; the cheeks and gill-covers are more or less scaly; the head is naked above. All are greedy, voracious fishes, marauding tyrants, living almost entirely on other fishes. There is but one genus, _Esox_. _Esox nobilior._ The Mascalonge. Body elongate; head 3-2/3; depth 6; eye 5; B. 17 to 19; D. 17; A. 15; scales 150 along the lateral line; cheeks and opercles naked below, scaly above; in about 8 rows. [Illustration THE MASCALONGE OF THE WEEDS. TROLLING WITH HAND-LINE]