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Las diagrammas suivants illustrent la mithoda. by errata nad to lent une pelure, fa^on A 1- 1, 2 3 2 3 4 S 6 32X AMERICAN FISHES. AMERICAN FISHES A POl^ULAR trea'hsl: UPON IHK GAME AND FOOD FISHES OF NORTH AMERICA WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO HABITS • AND METHODS OF CAPTURE BV G. BROWX GOODII A88I8TANT SKCRKTARY l)H TIIF. SMITHSONIAN INSTITITIIlN IN CH VIKIK UK Till; r. S. NATIllNAI. HI.'.SKUW LATR r. S. roMMISSlONKK To TIIK. INTKKX XTIONAl, FISllKltlKS KXIIIIUTIONS IN HKKLIN AND LONDON; AfTIIOR OK "(iAMK I'lSHKH OK TIIK INITK.D STATKS.' •KISIIEKIKS AND KISIIKRY INDI'STRIES OK TIIK VNITKD STATKS. ■ KTC, KTC. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS i^RARy MAY 17 1962 BOSTON: E S T E S AND L A U R I A T. Uublfsbers Copyrtfihled, 1887. DEDICATION. This little Iwok on tlic Jislics of ^hucrica, is dedicated io my Brot/ier-Ichthyologists in other lands Dr. NICHOLAS APOSTOI.IDKS, of Atluns ; Dr. K()IU:RTCf)I.I.KT'r, cf Cliristiaiiia ; 1)K. FRANCIS DAY, orCluIUiiliani, KiiKlaiul ; Pkok. F.NRICO II. C.IC.I.IOI.I, of FlorciKv ; I)K. AI.BFRT C. L. G. GUNTIIKR. of tiiu Hritish Museum; Dk. JAMES HKCTOR. of Ni w Zialaiul ; Pkok. a. A. Hrr.RKCirr, of rtncht; Dk. FRAN/ M. HII,C.I:NI)( )RF, of Merlin; .Mkssks. K. ITO, aiitl S. MATSUI5ARA, of Japan; Dk. CHRi.STIAN FCTKFN, of Copcnhauvn ; Dk. ANDRIvJEAN .MALMCiREX, of Ilclsingfors ; Prok. PIICTRO I'AV1:SI, of I'avia; Dk. E.MILE SAUVAGE, of Paris ; Pkok. F. A. S.MITT. of Stockliulm ; Df)N FELIPE P()i:V, of Havana ; Dk. FRANZ .STEINDACHNER, of Vienna; Dk. DECK) VINCIGUICRRA, of Rome ; Pkoi--. OSCAR vo.N GRI.MM, of St. Petersburg— in memory of much pleasant intercourse in the past, especially during' the recent Fisheries ExJiibitions in Berlin and Lon- don^ and loith the hope that its publication may lead to a toider popular appreciation, in ^Imerica, of the importance and interest of Ichthyological Science. VAXirvwyiy^^ t A je rf(rn,i:;iiiru, soiitiant io ^^toiif (ciiciie, Glau(}ue, Prn/it, Xtri't\ (t millc iiiifrcs i/ieiix tl nioiistiei vhin'iis. I 'tixmcs aussi noiiihrc iiifinv tit'/ioissoiis, ni cspfcei tfircrsrs, (ht/ituin/s, vohjiits, ''olti):^caiits, iom/'iitfoiits, man- gtaii/s, /rs/>/nr///s, bchitiints, cluissants, lircssaiils tscar- vtouihis, fiiisaiils ciuhiiSiiufc. loiii/osiin/s trtfocs, mat. chaiuhiiits, Jiiraii/s, sr/'/t/Ar/z/s. En till ci'iiii; la pies 7'cisiues Aristoicles, fntaut unt lantenic, cxpiaiit, consuieraiit, Ic tout redigtaiit pat , I'ANiAUKUEL. V., XXxl. f'M mm mi Quit, ni'if ^iiiisselffiics tui HhJuS HUtUli- ir.-,/.'»-.7. LiN.N.BU*. CONTJiNl^S. Pro/oi^uc , IVie Ycllo'iO Perch The Pike Perches The Striped Pass The WJiite JUiss and the Yelhn The White Perch The Sea Passes The Groupers and the /cto Pis/ The lHack Passes 2'he Sun Pishes and their A I lie. Snappers and Red Months The Sheepshead The Sciippaii^^ and the Pair .1/ The Red Drum , The Stjueteai^ue The Kin}:; and Queen Pishes... Spots, Croakers and Roncador. Sea Drum and Lake Drum Cohia, Moonfish and Plashcr.. The Pluefish The Mackerel and its Allies. . . The Spanish Mackerel and the The Pompanocs Bonitoes and Tunnies Pan; xi 1 1 .i5 47 54 64 S3 9- 101 1 10 I 2 129 144 157 163 184 198 206 AMERICAN FISHES. T/ie Harvest Fishes 221 The Ciivally and other Carangoids 226 Sivord Fish, Spear Fish and Cutlass Fish 239 The Rose Fish and its Allies 257 Pike, Miiskclliinge and Pickerel 274 Tautog, Chogset atid Parrot-fish 287 Sculpins and Gurnards 307 Halibut, Flatfi^-h and Flounder 307 Cod, Pollock, Haddock and Hake 333 The Mullets 365 The Cat-fish or Pull-head 376 The Herring and its Allies 381 Carp, Dace and Minnoro 411 Ihe Salmon 44 1 The Salmon Trouts 454 The Lake Trouts 462 The Brook Trouts or Chars 469 The Pacific Salmons 480 The Graylings 484 The White-fishes and the Smelts 488 Index 493 PROLOGUE, Athkx.f.us : Dcipnosophia. 44/^OME, let us discourse about fish," said Athenreus, in his " Dcipno- Sophia," and so said Mr. A. R. Hart, coming into my study last January. "Write us a book about fish and fishing in America," he urged, and since, as it happens, I know more about fish and fisliing in America than I do about anything else, I consented. This volume has been prepared for the use of the angler, the lover of nature, and the general reader. It is not intended for naturalists, and the technicalities of zoological description have therefore been avoided ; for the concise and precise phraseology of science, admirable though it be for the use of those who have been trained to employ it, is to others not only misleading, but it may be, re])ulsive. 1 have aimed to include in my discussion every North American fish which is likely to be of interest to the general reader, either because of its gameness or its economic uses. All others are excluded, because, from the standpoint of scientific, interest, every one of the seventeen hun- dred and fifty species indigenous to our continent has eijual claim to con- sideration, and to discuss, or even casually mention them all, within the limits of a book of ordinary size, would be next to impossible. President Jordan's recent pamphlet, entitled "A Catalogue of the Fishes Known to Inhabit the Waters North of the Tropic of Cancer, with notes on the Species Discovered in 1SS3 and 1884," contains, with its indexes, 184 pages, and this is merely a list, His " Synopsis of the Fishes of North America," which simply ei'umerates and gives brief diagnoses of the four- teen hundred or more species known in 1882, contains 1018 pages. The former of these works is published by the United States Fish Commission, the latter by the National Museum, and to these and to the numerous monographic papers published in the transactions of learned societies and scientific institutions in America and abroad, I would refer the student xu AMERICAN F'ISHES. who desires to make a serious study of the technical portion of American ichthyology. My own little library of works on fish and fishing is far from comi)letc, yet it includes over two thousand volumes and i)amphlets, and my " Bi])liograi)hy of American Ichthyology," which 1 hope to i)ub- lish within tlie next two years, comprises nearly ten thousand titles of books and i)apers. It is evident that it is impossible to make a book on American fishes which shall include more than a very small ])art, indeed, of what might be said upon the subject. I hope that the readers of this volume will feel that a judicious selection of topics has been made. Only the most important species are referred to, and in the discussion of them all descriptive matters are omitted save those which relate to color. Tliere is an Oriental proverb to the effect that, " Though the dis- tance between the ear and the eye is very small, the difference between hearing and seeing is very great." Acting in the s|)irit of this wise saying, a figure of almost every species * discussed is presented, by the aid of which any one interested in fishes can determine the correct zoological name of the form before him, and by referring to the accompanying text can learn what is known about its geographical range, habits, methods of capture and economical uses. Mxact bibliographical references are given in footnotes, to direct the reader to fuller discussions of subjects referred to when there are such in existence. In the preparation of this book constant use has been made of my own previous writings, and especially to the quarto work on Food Fishes, published by the Government in 1885. Upon that work, in fact, this one is based, being essentially a rearrangement in condensed form. The text has, however, been for the most part rewritten, and much new matter has been added. One of my chief motives in preparing this volume has been the desire to see some of the results of twenty years' study of fishes printed in substantial and dignified form, in a book which shall not look out of place on a library shelf; for it has been my lot hitherto to have all the products of my pen published in those dismal looking bunches of papers known as public documents, which of necessity must be classified among Charles Lamb's " books which are not books." The author acknowledges his extended and continued indebtedness, in ♦Nearly all of the figures of American species are copied from the figures in the publications of the U. S. Fish Commission, and, by the kind consent of Prof. Baird, the engravings have in most instances been made direct from the original drawings. The remainder have been copied from standard European authorities. PROLOGUE. Mil the first place to his teacher and master, Prof. Baird, and secondly, to his colleagues in the preparation of the (jiiarto volume just referred to, especially to Dr. Jordan, Dr. Bean, Capt. Collins, Mr. I'.arll and Mr. Stearns. If in some instances the ([uotation marks have been omitted in connection with statements derived from their i)en, it is simply because in the work of abridgment certain changes have been made in their phraseology, for which it seems hardly i)roper to hold them responsible. It is proper to say that all the biographies of the fishes of the Pacific, and the minor fresh- water sjiecies, are due to Jordan, and that Stearns is e([ually responsible for what is said of the fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. \\'\\\\ Bean the writer has long sustained a ]iartnership in all matters ichthyological • with Collins and Karll similar relations in matters connected with the study of fishery economy, and in such associations it is not always possible to separate interests in such a manner as to place credit where it jirojierly belongs. The classification followed is the system elaborated and ad- vocated by Dr. Oill, undoubtedly the most erudite and philosophic of liv- ing systematic ichthyologists. Perhajis some may feel aggrieved because there are no discussions of rods, reels, lines, hooks and flies, and no instructions concerning camj)- ing out, excursions, routes, guides and hotels. To such the author would say that he has at present neither time nor inclination to enter upon these subjects. Men who know them better than he have already written what should be written. Thaddeus Norris's "American Angler's Book" is an excellent guide in the selection and construction of tackle. Roosevelt's "Game Fishes of the North" and "Superior Fishing" are full of good suggestions, and Scott's " Fishing in American Waters," and even the works of Brown and Frank Forrester, are at times useful. Hallock's "Sportsman's Gazetteer" points out distant localities for sport to the few who are not satisfied with home attractions. The files of " Forest and Stream," "The American Field " and " The American Angler" are treasuries which cannot be exhausted, and the back volumes of the monthlies, " Harpers," " Lippincott's" and the " Century '' are full of finely illustrated essays, of interest to fishermen and anglers. The English "Field," "Land and Water " and "Fishing Gazette" are also full of interest for Americans. Prof. Mayer's "Sport with Gun and Rod in American Woods and Waters " is a charming and instructive book made up chiefly of reprinted magazine essays. XIV AMERICAN FISHES. The Reports and Bulletins of the United States Fish Commission must not be overlooked, and the reports of the State Commissions, the reports of the Canadian Department of PMshery, the bulletin of the French Society of Acclimation, the circulars of the (rerman Fischerei-Verein, and the ])ul)lications of the London and Berlin Fisheries Exhibitions are worthy of study. I do not think that the term " game fish " has ever been properly defined. It is generally supposed to apply to fishes which are active, wily and cour- ageous, and whose capture requires skill or cunning — those, in short, which afford sport to the sportsman. As a matter of fact, although most food fishes arc not game fishes, no fish which is not of the highest rank as a table delicacy is rated by Americans as a game fish. The barbel, the dace and the roach, the pets of the father of angling, classical in the i)ages of si)ortsman's literature, are despised ny new world authorities, and are now considered "coarse fish " even by English writers. Yet they afford excellent sport — sport which in England tens of thousands enjoy to every one who gets the chance to whip a salmon or trout line over j)re.served waters. "Ciame" in law and every day usage is a term employed to describe wild animals — -ferce natiinc, in which no man holds personal title of possession. Game birds are those which can only be obtained occasion- ally and with difficulty, and which, having been obtained, are worthy the notice of the epicure. Game fishes are rated in much the same manner, it appears to me. If not, why were the Pompano, the King-fish and the California Salmon and the Spanish Mackerel included among the twenty selected to be painted by Kilbourn for Scribner's atlas of the game fishes of the United States. Surely not because they afford sjiort to the sports- man. Some years ago I defined the term as follows : Game fishes are those which by reason of the courage, strength, beauty anil the sapidity of their flesh are sought for by those who angle for sport with delicate fishing tackle. Now I should simply say that — A game fish is a choice fish, a fish not readily obtained by wholesale methods at all seasons of the year, nor constantly to be had in the mar- kets — a fish, furthermore, which has some degree of intelligence and cun- ning, and which matches its own wits against those of the angler, requir- ing skill, forethought and ingenuity to compass its capture. PROLOGUE. XV Many writers, especially those of America, show a (lisjjosition to deny the rank of '"game fishes" to all si)ecies which will not rise to a surface lure. This is illogical such, if it were strictly insisted upon, shec])shead and sea-bass woulil be counted out, while the shad and c'ven the gar-pike must needs be allowed at least humble jiositions among the game fishes. I hope that the readers of this book will freely communicate to me any new facts concerning American fishes, or any criticisms of erroneous state- ments, for use in preparing such fuller and better editions of this book as it may be decided in future to publish. It is a great satisfaction to feel that this little volume will ])rol)ably be the companion of men whom I know, or should like to know, in numerous delightfid excursions to lake, brook and sea. In closing this prologue I feel disj)0sed to repeat the prayer at the end of Walton's immortal pas- toral : " That the blessing of St. Peter's master be upon all that hate contentions, and love (juietnesse, and virtue, and go a-angling." G. B. G. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, Dec. i, i8S6. TN vain had Cod storM Hcav'n with ^listriiiL' studs, The plain with Rniin, the moiiiitaiii tops witli wuuds, Scvcr'd the Aire frcnii Fire, tlic K.arth from Water, Had lie not soon i)eopled tliis lari;e Theatre Witli livill^; creatures : therefore he hegaii (Tlii>-l)ayl to i|uickeii in the (\,-itn Instandini; /'oo/s, and in the s'.ra.nnlinK A'/7'<'rj (Whose folding Chanell fort ill Champain severs) So many J-'islics of so many features That in the Waters one may see all Creatures And all that in this All is to he found : As if the World within the Ueeps were drown'd. One I like a I'irat) onely lives of prizes. That in the Deep he desperately surprises ; Another haunts the shore, to feed on foam : Another round about the Rocks doth roam, NihhlinK on Weeds ; another hating theeving, Kats nought at all, of licpior onely living : For the salt humor of his clement Servs him, alone, for perfect nourishment. Some love the clear streams of swift tumbling torrents. Which through the rocks straiiung their struggling currents Break Hanks & I'.ridges ; and do never stop Till thirsty Summer comes to drink them up ; Some almost alwaics pudder in the mud Of sleepy Pools, and never brook the flood Of Chrystall streams, that in continuall motion Bend toward the bosom of their Mother Ocean. O watry Citizens, what Umpeer bounded Your liquid Livings? O I what Monarch mounded With walls your City? what severest Law Keeps your huge armies in so certain aw. That you encroach not on the neighboring Borders Of your swim-brethren ? What cunning Prophet your fit time doth show? What Heralds trumnet summons you to go? What (luide conducteth, Day & Night, your Legions Through p.athdess Path in unacquainted Regions? Surely the same that made you first of Nought Who in your Nature some Ideas wrought Of (iood and Kvill ; to the end that we Following the Good might from the Evill flee. Du Bartas His First l^eck ; or The Birth of th* World, 1605 AMERICAN FISHES. THE YKLLOW PERCH. Pirca Jliiiiatilis. It is ;i lr\io tl>li, Mil li ^l^ the :niL;li-T lnvr-. lc> imt iiitu lii> li.i-kct iir luui^ cm tu]) ofliis willow twi,; (HI sluuly aftcrnuoii^, aloni; llic ly.mks of the ^Irc.im^. 'I'linKi-Af, W'aldcn roiui. npHI'". PICRCH is a member of a very ancient rare. A closely related form has been fcnind fossil in the tertiary (le])()sits of (I'Jiingen, and its Avide distribution throughout the northern hemisphere testifies to its existence in its present form at a remote period. Additional eviden( e of the anticpiity of the species is found in the fact that its ( Dmmon names are much the same in many I'luropean languages wiiich diverged from a common stock, thousands of years back in history. The Perch is found almost everywhere in Europe, though it is said to be rare in the north of Scotland. It ranges to Lajiland and Siberia, antl ascends the slopes of the Alps to the height of more than 4000 feet. It inhabits the sea of Azov, and the brae kish waters of the Caspian and Baltic, and is everywhere a well-known and useful spec ies. In America it exists in all the waters of the Atlantic slope, from Labra- dor to (leorgia, throughout the Creat Lake region, and in the upper part AMKRICAX J'/S/fKS. of the Mississi])])! \alk-y, cs])c'(ially in the tribtitariL-s of tlic Mississi])])! in AN'isconsin and Minnesota, andof tlic Ohio, in Indiana ami Oiiio. It docs not o( ( 111- in the h)\ver Mississippi basin, nor on tlie western sk)pe of the Alleifhanies. 'i'here is no rejjresentative of tlie genus in the tributaries of the Pacific, either American or Asiatic, I)iit the alUed PiTcirhtliys replaces it in teni- perat : South America (Patai^^onia, I'eru and Chili), while in northern China Siiiipcrca fills its stead. The Stone-jien h. Pope, Ruffe, Kaul- barsch or (Iremille, of Murope, Aceriiia ci-niiia, which somewhat resembles the Perch, though more nearly related to the Pike-perches is, jjerhaps fortunately, not foinid in America. Authorities are not harmonious in opinicjn as to the specific identity of the American and the ICiiropean Perch, (iiinther, Steindachncr and Day maintain that they are the same, while Jordan is eipially positive that the PtriO amcriciina or /'. fliTi'i'sccns of American writers is at least a dis- tinct sub-species. It is mytjwn impression that the American Perch ( an- not be positively sei)arated from that ofEurope, which, as Day has shown, is extensively variable in form and color. Perch frecpientciuiet waters of moderate depth, i)ools under hollow banks, ■eddies and expansive shady reaches in the meadow brooks, creeks and canals. i)referring the sides of the stream to swift currents, and sandy and pebbly rather than muddy bottoms. In mill-])onds they are likely to be found in the deep water just above the dam, and in the vicinity of ijiles of locks, bridges and sluice gates. They sometimes descend into the brackish water of estuaries, where they become large and very firm fleshed. In muddy pools they often assume a golden color, but in such situations are soft and rarely well flavored. "As a still-water ])ond fish," writes Al)bott, " if there is a fair supply of si)ring-water, they thrive excellently; but the largest specimens come either from the river or from the in-flowing creeks. Deep water of the temperature of ordinary spring-water, with some current, and the bed of a stream, at least partially covered with vegetation, best suits this fi.sh." They are gregarious, and there is an Old-country saying that when the angler meets a school of Perch he may capture every one, if he be wary and noiseless. " Perch, like tlie Tartar clans, in troops remove, And urged by famine or by pleasure rove ; But if one prisoner, as in war, you seize, TJfE YliLLOW J'r.RCir. Vun'Il prosjur, master of tlif camp with tasi' ; l-'or, likf till- wicktil, mialariucd tlu-y vii-w 'I'lR-ir Ullous pcrisli, and tlu ir patli pursue."* r)ay tells ustiiat iiithc famous Norfolk Broads the fish asM.'iiiliic in shoals av'cording to their sizes, the smaller and larger individuals keeping; to themselves, and repelling the intrusion of those that materially differ from themselves in this res])(.'(t. The writer has ol)served a similar natural association in the lakes of the Hudson and Housatonif basins. In winter they retreat to the deepest parts of their domain, llere they ada]>t themselves to cin umstam es ; if the tem])erature of tiie water approxi- mates the freezing ])oint, they lieiome torpid ; if it remains above ^.S" or 40° !•"., they do not suffer any iuionvunience. Dr. Abl)ott tound a large nmnber of them in December and January, in a deep hole in the bed of a tide-water creek, about half an acre in extent and tWL-nty feet deep; they were in moderately good ( ondition, active and in high color, with empty stomachs, ancl refusing to 'i;s in four days and nine hours; at the end of a week or ten davs after the eir rs w ere laid, Abbott frecpiently found minute Yellow I'erch, associated with little Sun-fish, tangled in among the water jilants. active as their strength permitted, and darting voraciously at alnn)st invisible s])ecks. that seemed to serve them for food. The little pcrclicitcs grow very fast, and in a year or two they have reached maturity. ICdward Jesse observed a fish three inches long which was full of si)awn. JV'rch rarely exceed a ])Ound or two in weight. *• L^ne I'erche de deux kilogrammes est un phenix tres-rare." says 1 )e la Blanchere. Some large ones are on record. An individual taken in Delaware Tiay, by Abbott, weighed four and one-cpiarter ])oun(ls. In I'^ngland three-pounders are thought large ; but Pennant mentions one of nine i)ounds, taken in the Serptentine in Hyde Park, (liinther puts the limit at four jjounds, but Seeley states that in Russia, in Lake Seligher they reach eight pounds. The artificial i)ropagation of the Perch was accomplished as early as 1S56 by Malm, a Swedish naturalist, and is saiil to have beeen re])eated in this country. ]\Iany jtonds have been stocked with grown fish. Dr. S. T,. Mitchill transplanted them from Ronkonkoma Pond in Suffolk County to Success Pond in Queens County, N. Y. The species is very properly excluded from waters in which trout and carp are to be cultivated. It is said that poachers often revenge their grievances by stocking trout ponds with Perch. They have been known to deposit their eggs in aciuarium tanks, where, with care, they will doubtless hatch their young. THE YELLOW rEKCJL The Saxons, it is said. r(.-prcscntt.'(l one df tlu'ir j^ods st.iinliiiu' \\\\.\\ naked feet on the Iuk k of a IVtc li. as an etnlileni of constancy in trial and l)atience in adversity. Witli Ids liristlini; array of thorny nn-s])ine>. tlie I'erch is a fair type of sturdy indepemlence. a Diogenes of the hrooks and ponds, well described by Drayton in his " I'()ylyol!)i()n :" "Tile Percli witli prirkiin.L; Inis aj^ainst tiir I'ike preparM As nature had thircoii l)LSto\v'il this strunjjer giiari in the e\tremr, ••In feeding." writes Dr. Abbott, "Yellow I'erch chase small minnows in.^tead of waiting for a single fish to come near enough to seize by a single clart u])on it. ;is the Pike does. They are not rapid in their movements, but seem to clart with oi)en mouth at several mimiows. as though trusting to c ate h some one of the number they i)ursue.'" They are pirates, as voracious in proportion to their si/e as the lilac k 13ass and the I'ike. The claims of this fish to jiopular favor ha\e lieen strangely oxerlookecl in America, owing perlia])s to the fact that anglers, like other men. ha\e their specialties, and that most of our writers upon this subject ha\e had hobbies other than that of I'erch fishing. Surely no inhabitant of our brooks and ponds has higher c laims on the sc-ore of beauty than — "The Perch with fins ofTyrian dye." Its graceful movements and beautiful colors, its hardiness and intelli- gence makes it jjartic ularly desirable for aciuarium culture. In the sunlight the scales reflect tlelicate hues and golden glints whic h are deliciously tempered by the dusky bands upon the sides and the ruddy tones of the quivering fins, which have been well compared to the reds sometimes to be seen in the glass of \ery old c hurc h v.indows. Its rank as a game fish is thus estimated by j. I'. AVheeldon, angling itCi\\.ox oi Bcir s Life: "A gloriously handsome llsh. the I'erch, when in condition affords excellent sport, and is a deserved favorite with each and every fisherman, be he young or old." It is mentioned as a fiivorite in the first of all treatises on angling — that i^rinted in Antwerp in 1492, — and iseulogizedby scores of later EuroiK'an authorities, as well as in the ••Com- Dlete Angler:" I AMJCK/CAX J/SJfJ-:S. " I pray ymi. sir." saiil Xiatur. ••},mvc nic souk- olisirvations and din-c- tions <(.n(i'rniiiK the /Vv/v//. for tlicy say he is Ik.iIi a vi-ry j,'()otl and a lH.ld-l)itiniL; lish. and 1 would fain Icarnc to fish for Idni." Although Norris and S( ott anntcnii.t. and Jordan lias ])ronoiin( I'd it ••soft. ( oarsc and insii)iii(kl.mil writi's: ••()ur tViriKl, tlic iVrc h. !•> (Hk- dl" tlu' iiKist ln-'aiitilul t'i>.li wliii I) it has jiUmmiI I'rov iiU'iu i' to \\m v iii our w.itiTs. Not ((Illy (lots lu- aH'oid the ati,L;l(.'r cmcIK ut sport, Init to the jirolVsM'tl ( ook his arrival in tiiiu' tor the iiichk is most wrhoiiu'. a^ \vitiu'>s watrr soiichc, us served at miiiistirial (limui^. ( it\ liaiuiiKts or jiriv ati- parties at Ri( hmoiul ami ('irccinvic h.'""' 'I'he simplest way to cattli i'erc h is with the l)oy's standard oiitlit : a "pole," a stout line, a lar,L;e iloat and hei\y sinkerand a worm or minnow for bait. 'I'his is etVective when tlie water is muddy iind the Penh are numerous and hungry. I'or wary lish in ( learer water more de!idiest art. Walton observed that, though abstemious in winter, thev wotdd bite at the middle of the day even then, if it were warm. Many Perch are taken by fishing through the ice on the northern lakes. This, the only ijcculiarly American metliod of Perch fishing, is well described by IMr. A, X. Cheney, of (lien's Falls, \. V.: "The Perch retire to deej) water with a bottom of fine grass as cold weather ajiproaches, and there they are found in I'cbruarv and Marc h, wliich is the time h)r ice lisliing. Tlie tools retiuired are an i( e ( liisel for cutting the holes, a hand-line and sinker, fixed with a ' sjireader,' and snells, and though it does not come under the head of tools, a fire. The 'spreader' is a piece of brass wire about a foot long, turned with a i)air of i)liers to form an eye in tiie middle, to attach the line, and an eye in -each end to fasten the snells. Spreaders may be obtained at the tackle shops, that have a swi\cl in the middle of tJie wire, and under- neath it an eye so that three snells may be used. The bait is the small white grul), most easily found in dead and jiartly rotted second-growth pine trees or logs, from whicli they liave to be cut out with an ax. The man who catches Perch for market does not trouble himself to pro\ ide more than two or three grubs, for as soon as he catches one tlsh he lias two baits. It seems cruel, however, to tear the eyes out of a lish that has scarcely ceased to (piivcr, and 1 could never bring myself to do it liius hastily. When the spreader is tlirown througli the hole cut in the ice, there is nothing to ilo but to wait for a bite. If a Perch takes one bite lO AMERICAy FISHES. the matter is settled, and it is only necessary to bait and lower the hooks, for each time without fail there will be a fish brought up for each hook baited.* To the words of instruction and advice already written, I would add a sentence of warning to him who angles for Perch. Do not yield too un- reservedly to the fascination of the pastime. Remember the unfortunate angler in Bulwer's "My Novel." " Young man, listen I " said lUirley. ■' When I was about your age, I first came to this stream to fish. Sir, on that fatal day, about 3 P. M., I hooked up a fish — such a big one, it must have weighed a pound-and-a-half. And just when I had got it nearly ashore, the line broke, and tlie Perch twisted himself among those roots and — cacodivmon that he was — ran off, hook and all. Well, that fish haunted me ; never before liad I seen such a fish. Minnows 1 had ( aught, also gudgeons, and occasionally a dace. P>ut a fish like that — a PERCH — all his fins up, like the sails of a man-of- war — -a monster Perch, — a wliale of a Perch I — Xo, never till then had I known what leviathans lie hid within the deeps. I could not sleep till I had returned ; and again, sir — I caught that Perch. And this time I pulled him fairly out of the water. He escaped ; and how did he escape^ Sir. he left his eye behind him on the hook. * * * I gazed at that eve, and the eye looked as sly and wicked as if it was laughing in my face. Well, sir, I had heard there is no better luiit for a Perch than a Perch's eve. I adjusted that eye on the hook and dropped in the line gently. In two minutes 1 saw that Perch return. Me approached the hook ; he recognized his eye, — tVisked his tail, — made a plunge — and, as I live, carried off the eye, and I saw him digesting it by the side of that water lily. The mock- ing fiend ! Seven times since that day in the course of a varied and event- ful lite, have I caught that Perch, and seven times has that Perch escaped. * * *■ (lood Heavens! If a man knew what it was to fish all one's life in a stream tliat has only one Fen h, to catch that Perch nine times in all and to see it fall back into the water, plump. Why then, young sir, he would know what human life is to vain ambition." .lini-rhaii .liii;/,-'-, Marcli 14, iSS'. ^.^Tf^rr"" vV-. ••.:'< TIIK SAUOKU. THE PIKE-PERCHES. Stizosfcd/on vHrctim and S. cauadciisc ■■•^-■^iii;ii.ii.riiiiiir;i....'^'^^'^Vy \.-'t.v ^ j\:j':sf The surest way T'l take tlie fi^li, is j;ive lior leave to play, Ami yii.Ul her line. (IfAKLES, Slicpluiird' <: F.t/,xiii's, ibfj. npHE Pikc-Pcrches have l)Ocn known to the inhabitants ot" Clontincntal I'urope for many ( cnturics, and on account of their eh^ngatcil form and large teeth were dest rihed by (lesner and other me(U;v;val naturalists under the name Luciopcrca — a name intended to describe their general ap- pearance, since their proportions resemble those of the pikes, while their structure resembles that of the ])erch, to which they are closely allied. I.innii^us in his ichthyolo^ical system, named the Scandinavian species Pcrca Litciopcrcii, and placed it in the same genus with the jierch, where it remained until the time of Cuvier and Rafinescpie. The former set aside thisgroupof fishes in 1S17, under the group name of " Les Sandrcs." but ne- glected to formally jjropose the genus named T.uciopcrca, until the publi- cation of the second edition of his "Animal Kingdom" in 1829. In the meantime the Sicilian explorer. Rafinesque, had published in 1820, his " Ohio Ichthyology." andnnned the U^hS/izosfcdioit, anai)pellation which, however meaningless and cacophonous, priority requires shall always be borne by the Pike- Perches. American ichthyologists have already submitted this necessitv, but th.ose of the old world still cling to the venerable and euphonious Luciopfrca. The Pike-Perches are distributed throughout the waters of the northern hemispheres in much the same manner as the perch, though absent from 12 AMERICAN FISHES. W certain areas within the limits of its range. The British Isles, France, the Rhine valley and Switzerland, New lOngland and the South Atlantic states, arc without it, and its distribution in Asiatic Russia is more restricted than that of Pcrca. This form is more subject to variation than the Perch, and i)robably a niDre recent product of evolution, and it has become differentiated into seve- ral fairly well-marked types. The North American species may be divided intcj two groujis : (i) the typical form, most closely related to those of Euroi)e, ami (2) the form with small eyes, slender body, pointed head, smaller second dorsal and with pyloric creca set aside by (iill and Jordan in the sul)genus C\iiopei\-a. In the latter category is placed S. canadcnsr, having its spinous dorsal fin ornamented with two or three rows of round black spots, and without a blotch ])6steriorly, but with a dark patch at the base of each pectoral : within the limits of this species, Jordan recognizes three varieties or subspecies which intergrade to some extent, but which by old-school naturalists would have been regarded as valid s])ecies. The first of these is the Sanger or Pickering of the St. Lawrence region, S. caiiadcnsc canaJciisc, with the opercles and bones of the head considerably rougher, the number or opercular spines, (wliich are merely the free ends of the striiv;), increased, ar;i the head more closely and extensively scaly. The second is llie common Sand I'ike, or Sanger, of the (Ireat Lakes, S. laiutdoisc i::;riscum, the Liiciopcrca ^^risea of DeKay's " New York Fauna," and many other ichthyologies. 'J'his form is now ])lentifiil in the Ohio River into which it is supposed to have made its way since the con- struction of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The third is the Sand Pike of the upper Missouri, .S'. canadciisc borcuiii, which is rather slenderer than that of the Great Lakes, having a long slender nose and a head more fiattened and snake-like. A certain type of coloration is characteristic of X caiiadcnsc in all its forms, and it has fewer rays in the second dorsal fin, there being only i/i;;t'//s/s, (Pallas), the former distributed through a large i)art of Northern, ICastern and Central Europe, the latter, in the south of Russia, especially in the Dniester and the ^'olga. The jjopular nomenclature of the various American forms is in a most perplexing state. In the upper lakes where the true Pike, Esox liiciiis is known as the pickerel, Stizostcdionvitnuin is called the "Pike," with such local variations as "151ue Pike," "Yellow Pike," "(Ireen Pike" and "Grass Pike." In Ohio, Tennessee and western North Carolina, it robs -Cfru- of another of its names, and is called " Jack." In Lake Erie, however, it is generally known as the "Pickerel." The name "Salmon," is quite generally apj)lied in rivers where no mem- ber of the family Salmonidcc is found. This is notably the fact in the tributaries of the Mississippi and Ohio, and in the Suscjuehanna : hundreds of cases of the capture of salmon, supposed to have developed from fry planted by the fish commissioners, have been reported in the newspapers dur- ing the past ten years, and almost always, when the matter has been in\es- tigated, a Pike Perch has been found the innocent cause of the false rej^ort. " \\'hite Salmon" is a local name at the Falls of the Ohio ; "Jack Salmon" is another bad name. " Okow," sometimes heard in the lake region is evi- dently a corruption of " Okun " and *' Okunj," Polish and Russian names tor the common perch, introduced by immigrants. The French Canadians on the lakes call it " Doree," and "Dory" is a name which has found its way into the books. "Glass eye" and "Wall-eyed Pike" are names peculiar to this sj)ecies. and the former has been ])erpetuated in the s])ecific name vitrcum. The name "Wall-eyed Pike" is coming into favor, and has already replaced some of the misnomers long prevalent. On the Susquehanna, for instance, it is rapidly taking the place of •• Salmon." If it must be used, " Wall-eye " is of course to be ])referreil to the misleading "Wall-eyed Pike." To me it seems a most repulsive and undesirable name, but others find it ai)])ro- l)riate. Listen to an ardent admirer: — "Look at this beautiful fish 1 as symmetrical in form as the salmon. Not a fault in his make-up, not a r.cale disturbed, every fin perfect, tail clean cut, and his great big wall-eyes stand out with that life-like glare so characteristic of the fish." * /.under, Zant, S.and,r, Sannat, ami Sanduft in Northern Germany,,(w(i«/, Kngciiiaul , Schicl, Scliill ami Fos^osch in Si)iitlicrn Germany, Sander and Sandel in Austria, Sandre or Sandat in France, Sandiirt m Denmark, Gi>es in SwcJen, GJorJ in Norway, Siidak in Russia, Sterkas in Lithuania, Sendacz in Poland , ^'.(//oand hostis in Hungary. THE J'IKE PERCHES. 15 The phrase " Wall-c}L'c sure, hut it brings to mind the invective of I.ueius reviling the (loth in Titus Antlronicus : "Say, wall-eyed slave, whitinr wouhlst tiiou coiniy Tills gruwiny: iniajje of thy fiend-likc face." * Jf " ^^■all-eye " is to be the name of ^V. griscum it is evident that " San- ger " must be tliat of the other species, for it is not claimed by any other fish, and is probably of Indian origin, whi( h is a recommendation. .V. canacU'iisc is also called in various lo( alities " Pickering," " Pi' kerel," "Horse-fish," ''Gray-pike" and " (lround-]iike." 'J'he Pike-Perches resemble the yellow perch in their habits, but though e(|ually vivacious are usually less sprightly and jnignacious, especially when inhabiting (juiet waters. The Swedes ha\e a jiroverb — " As stupid as a Pike- Pert h " — not jjarticularly ai)plicable to our American spe( ies. Their greater size debars tiieir occujtancy of the creeks and jiools in whi( h jierch so often congregate, and it is said that they are rarely found on bot- toms of clay or mud. In lakes they retire to waters of considerable depth, but in running streams are partial to rapids, and whirling pools among the rocks. In Lake Pepin, according to Dr. lOstes, they seek out the purest water, and their favorite feeding grounds are at the ends t)f jjrojecting points where the bottom has been washed clear by the waves, and at the mouths of streams where the current breaks into the still waters of the lake. They delight to run u]) the larger streams until they encounter an impassa- ble fall or dam, and in rivers where there are no falls they fre(iuent deep roll- ing foot-pools, or deep dark holes, where the current is strong under old logs or drift i)iles. At the foot of Lake Pej^n, just at the ])oint where the still water of the lake begins to flow into the river, thev are found in great num- bers, associated with the blackdiass and the stri])ed lake-bass. At the junction of the Chippewa A\ith tlie Mississippi is another great feeding grounds where the Pike-Per( lies are especially al)iindant under the great rafts of himlier and accumulation of logs Avhich are always there in summer. Concerning their association, Dr. Pastes writes: ■' In these waters the A\'all- eye f is seldom found associated with any other fish than the sar.d-pike." J It is true, however, that in swift-rolling waters. espe( ially under falls we find him in company with the black-bass, but I believe that the ton e of the fall and the tumbling waters in a measure destroy the ])Ugilistic nature of theba.ss, or he would not suffer the wall-eye to remain in his ccmjianv. In * Titus A:tdronictis, Act v, Scene 1. \S. vitrcuiii. X^- I'liiitcfcus,' hori-uiii ; tliis f 'rin was lumiccl Lticiopci-ia p.piinis I'v Dr. K.stcs. i6 AMERJCAiY FISHES, other locations tlie bass easily drives the wall-eye from his feeding grounds." Till', z AsnER. .v. i.vnorv.niw. They feed upon every kind of small fish, and do not even sjiare their own offspring;. In the sea-i^oiiv^ rivers of (lermany they ]irey largely upon the smelt, and in our own waters u])on the various small cyprinoids. Insects, larviv;, ('rawfish and worms are also devoured in great numbers, and even Irogs and snakes. Their eggs are from i to I'j millimeters in diameter, and light golden yellow in color, and are adhesive like those of the sea-herring, clinging to stones, roots and the stalks of water jilants where they are deposited at a depth of from three to ten feet. They begin to spawn when less than a ])()und in weight, and eacli female deposits from two to three hundred thousand ova. This great fertility is serviceable, for no fresh water species is more subject to the fatalities incident to the spawning season. After storms the shores of lakes are said to be often bordered by windrows of the stranded ova of the Pike-Perch. Dr. Kstes well describes the destructive inroads ot sturgeon, cat-fish and suckers upon the spawning beds in Lake Pejiin. He estimates that not one-fourth of the eggs remain to be hatched. AVenzel Horac.k, who has studied tlie habits of tlie Zander in Southern Bohemia, finds that the time of spawning is so intimately connected with the temperature of the water and the air that it sometimes begins in March, though it usually occurs in April and May; the season of oviposition con- tinues through the summer and into October. In the north of Ciermany the Zander spawns in May and June ; in southern Germany earlier, begin- ing in April. Eckstrom states that in Sweden they spawn only at night. The fullest description of the breeding of the American species is that by ^>!i THE riKK J'JCJ^CJfJCS. n feeding heir own ijion the Insects, md even It gt)klen clinging )sited at ess than hundred ■;i)eciesis r storms Istranded 1 roads ol in. He southern ted with |i March, Ion con- jlennany ',l)egin- It night. Is that by Dr. lOstes : " 'They spawn," he writes, " tVoni the first to the lit'teenth ot' .Vpril, in L.ike Pepin sometimes earlier. One season the spawning was all done by the third of .-Vpril, and every lish Iiad left the beds. Just as soon as the lake is well closed over with ice, they leave the deep water and re- sort to the sand-bars where they remain mitil the spawning timi- in the spring. It seems a fact that they select and take possession of the spawn- ing l)eds fully three months before they are needed for use. I have care- fully observed this habit for more than twenty-five years, and each year's observatU)n is confirmatory. In the first place, we do not take tliem on these bars in summer, and again two-thirds of all that are taken from the be- ginning of winter to spring are females, proving conclusively that they thus early select these bars as spawning grounds. I have often visited them as early as May, but failed to find the fish, while, from the closing of the lakes to March, they are often founil in great numbers. " The beds are made on sandy bars, in water from four to eight feet deep. The bottom must be clean, well-washed sand, free from gravel, rocks, mud or grass. The eggs are mixed with the sand but not covered over, and consetjuently many of them fall an easy prey to the mnnerous fishes which are on the hunt for them." * Little is known of their rate of growth. Heckel and Ivner state that the Zander grows rapidly with abundant food, especially if it remains in the marshy districts, attaining in the first year a weight of a pound-and-a-half, in the seconil two jioirnds-and-a-half, and in the third, from five to six pounds. In the lower waters of the Danube, however, its weight in the first year is only three-(iuarters of a pound, and in the second, two pounds. They also say that the Zander lives only from eight to ten years. Dr. Estes tells us that in Lake Pepin the yearling fish are only about two inches long, a story which seems much more credible than that told by the Austrian naturalists just (pioted. The Wall-eye does not often exceed ten pounds in weight, though giants of thirty-six inches or more, weighing from twenty to thirty pounds, are on record, f The Sanger is smaller, rarely ex- ceeding eighteen inches in length. Zanders sold in the (ierman markets range from one to lour pounds in weight ; the Pike-Perch which come to Washington and New York are usually not larger. The Pike-Perch was one of the first species experimented u[)on by Ameri- can fish culturists. In May, 1S57, it is said, Mr. Carl MuUer of New York * Aiiicrhitn Angli-r Sept. 8, 1SS3, and St. I'.iiil l^ionecr Press, Jan. 1S82. t" Ur. liiioltook one in the Kentucky River which weighed nearly fifty pounds."— Genio C. Scott. 1 8 AMERICAX FJSHES. jrf*S' and Mr. Henry Brown of Xcw Haven, artificially fecundated twenty million eggs, which they transferred from Lake Ontario to Lake Saltonstall in Con- necticut. Tiiere is no evidence that the eggs ever were hatched.* Seth Green has experimented in the same direction. He states that the eggs may be hatched either in the box which bears his own name, or in the Holton box, and that they reciuire thirty-one days for development in water at a temperature of 34°, though in warmer water they will mature in ten days.f Max Von dem Borne gives the details of some furtlier experi- ments made in Pomcrania, prior to iS8i.| It seems ])robable that whenever it shall be determined to disseminate this fish more widely through American waters, the object may be accom- l)lished, as has been so often done with the black-bass, by transi)lanting in- dividuals of considerable size. The Zander was successfully acclimated in England by the Duke of Bedford in 1S78. Twenty-eight individuals, averaging about two pounds in weight, were taken across from Oermany by Herr Dallmer, a Prussian fishery officer. Elaborate instructions for the transplanting of this fish, and its care in captivity, are given by my friend Max Von dem Borne, in his "Fischzucht." Wherever the Pike-Perch is known it is very highly ])rizeh thus taken every winter is very great, amply supplying lo( al demands, and the fish are mu( h larger than those caught in summer. " .\s an angler and naturalist." (ontinues Dr. Kstes, "it was many years before I became reconciled to < ate hing the wall-eyed pike from off tlieir spawning beds in the winter and spring. Three (onsiderations finally forrax* is found from the Mediterranean, to Tromsoe in Norway ; the American species ranges from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. The two species are similar in form, but very unlike in color; ours being conspicuously striped, while that of Europe is silvery grey. The American form is the largest, most active, and on account of its greater abundance, by far the more important. In the North it is called the "Striped Bass," in the South the "Rock Fish," or the "Rock." The neutral territory where both these names are in use appears to be New Jersey. The fisherman of the Delaware use the latter name, those of the sea-coast the former. Large sea-going individ- uals are sometimes known in New England by the names "Squid-hound" * Bass, Sea-Perch, White Salmon, SaliiioH Dace and Se7tiin, in England, Gape-mouth in Scotland, Z'r(j(^H()g' in Wales, ( This means hedgehog. Compare with the Hroton Dreiiiee.) /iVo and />'(iri- inl'Vance, i'an and Dreince in Brittany, See-Barsch in Germany, llav-Bars and Bars in Denmark, S/i\\ years ago 600 were thus taken which averaged 80 i)ounds each. The most successful fishery is on the plantation of Dr. W. R. Cajjehart, in Bertie County, N. C. At the ap- jiroach of spawning time, and during the continuence of the shad and herring fishery, the bass congregate near the head of Albemarle Sound, where they are taken in great numbers. Dr. Capehart writes: "We us- ually catch from 20,000 to 40,000 pounds of Striped Bass in a season of fifty days, — in March, April, and early May. Occasionally we make an immense catch. In 1S58, I took about 30,000 pounds in one haul. Many of these weighed 75 to 85 pounds. On the 6th of May, 1876, we made a haul of 820 Bass, weighing 37,000 pounds; 365 of this lot weighed 65 pounds, average, a great many 85 jjounds, and a i'cw 90 i)ounds. In the *In the first half of June, 1879, one fisherman near Fire Island, New York, caught and sent to New York the following quantities of Hass: I'dumls. Pounds. June 2 1 , J<"ie -r i,H7 June 5 913 June 6 1,5.. I June 8 1^298 June 9 1,255 J""e 14 1,253 June iS 1,500 Total 10,164 I J 26 AMERICAN FISHES. next haul we caught 13,000 ]iounds more, or 50,000 pounds altogether within six hours. This was at the Black Walnut Point fishery. At my Avoca Beach fishery a haul was made in 1844, which was supposed to amount to 100,000 pounds, but this was not accurately counted. Many of the individual fish weighed 95 pounds." A Hessian officer, stationed at New York during the Revolutionary war, recorded that great (piantities were at that time sold in the markets. In the year ending March, 1879, over 800,000 ])ounds of bass were sold in New York, the greatest numljcr being recorded for Novemoer. The Baltimore Gazette., in May, 1834 had this item: "Some fishermen at Carpenters Point took a iiingle haul, upwards of Soo rock fish of the largest size we ever saw. Some of them weighed upwards of 100 pounds, and the most of them averaged from 50 to 100 pounds." The annual consumption of this fish in the United States is estimated at not less than 200,000 pounds. I have found no very reliable evidence to show that the species is de- creasing in numbers. They are not taken by unfair means, nor captured by wholesale upon the spawning beds or in narrow waters. The citizens of New York a century and a quarter ago were apparently more concerned about it than at present, for in 1758 they passed a law proliibiting their sale during the winter months, on account of the "great decrease of that kind offish. ' ' An offender was to be fined forty shillings and forfeit his fish, and if he were a negro, mulatto or Indian slave, to be punished at the whipping post, unless his fine were paid by his master or mistress. The luiropcan Bass is probably (piite as abundant on the west coast of Spain and Portugal as anywhere within its range. Like other representatives of the perch family not exclusively marine in habit, the Striped Bass are resident in our waters throughout the year. They appear to avoid a temperature higher than 65° or 70°, and are not sensitive to cold, but their movements are not related to the changes of the seasons, and there is no evidence that they seek to avoid the approach of winter by southward migration like bluefish and Spanish mackerel, or by moving out into the temperate strata of mid-ocean, like shad, salmon, menhaden, and mackerel. Nor is it probable that they voluntarily enter upon a state of torpidity in winter, as some writers have supposed. Sev- eral authorities state that they go into fresh water streams in winter for shel- ter, and De Kay's opinion was that, entering bays and ponds, they embed themselves in the mud. We know, however, that hibernation of this kind is rarely voluntary; as a rule, fish retreat, with a falling temperature, into riJE STRIPED BASS. 27 the deepest waters, and never beeonie torpid until they are benumbed liy the cold, when they sink to the bottom, and possibly rest on a bed of mud. It is easy, however, to imderstand that individuals may occasionally be penned up in this way. Mr. (lenio C. Scott is responsible for the state- ment that the jjonds formed by the back water of the Seconnet River, in Rhode Island, were one winter so full of Striped Bass that they were dis- covered by their dorsal fins i)rojecting from the ice where they had been frozen by too close i)acking. Most of our Bass doubtless avoid such igno- minious captivity as this by retreating to the deeper parts of the sea. or the rivers, where they remain in a state of partial activity, at least, and have occasional opportunity for feeding. Since 1S75 there have come to my notice instances of their capture in Long Island and Block Island Sounds, and in the Merrimac River in December, in Martha's Vineyard Sound and the lower part of Hudson River in January. Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac yield considerable (juantities all winter. In the rivers of New Brunswick quantities of them are speared through holes in the ice, as they lie close to the bottom. The Bass are most voracious feeders. When in die rivers they prey upon small fishes, which are always a favorite, and at this time their exclusive diet. C. C. Abbott, once saw a ]5ass, a foot in length, devour a dozen silver-finned minnows in four minutes. "A Rock-fish," writes he, " will freciuently corner up a small school of minnows, and then pick them up as rapidly and easily as a fowl will piik up grains of corn, and while devour- ing them will keep them in a small ])lace, close together, all the time." They also frec^ 'ent the surf along the ocean beaches, and near rocky shores at high tide, hunting for crabs, shrimps, scpiids, and other inverte- brate animals. Oppian and ^'Elian tell astounding stories about ICuropean Bass, and how they choked themselves to death with their prey. ''The Lupus's foible," writes Badham, " is an inordinate greediness which, when choice fish can be obtained, renders all his cunning of no avail ; and his death is often brought about by means of a very insignifi- cant enemy." They spawn in the late spring and early in the summer, some of them in the rivers, others probably at sea, although this has not been definitely ascertained. The European Bass are said to deposit their spawn near the mouths of rivers, in the summer months. From North Carolina to New 28 AMERICAX FISHES. i Jersey the spawning time appears to be in May; in New Brunswick in June. Dr. Blanding, many years ago, estimated the number of eggs at 2,248,000. Seth Green puts the figures at 500,000. The experiments of Major Ferguson on Albemarle Sound, in May, 1S79, resulted in the artificial fecundation and hatching of many thousands of the eggs. These were smaller than shad eggs, but after fecundation they in- creased considerably in size, and assumed a light green color. They hatched in about twenty-four hours. About 400,000 young fish were libe- rated in Salmon Creek. Mr. Holton made similar experiments at Weldon, N. C, in May, 1873. He observed that the eggs did not come to maturity until the fourth or fifth day. This difference in the time of hatching was possibly due to the cooler temperature of the water in the Roanoke river. In the North Carolina waters they spawn in early May; in the Potomac also in JNla^ . Dr. C. C. Abbott for five successive years found in the Dela- ware River young an inch long in the second week of June. Professor Leith Adams observed bass spawning in the St. Johns River, N. B. about the middle of June. Their rate of growth is not certainly known. Dr. Abbott's inch-long fry of June measured four and one-half inches by the middle of October. Great quantities of young fish, from five to nine inches long, are taken in the Potomac in February and March. I believe them to be the young of the previous year. Capt. Gavitt, of Westerly, Rhode Island, has caught Bass in June that weighed from one-half to one pound, put them into a pond and taken tliem out in the following October, when they weighed six ])ounds. The aver- age size of this fish probably does not exceed twenty pounds. In the Poto- mac, Hudson, and Connecticut rivers the largest seldom exceed thirty or forty pounds, though in the Potomac fifty-pound fish are not unusual. The Fish Commission has for several years had a standing offer of a reward for a sixty-pound fish from the Potomac, but none has been forthcoming as yet. Dr. Henshall states that he once saw a Striped Bass weighed in the Baltimore fish market, which went several pounds over one hundred. In i860 one was taken at Cuttyhunk, which weighed 104 pounds. The largest on record was one weighing one hundred and twelve pounds, taken at Orleans, Massachusetts, in the Town Cove. Such a fish must have measured at least six feet in length. A fairly proportioned Bass thirty-six inches long should weigh at least eighteen pounds. Tin-: STRIPED BASS. 29 In (Jreat Britain a Bass of ten or twelve pounds is considered a fine example, but there are instances on record of individuals weighing 22 and 2% pounds, and those in Southern Europe do not appear to grow much larger. Few of our food-fish are more generally popular. The small ones, weighing less than a pound are fried, and are excellent pan-fish. Those from one to three pounds, are recommended for broiling, and from five to eight pound-fish are considered the best to boil. The very large ones are cut in transverse sections for boiling, and never lack jnirchasers. De Voe says that Bass are in the l)est condition in September, October and No- vember. THE EUROPEAN BASS. In Great Britain the Bass is not highly esteemed, but in France, Spain, Italy and Greece, is considered one of the finest of fishes. "He is a gallant fish and a bold biter," said Frank Forester; and Genio Scott puts him first among the game-fishes of coast and estuary. The Striped Bass is deservedly a favorite with the angler, whether he fishes with shrimp or clam bait in the brackish creeks, entices with the artificial fly at the L.ttle or Great Falls of the Potomac, trolls in the swift tideways, tolls with menhaden bait from the stages at Basque and Cuttyhunk, still- baits in the bays, or "heaves and hauls" in the wild surf of the outer shores. The last mentioned method is perhaps the most peculiar, and de- serves a few words of description. In Scott's " Fishing in American Waters," and in Roosevelt and Green's "Fish Hatching and Fish Catch- ing," may be found descriptions of the various kinds of tackle used in Bass-fishing, and graphic, breezy stories of adventurous days passed in this pursuit. Mr. Scott does not hesitate to claim for his favorite the first Pi' 30 AMERICAN FISHES. place on the list of American game-fishes. After devoting several chap- ters to other methods of capture, he continues : "Casting menhaden bait for Striped T'ass, from the rocky shores of the bays, estuaries, and islands along the Atlantic coasts constitute the highest branch of American ang- ling. It is, indeed, questionable — when considering all the elements which contribute to the sum total of sport in angling — whether this method of Striped Bass fishing is not superior to Hy-fishing for salmon, and if so, it outranks any angling in the world. The method is eminently American, and characteristic of the modern angler by its energy of style, and the ex- ercise and activity necessary to success." The rods used in this kind of fish- ing must not exceed nine feet in length, and are very light, often less than a i)ound in weight, the lines of linen or hemp, two to three hundred yards long, must be of the utmost strength and elasticity, the reels must represent the perfection of the tackle-maker's skill, triple-multipliers, with jewel- mounted wheels and delicately adjusted balance-cranks. The unsuspecting Basses are lured in by the use of a toll bait of chopped menhaden, which is cast upon the water until an oily surface or slick is produced which ex- tends half a mile or more from the shore. This attracts the fish, which swim toward the angler, stopping now and then to seize the floating bits offish. When they come within reach of the fisherman's line a strong hook, deli- cately baited with a bit of menhaden, pork, or parchment, is quickly offered them. "With a dexterity which practice alone can assume," writes Mr. Hallock, " the experienced anglers carefully sway the rod until the squid describes its slowly moving circle around the head, and then, by a quick, inexplicable movement, cause it to dart like an arrow, straight out far over the sea, and the reel whizzes and whirls until it seems to flash fire, and you wait long and patiently for the cessation of the hum, which indicates that the squid has dropped full one hundred feet, perhaps one hundred and fifty feet away. The pleasure and excitement of capture are intense, and often the struggle lasts for an hour when the fish is large." On Basque and Cuttyhunk, two of the Elizabeth Islands, lying be- tween Buzzard's Bay and Martha's Vineyard Sound, are several club-houses, sustained by wealthy gentlemen from New York who resort to this region in summer to enjoy this amusement. Long stages project from the rocks into the sound and bay, and from these the anglers cast their squids and play their fish, attended by their " baiters," who do their full share of labor in finding bait, baiting hooks, and gaffing the fish. Ill-natured rumor FISH jLiikWd LIBRARY THE STRIPED BASS, 3» whisiKTs that for every ijound of Bass brought to sliorc hy these hard-work- ing cUib-mcn, hundreds of j.ounds of menhaden are cast into the sea. An obliging correspondent furnishes the following description of one of these clubs : " The Island of Cuttyhunk is about sixteen miles from New Bedford, at the extreme southwesterly boundary of Buzzard's Bay, whose foaming billows wash its northern shore, while the ocean itself beats upon the south. The Cuttyhunk Club own about three hundred acres of land, and have the exclusive right to fish on the shores and in the jionds of the island. When the club was first formed they stocked one of the ponds on the island with black bass, and these have multiplied so plentifully that they are now caught in large numbers. No fishing was allowed for three years from the time the pond was stocked. Perch and trout are also plenty in ponds on the island. Twenty-six fishing stands have been built at Cuttyhunk. and they extend completely round the island. These stands are built upon prominent rocks, and are supported above the breakers by iron rods. Foot bridges, supported in the same way, are built from the shore to the stands. The stands are all named or numbered, and are drawn for every night by the mem- bers of the club. A member drawing a stand can fish from it the next day, or it can be used l)y any one else by his permission. The stands bear such names as ' Nashawena Point,' ' Canepitset,' ' Old Water I,ine.' * Cove Point, 'Little Bass,' 'Big Bass,' and 'Cull Roiks.' The stands are all removed after the season is over, to be put up again the next year. ' Central Park' seats have this season been placed on the bluffs round the island at con- venient points, from which to watch the fishing at each stand, so that mem- bers who are not lucky enough to secure favorite stands can sit with ease and enjoy the sport of their fellow-members. The favorite fishing is for Striped Bass, and, during the best of the season, the sjjort is cc nimenced as early as three o'clock in the morning. A record is kej)t at the club house of the daily catch, by whom caught, where taken, on what station, the number of fish, weight, and date. Some members of the Cuttyhunk Club also belong to the West Island Club, which controls only five acres of land. The West Island Club is limited to thirty members, with an ad- mission fee of $1,000." Professor Leith Adams has drawn a vivid pen-picture of Indian Bass-fish- ing in New Brunswick. "The Indians (on the St. John's River) pursue them at spawning time. The scene on a beautiful summer afternoon is extremely ex- citing. There a few canoes containing remnants of the Melicita tribe may be seen dropping quietly down the river, each with an Indian in the prow, spear in hand, and another at the stern paddling gently; then a sudden splash close by calls for his utmost exertions, and like an arrow the birch-bark skiff is shot towards the spot, when the man in front, rest- ing on his knees, with much force and dexterity sends his three-pronged harpoon straight on the fish." ill, ! THE WHITE BASS. nOCCUS CIIRTSOPfl. THE WHITE BASS AND THE YELLOW BASS. Si4Me. Has he bit ? Has lie bit ? Face. And swallmvcil tcio, my Subtle. I have given him line, and now he plays I' faith. SiiMe, And shall we twitch liim? Face, Through both the gills. r.i;N. JdNSON, T/ie Alchemist, ifni, .Act. ii, Pc. i. * 'T^HE White Bass, or Striped T.ake Bass, Roccus chrysops, is often con- founded with the Striped Bass, which it closely resembles. It may easily he distinguished by the presence of thirteen, instead of eleven, soft rays in the anal fin, as well as by the greater size of its scales, of which there are about fifty-five rows, instead of sixty or more. It is most abundant in the Great Lake region, although it has a witle distribution in the Ohio and upi)er tributaries of the Mississippi, and is found in many streams farther south. It frequents chiefly the lakes and ponds and the deeper parts of the rivers. It feeds upon minnows and the like, usually taking the hook readily, and is considered gamy by the angler. As a food-fish it ranks high, being little inferior to the black- bass. Its usual weight is from one to three pounds. The White Ba.ss is said to be an excellent fish for cultivation in artificial ponds. Like most of its relatives, this species spawn in late spring. " It is often taken in the Ohio River," writes Jordan, " and frequents chiefly deep or still waters, seldom ascending small stre.uns. rifE WHITE BASS AXD TJfK YKLLOW BASS. 33 This is doubtless the Silver Bass of Canada (A- Siln-r Bass liu Cathu/c), the details of whose introdiutit)n into I'raiue, and successful propagation l)y M. Carbonnier, from 1S77 to 1S79, are recorded by that experimenter in the Bulletin of the Society of Acclimation for iSSi.* The species at one time attained to commercial importance in the Lake Region, but has now greatly decreased in numbers. It is especially ad- mired by the anglers of T^ake re])in. Another species which closely resembles the Stripeil Hass is the Moronr intcrrupta, generally known as the Yellow Bass, but sometimes called THE YELLOW BASS, MOROXE IXTERIirPTA. Bar-fish in the South. It is found throughout the lower course of the Mississippi, ascending tlie tributaries which are deep and sluggish, but not running past rapids or into the upper courses of the rivers. Jordan states that its range extends up the Ohio to the mouth of the Wabash or beyond, though it does not seem to be common anywhere except in the Lower Mississippi. It probably enters salt water, but of this we have no certain information. It is taken in considerable numbers in the regions where found, and is graded with the White Bass, which it much resembles in size and color. Little is known in regard to its habits. The criterion by which it maybe distinguished from the White Bass is the low membrane connecting the two dorsal fins. Its color is yellow, not silvery, and the black stripes are very prominent. ♦Bulletin Mcnsucl delaSociete d" Acclimation, viii. No. a, p. lo. 3 ' I 1 i i i^ \i 34 AM ERIC AX J'lSIfES. In Lotiisiana this species is called " T.ar-fish " probably on account of its stripes. " The appellation," says Hallock, " is etnially appropriate as applied to its habit ot" congregating in great numbers upon the shoals of dear water bran<:hcs and bayous which empty into the Mississippi. The minnows and shiners seem to seek the bars at night. In early morning the water is alive with Bar-fish and trout (black-bass) in jnirsuit of the minnows until it fairly boils. This is the time of day to go fishing." d r- THE WHITE PERCH. Moroiw anwricana. Nor let the Muse, In her award of f.iim;, Ilhistrious I'erili, uniioiiced p;iss thy claim, Prince of the prickly cnhurt, hred in lakes, To feast our boards, what sapid boneless flakes Thy solid llesh supplies I thmiyli overfed, No dantier fish in ocean's pastures bred Swims thy compeer. AusoNius, The Moselle. 'T'HE apostrophe of Ausonius was prophetic, for his words apply much more exactly to the species of Moniiic now under discussion than to the Pcrca which the poet had in mind. This fish, closely related to the Yellow Bass, occurs in brackish water in the mouths of rivers, and even, in many instances, in fresh-water ponds, where it had become land-locked, and all along the coast from Georgetown, S. C, to Nova Scotia. Dr. Yarrow states that it abounds in the Tar and Neuse Rivers, N, C. In the Chesapeake and tributary streams it is ex- ceedingly abundant. It also abounds in the lakes and streams of the St. John River, New Brunswick, and in the vicinity of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It has been claimed by certain observers in Florida that White Perch were formerly abundant in that region, and the marketmen of New Orleans state that they were common in Lake Pontchartrain until the Bonnet Carre Crevasse changed the water from salt to fresh. Mr. Stearns and Prof. Jordan having investigated the subject, are of the opinion that these theorists are mistaken. 36 AMERICAN FISHES. The habits of this fish have been but little observed ; in fact, it has been the custom of nearly all writers on game fishes to speak lightly of it. It found an earnest advocate in Mr. Thaddeus Norris, who, after protest- ing strenuously against the statement of various writers that it is rarely brought to market for food ; that it is only fit for chowder ; that it is not of sufficient importance to merit particular notice, and so on, goes on to state, what is undoubtedly true, that in season the White Perch is the pan- fish, excelled by none in the Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Norfolk and Richmond markets ; and he might have added, had he been writing at the present time, of the New York market also, for there is, probably, no fish of its size which is more universally popular throughout the Eastern States than the White Perch. In a single paragraph, Mr. Norris, who, making no professions of scientific skill, has been one of our best observers of fishes, has given almost the only reliable information which has ever been collected regard- ing this species. " Its most natural habitat is in fresh tidal rivers, where it is found on flat clay and muddy bottoms, and in shallow water. It is frequently found far above the terminus of the tide, and is often more abundant in fresh than in brackish water in the season of the year when sought for by anglers. This fish, when found in salt water creeks, is darker in color, but there is no specific difference. The White Perch is a congener of the magnificent rock-fish, and is frequently found feeding in the same place and in his company. Its average length is eight or nine inches ; it is not often more than twelve, though in rare instances it is found four- teen inches long. White Perch hibernate in the deep waters of our bays, and ascend the fresh tidal rivers soon after the ice and snow-water have run off. They feed greedily on the spawn of other fish, ])articularly that of the shad; on insects, crabs, minnows and on the migratory schools of young eels which are found in the months of April and May in great numbers at any rapid or dam obstructing the upward flow of the tide. Perch usually spawn in May, and then resort to deeper waters to recuperate, and all summer long are found by the angler, ever swimming around the deep-sunk pier or the timbers of the rickety old bridge, snapping at shrimps or chasing the minnows ; at flood-tide high up amongst the water- lilies, and never refusing a bait, if of the right sort and properly presented. ' ' Dr. C. C. Abbott has added some impoi^ant observations. He found female fish heavy with apparently ripe ova as late as June lo. The largest THE WHITE PERCH. 37 chools of specimens of White Perch taken in the Delaware weighed, respectively, one pound nine ounces, one pound thirteen ounces, and two pounds one ounce. These were caught in a shad net in May, 1865, at the fishery opposite Trenton. The average adult fish may be said to measure eight inches and weigh from seven to nine ounces. He continues : " I believe, for reasons to be given, that the growth of the young is very rapid, and that the August Perch are young, hatched late in the preceding May and April ; in June these August Perch measuring about two-and-a-half to three inches in length. ... I should judge that spawning occurred between May 10 and June 10, usually nearer the former than the latter date. This is based on the fact of having gathered very young fish, the age of which \ guessed {xoxs\ the general condition and amount of develop- ment of the specimens. After the middle of June the White Perch are found in localities widely different ; even waters with a dense growth of lily and river weeu -f^ found to contain them in apparent health and vigor — spots where the K ,k fish could not live a day. Still later in the summer, as the young Perch become ([uite strong and of some size, the river, although in and above tide-water, fairly teems with them. At this season they go in schools, sometimes of large size. I have known of twelve, fifteen and twenty dozen August Perch being taken with a line in as short a time as from three to five hours. Fishing in this way a line with half a dozen hooks is used, and worms, sturgeon spawn or live min- nows are used as bait. These schools of small Perch I supposed to be broods of the preceding May, and that they kept together until late in November. They pass down to the salt water and there separate. Larger adult fish are not as restless as these smaller ones, and are found in deeper water, and usually in the tide-waters. In their feeding habits the White Perch agree very closely with the rock-fish. In all their habits, in fact, the two fish are much alike, and in the Delaware they are always asso- ciated, the most noticeable difference in their habits being the ability of the Perch to remain and thrive in warmer waters than the rock-fish is ever found frequenting." Harris, in his "Game Fish of Pennsylvania." writes: "When taken with a skittered minnow or bright fiy on a light rod, we do not hesitate to class as a game fish the AVhite Perch. Large individuals are caught on the edges of the si)latterdocks and in the eddies around the piers of the bridges spanning the numerous creeks that flow into the Delaware, the bait being a live minnow. At night, in the incoming tide, large Perch ill^ i r 38 AMERICAN FISHES. are caught in great numbers with the worm, in the waters below and above Philadelphia. The angler sits in the stern of the boat and fishes with a short rod and line. Perch caught by the above methods run large and are gamy, and those caught on rod and reel at Pennsgrove, Salem and other places further down the bay give great sport on light-running tackle. I see nothing to commend in the method of fishing for Perch as practiced by the " bow-line " fishers for the fingerlings which swarm in great schools upon the bars of the river above and below the tide-waters of the Dela- ware. It takes a basketful to make a breakfast for a small family. I have seen and counted a catch of 1,300 small Perch made with worm bait by three lines in two hours' fishing at Titusville, N. J., nine miles above tide-water. ' ' It seems very strange that no attempt should have been made to intro- duce the White Perch into Europe. It would thrive admirably in the estuaries and sluggish streams, and would be far more worthy of the atten- tions of the British angler than various species of so-called '' coarse fish" which he now pursues. It would be a great boon to the easy going British angler of the Waltonian type, to whom the pleasure of the rural scenery and quiet outing is of more moment than the strength and vo- racity of the fishes which chance to encounter his lures. » THE SEA BASSES. So gaat het hicr : dat's Werclts overvloed, (Waar mee de Mensch wiird koninglijk gevoed Door guile gunst des mildcii gevcrs) doct Hem vaak vergtetcn. Steenbrassrm, Stciir en Dartien en Knor-haan, 'E.nZc'f-Bitiirs diu geen vorst sal laten slaan En Kabellau : en Saliii, die (wel gebraan). Is vet, en vocdig. Jakob Steenuam, /' Lou/ van Niew Nederland, 1661. 44'T'HE SEA BASS is another gentleman among his finny comrades," wrote Frank Forester. He belongs to the family Scrranidce, the members of which are similar in form and habits to the Perches, from which they are distinguished by certain anatomical characters, scarcely tangible to persons not expert in ichthyology. This fiimily contains a very large number of species, some of which are to be found in all the tropi- cal and temperate seas. On our Atlantic coast there are over twenty kinds, while in California, there are four, at least, which are of economic importance. The Sea Bass is also known south of Cape Hatteras as the " Black fish," and is the most important species on our coast. In the Middle States the Sea Bass is called "Black Will," "Black Harry," and " Hannahills ;" about Newport and New Bedford, "Bluefish," and at New Bedford also, "Rock Bass." Curiously enough, the Southern name, " Blackfish," is in use at Oak Bluffs, on Martha's Vineyard, and, it is said, also in New Jer- 40 AMERICAN FISHES. 11 sey. In Gill's " Catalogue of the Fishes of the East Coast," and in Storer's " Fishes of Massachusetts," I find the statement that it is known as the " Black Bass." If this was true at any time, the usage has since undergone a very considerable change. The species should be carefully distinguished from the Blackfish of Long Island Sound, which is the tautog, a member of a very different family. Under the name Sea Bass, are included two species, so similar in gene- ral appearance that it is scarcely necessary to discriminate between them, — so similar, indeed, that for a score of years after the differences had been pointed out by Holbrook, the Carolina ichthyologist, naturalists refused to believe in their existence.* The habits of the two are so similar that they will be treated as one throughout this essay. The combined range of the two species embraces the Cape Ann, Massa- chusetts, and the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico. It has not yet been determined where the dividing line in their distribution should be drawn. It is probable, however, that it is somewhere in the neighborhood of Hat- teras, since the atrarius type prevails about Charleston, where indeed Dr. Garden obtained the specimens which he sent to Linnaeus to name and de- scribe. There is doubtless a neutral ground occupied by both species, and the determination of its limits would be a capital subject for some enterpris- ing angler to investigate. The extreme southern limit of the Sea Bass appears to be the sandy coast of Texas, where Jordan ascertained that it is rarely if ever seen. Silas Stearns informs us that it is rather abundant in certain rocky locali- ties along the Gulf coast of Florida. In Pensacola Bay it is seen about the piles of stone ballast that lie in shoal water, and also at sea on the fishing grounds near the entrance. It also occurs in St. Andrew's, St. Joseph's, and Apalachicola Bay ; and to the southward, where there is more or less rocky bottom, showing either in reefs or in channel-beds, it is found in abundance. In the vicinity of St. Mark's, Cedar Keys, and St. Mar- tin's Reef are other prolific Bass reefs. It has only recently been found to occur north of Cape Cod. Previous to 1878, there were on record only four instances of its occurence east of Nantucket, but in the summer of 1878 several were taken in the Milk Is- land weir, off Gloucester. This weir, which lies on the west side of Milk * 5. furvus, the northern form, has the air hladder simple, and the pectoral as long as the ventral fin ; 5. atrarius, the southern form has the air bladder sacculated, and the pectoral longer than the ventral. H '.'iiii n Storer's n as the ndergone nguished member in gene- i them, — had been efused to d as one 1, Massa- : yet been le drawn, i of Hat- deed Dr. ; and de- cies, and nterpris- le sandy er seen. y locali- n about on the w's, St. is more s found t. Mar- revious east of Hilk Is- of Milk tral fin ; S. •^ rr i; < ^ 2. B 5 f m' iil THE SEA BASSES. 41 Island, almost under the shadow of the twin light-hou>es of Thatcher's Is- land, waylaid many southern species never before known to enter Massa- chusetts Bay, among them the kingfish and the Spanish mackerel. At some future time the Sea Bass may become abundant in these more north- erly waters. Like the scuppaug, the Spanish mackerel, and the bluefish, it was at one time almost unknown to New England. In the " Catalogue of the Fishes of Connecticut," published in 1842 by Linsley, the species is described as a great novelty. However strange to the people of Connecti- cut at this time, it is said by Storer to have been so abundant, between 1850 and i860, that fifty or sixty vessels were accustomed to obtain full fares in summer about the Vineyard Sound. This statement is probably somewhat of an exaggeration. The "Zee-Baars" mentioned in the verse of Steendam's poem, "In Praise of New Netherland," which stands at the head of this chapter may or may not have been Centropristis. Mr. Murphy, in his translation, gives the exact equivalent of the Dutch words. : — " The bream, and sturgeon, drumfish and gurnard The Sea-Bass which a prince would not discard The cod and salmon cooked with due regard, Most palatable." Schoepf, writing of the fishes of New York in 1787, stated that the " Blackfish " was rarely brought to New York, and the species does not appear to have been at all prominent among the New England food fishes of the last century. A diligent search through the works of the early writers fails to bring to light any definite allusions. It would be interest- ing to know whether there has actually been an increase in their abund- ance, or whether the apparent increase has been, as with the Spanish mackerel, due to the introduction of new modes of fishing, or the discovery of new fishing grounds. The favorite haunts of the Sea-Bass are among the rocky ledges and " spots of ground " which are so abundant in the bays and sounds, and are scattered at intervals along the outer Atlantic coast. Among the boulders and ledges, full of cracks and crevices, which mark the position of these localities, there grow, in the greatest profusion, invertebrates of every order. A haul of the dredge over a good fishing ground often brings up tens of thousands of minute animals. A hundred species have often been recorded from a single dredging by the Fish Commission. Upon such feeding grounds the Sea-Bass congregate in great herds, rooting ! i h! ■n i 4» AMERICAN FISHES. and delving among the holes, in search of delicacies. The best Rass grounds in the North are usually covereil by water twenty to fifty feet deep, while off Charleston they are from sixty to one hundred and twenty feet below the surface. Throughout the whole region of irs distribution the species usually occurs near the shore, and also in spots of medium ilepth, where suitable feeding- grounds occur. In the Gulf of Me.xico they are often found in very shoal water ; indeed, all along the Southern coast the young fish are found close in to the shore, and I have seen a great many taken with hook and line from the sea-wall at St. Augustine. The temperature of the water affected by this species and by the red snapper corresponds very closely, and in most instances is probably not less than 50°, though on the coast of Con- necticut and New York it may be slightly lower. The Sea-Bass is a bottom-feeding and a bottom-loving fish, and, it may be said, rarely comes to the surface. This rule has exceptions, however, for Mr. Charles Hallock writes: "Although the Sea-Bass is a bottom fish, yet once on an outward-bound voyage to the southward of the (nilf Stream we made fast to a ship's lower mast, found drifting on the surface, which was covered with clams and bainacles and surrounded with Sea-Bass. We caught all that we wanted and cut loose. They weighed from five to twelve pounds each, and were all male fish." Whether or not those occurring in northern waters migrate southward in winter, or merely go into deeper water, is not yet ascertained. According to Capt. Edwards and Capt. Spindle, they make their appearance in the Vineyard Sound from the ist to the 20th of May up to the loth of June. Capt. Spindle states that no stragglers are ever seen in April. Capt. Edwards declares, on the other hand, that they are found in that region in the winter, and I find in my note-book a statement that they have been taken in the Vine- yard Sound in the winter by Thomas Hinkley and others. A careful study of their habits would form an important contribution to zoology. They are somewhat sluggish in their habits. The temperature of the body is low, being very nearly that of the surrounding water, and their digestion is slow. Although very eager feeders at times, they seem much less fat than bluefish of the same size, and their growth is less rapid. They seldom leave the bottom, and there is as yet no evidence that cold weather drives them far from their summer haunts. They retreat, in all probability, into water of greater depth, where they pass the winter in a somewhat '!■;' THE SEA BASSES. 43 torpid state. Like tlic taiito},', they a])i)car to liavc a habit of lyiii.t,' under loose stones and in cavities amon^' tiie rocks. I have observed tliis habit in the tanks of the New York Aiiuarium, my attention having been called to their movements by Mr. Fred. Mather. In tlie South they are feedintj; all the year. I have seen them taken in February on the Snapper Hanks at the mouth of the St. Johns, at St. Augustine, and along the wharves of Charleston. The food of this species, as of its associates upon the same groimds, consists of crabs, shrimps, scpiids and small fish. It is stated that the intestines of mackerel and the stomachs of menhaden are considered the best bait about Wood's Holl, Mass., while further south, shrimi)s and pieces of the flesh of fishes, such as small sharks, are frecjuently used. They are voracious feeders and readily attracted ; their mouths are tough and leathery, so that when once hooked they are not easily lost. Scott states that their feeding time is during the lull of the waters between the turn of the tides, when they are easily taken by the angler. In the North the Sea-Bass occupies the feeding grounds in company with the scuppaug or porgy, the flounder and the tautog, while in the South its associates are the red snapper and the various species of grunt, and on the inshore grounds, among the rocks, it occurs in company with the sheeps- head and the king-fish. The breeding time is believed to occur in July and August. Mr. Dyer, of Naushon, states that the Sea-Bass, when they come into the pounds in the spring, are full of spawn, ready to shoot. Young fish, one or two inches long, are abundant among the eel-grass along the shores of Southern New England. In the Gulf of Mexico, according to Stearns, they spawn in early summer, and the young are caught in July and August. The average size of the fish in New England is about one-and-one-half pounds. A Sea-Bass nine inches long weighs about five ounces ; ten inches long, six to ten ounces ; eleven inches long, nine to twelve ounces ; twelve inches long, ten to sixteen ounces ; while the length of a three-pound fish varies from'eighteen to twenty inches. They occasionally attain the weight of four or five pounds, but this is unusual. In the South they are, as a rule, much smaller than in the North. This is especially the case in the Gulf of Mexico. In these waters, and along the southern part of the South Atlantic coast, they rarely exceed a pound in weight. Large male fish are remarkable on account of the presence of a large hump upon the 44 AMERICAN FISHES. 1! 'I I'iiirH 1 top of the head. This is particularly prominent during the breeding siason, and at this time the colors of the whole body are much brighter. The colored plate of this species, drawn by Mr. Kilburn for Scribner's " (iame Fishes of the United States," represents a large male at the breeding season, the only picture of this kind which has ever yet been made. The Sea-Bass is of interest to fish culturists as being the first marine fish upon which the experiment of artificial propagation was tried in this country. This was in June, 1874, when Mr. Mather fertilized a number of eggs at the station of the United States Fish Commission at Noank, Conn. These eggs were placed in shad boxes and were watched for several days, as they passed through the early stages of segmentation. A storm interfered with the completion of the experiment, and it has never been repeated. The Sea-Bass is without many rivals as a chowder fish, and for boiling. Its flesh is firm, flaky, and very sweet. The hardness of the flesh makes it desirable for packing in ice, and prevents rapid deterioration in hot weather. The head is so large that half the weight of the fish is lost in the process of dressing for the table. There are excellent fishing grounds on the Savannah Bank and others near Charleston, at the mouth of the Chesapeake and the Delaware Bays, off the coast of New Jersey and the entrance to New York harbor and in Long Island Sound, and Buzzard's Bay. The latter are frequented in summer by ten or twelve Connecticut smacks, which purvey for the New York market. The fish are carried in the wells of the smacks to Noank or New London, where they are kept alive in floating cars until needed for shipment. It is one of the chief recommendations of this fish that it is so hardy and tenacious of life that it can be kept any length of time in confinement. Thousands of them may be seen, swimming in perfect health in the cars, crowded together until their sides are in contact, and thus they are often kept for weeks. Before they are placed in the wells the fisherman has recourse to the expedient of thrusting an awl into the side of the fish so as to puncture the air-bladder. Otherwise they would float on the surface, on account of the expansion of air in the bladder after the removal of the pressure of the weight of water under which they are accustomed to live. Several of the Noank smacks are usually employed from November to April in fishing for Sea- Bass on the Southern coast. These supply the Charleston market. THE SEA BASSES. 45 In summer several steamers make daily trips from New York to the fishing banks off Sandy Hook and Long liranch. They are jiatronizcd by thousands of amateur fisherman, who seldom fail to bring back trophies of Sea-Bass and scuppaug. In the summer of 1832, Captain Lyman Bel)e of the fishing smack Mary, of New York, discovered a notable fishing bank al)out twenty miles to the eastward of Sandy Hook. 1832 was the year of the " great cholera," and its progress was the one topic of conversation, and Captain Bebc named his new-found fishing ground the " Cholera lianks." Another famous reef, known as the " Fishing Banks," extends from off the Highlands of Navesink, past Long Branch, to a point about opposite S(iuan Beach. Both of these are favorite resorts for New Yorkers, who visit them on the small excursion steamers. An artist, visiting the Cholera Banks thus records his experience : " Starting so early in the morning tiuit his eyes are still heavy with unexpendeil sleep, he soon finds himself on the steamer in company with a hundred more fellow passengers, some of whom are heavy-eyed and in- clined to grumble about the hour of starting, while others are cheerful, and full of excitement at the prospect of the day's sport. Down the bay, through the Narrows, across the lower bay, and out to sea, steams the little craft on which they are embarked. I'ast the red light-ship, and twenty miles due east from Sandy Hook, she runs, and then begins the search for the Banks. The pilot takes ranges by several of the big hotels, of which so many have i.een erected during recent years along the south shore of Long Island ; a man in the bows takes soundings; and if the day be clear, the steamer is soon brought to anchor directly above the reef, and a hun- dred eager lines are droi)ped overboard. '' Once at anchor the fun and trouble begin together. It is fun to catch fish ; but seasickness is among the saddest of human experiences, and many of those who have bravely endured the pitching to which the steamer has been treated ever since she left Sandy Hook suct:umb at once to the motion that succeeds it as soon as she comes to anchor, and rises and falls with regular, ceaseless monotony on the long swells. "Apart from these and ridiculing their wretchedness, stand the profession- als and toughened amateurs, smoking short pipes, hauling in fish, making cruel jokes upon the condition of the novices, and thoroughly enjoying them- selves. They bait their hooks with hard-shell clams, skillfidly toss their leaden sinkers far out from the steamer's side, let run fourteen fathoms of line, and haul in Sea Bass, black-fish, flukes, rock cod, weak fish, porgies, or whatever else comes to hand. Once in a while a line goes whizzing through the water with a wild rush, there is a protracted struggle, and an ugly customer in the form of a shark either breaks the line and escapes, or is hauled on board amid much rejoicing. 46 AMERICAN FISHES. The first catcli of the day is always watched for with the j,'reatest interest, for upon it de])ends the ownershij) of a number of small pools that have l)een made up amon^' tiie i)assen,t,'ers. Other points to he scored are the largest catches of the tUiy in nunii)ers and weight, and the catching (jf the heaviest single fish. Late in the afternoon the anchor is lifted, lines are drawn in, and the steamer is headed toward home. Then comes a lime of great interest. The fish are (leaned, sorted, weighed, examined with care, ])asse(l aroiuid for inspection, and commented ujwn. Sjjecial lots are laid aside for home consumption and for distribution among friends ; and freipiently those who have made the large catches, and have more than they know how to dis- pose of otherwise, raffle them off or present them to the crew of the steamer."* This species is captured in great quantities in the pounds and traps of Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts. Its distribution is wide, many of its haunts are unfrequented by fishermen, and it is probable that its im- portance as a food fish will increase in years to come. In 1880, over 350,000 pounds were sold in New York city. There is a small species, Scrranus trifiircus, resembling the Sea-I?ass which has been found only in the vicinity of Charleston, S. C, and Pen- sacohi, Fla., where it is called the " Rock Black-fish." It occasionally finds its way to the Charleston markets. The Squirrel fish, Serramis fasciculan's, is a beautifully colored species, usually to be seen in the markets of Charleston, north of which locality it has not been found. The following paragraph from Holbrook's " Ich- thyology of South Carolina," contains all that has been observed regard- ing its habits : ** Little can be said of the habits of this fish. It, however, appears in our waters in May and June, and remains until November. It is occasionally taken with the hook on tiie black-fish grounds, but is never abundant. Southward it ranges at least to Brazil." * Harper's IFeekly, Nov. i, 1884. (With illustrations.) Tllh: lll.ACK (JIIIMPKU THE GROUPERS AND THE ]E\V FISH. Hugest of nil lire hsh In soa For they were formed by liuavon's great King liefure :ill other eartlily thiiiL- V'/ii- I I'l'dA't' i;/'St. I>>\tn,/o>i iMediajval) 'T*HE various species of (Irouper are already of importance, and will be still more highly appreciated by the anglers of future generations. They are members of the genus EpiiicpJicliis, and other closely related genera. The Red Groujier, Epiiu'phclus morio, is a large species, some- times attaining the weight of for ^y or fifty pounds. There is no certain record of its having been captured north of Florida, where it is called the "Brown Snapper" or "Red-bellied Snapper." DeKay, writing in 1S42, stated that it was not unusual in the New York market in June and July, where it was called by the fishermen ' Gropcr,' or ' Red (Iroi)er'; that it is a Southern species and is brought from the reefs of Florida, but that he had been informed by West Indian fishermen that it is occasionally, but rarely, taken off the coast of New York ; he added that Dr. Holbrook in- formed him that it was brought into the Charleston markets from Florida in the months of January, February, and March. Holbrook wrote : " The Grouper is so seldom seen on our coast that nothing can at this time be said of its habits ; but in confinement, as it is brought to us from Key West, it appears very voracious and bold, taking 48 AMERICAN FISHES. II !;i im 'M food even from the hand when offered, and always injuring such other species offish as may be its fellow-captives." It is often taken in the Gulf of Mexico and about the Florida Keys, and it is said also to be abundant along the whole coast of East Florida, and is often taken on the St. John's bar. Mr. S. C. Clarke writes that it occurs in the vicinity of New Smyrna, Fla., where it spawns in bays and inlets in the months of May and June, as does also the Black Grouper. The only reliable study of its habits which has been made we owe to Mr. Silas Stearns, whose biographical sketch of this species may here be quoted in full : " The Red Grouper is extremely abundant in the Gulf of Mexico in com- pany with the red snapper. It is most abundant on the South Florida coast, and is found throughout the year on the ' grounds ' at sea, and in sum- mer in some of the bays. It probably spawns in both places, and in June and July. The young are often caught in Pensacola Bay. In June, 1880, I obtained a young one about one inch in length. The Grouper is more of a bottom fish than the red snapper, for it swims much more slowly and very seldom rises to the surface. It is very voracious, consuming, as is shown by an examination of the contents of its stomach, enormous quan- tities of crustaceans and small fish. Large horny crabs, in almost perfect condition, are often found inside of it. Its movements are rather slow, and when hooked it is hauled up more like a dead-weight than like a live fish. In South Florida it is extensively eaten when procurable, and at Key West it is particularly important, since a large fleet of smacks is constantly employed in carrying fares of Grouper to Cuba. In West Florida, where red snappers are more abundant. Groupers are not in demand and have but a small market value. After being taken from the water, the Grouper is remarkably tenacious of life, and will live several hours, even though ex- posed to considerable heat. This is one reason why the Key West fleet prefer Groupers for transportation to Cuba, since they are obliged to go a long way to market and through warm water, and no other fish of the kind would bear crowding and chafing in the wells of the smacks. The Grouper attains the weight of forty pounds, and is an excellent food fish." In Cuba, this fish is called by the Spanish name " Cherna." The name "Grouper" is a corruption of Garoupa, a name given by the Portu- guese to similar species. In DeKay's time, as has been remarked, this fish was not unusual in the New York market, where it sold for from six to THE GROUPERS AXD THE [EW FISH. 49 twelve cents a pound, thougli its llesh was considered tough, and not very highly esteemed. Gill, writing of the same market in TS56, said: "This species is sometimes sent to our market from Key West and the reefs of Idorida in May and the summer months. 1 have never seen more than two or three exposed for sale at a single time ; it appears to be considerably esteemed, and is sold at from twelve to fd'teen cents a pound." denio Scott writes: "'The (Irouper is an excellent dinner-fish, ant! when boiled and served with drawn butter and shrimj) or lobster sauce is saitl to fidly equal the turbot." The Black Grouper, Epiiicplwltts iiL;ri/us, is called in Florida and Texas the "Jew-fish," and at Pensacola, known by the name "Warsaw," e\ i- dently corruption of the Spanish name Gnasa. It was first brought to notice by Holbrook, who had received one specimen from the vicinity of Charleston ; north of that point it had not yet been observetl, though it appears to be abundant along the coast of East Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. S. C. Clarke has obser\ed it in the Indian River region, and communicated the following notes to Professor Bi.ird ; "The Black Grouper is resident all the year, though not abundant. The greatest size attained is about fifteen ])Ounds. They jiass the winter in the salt-water rivers, living in holes in the rocks and under roots and snags and about piles. They are solitary in their habits. Tlie\' feed on small fish, particularly mullet, and on crustaceans, and breed in tlie salt rivers in May and June. Their spawn is very small, and pale yellow. They are taken with hook and line by the use of mullet and cral) bait, and are seldom seen except when thus captured. They are much esteemed as food." In an essay on "Florida Game Fishes," published in llic America 11 Aiif^kr, the same writer says : — " From a deep hole in the Halifax River, two of us took in one morning, seven groupers, from four to eight pounds in weight, and lost three larger ones which broke our lines. That hole had not been fished for years, and although 1 have often fished it since, J have never taken another from it." Mr. Stearns remarks that it is a common fish at sea along the Gulf coast, living chiefly on the same s])ots with snappers and Groupers. At some places it is found in abundance in the bays, and lives on the bottom, feed- ing upon small fishes, crabs, etc. On the fishing grounds when fish are being caught rapidly it is not of unusual occurrence. 5° AMERICAN FISHES. ■il A very large Jew-fish will follow and finally swallow a hooked firh, usually a red snapper, with hooks, lead, line and all. If the line does not then break the fish may be hauled in with gaffs. The Jew-fish attains an enormous size, and specimens weighing from eighty to one hundred pounds have been caught. The smaller fish are quite choice, but large ones are too coarse and tough to be salable. There is another fish which is also called "Jew-fish," or "Warsaw," and "Black Grouper," of which only enormously large specimens have been obtained, and which is entered upon our catalogues under the name rroinicrops guasa. It is a fair question whether this great fish be not the adult of the common Black Grouper or some closely allied species, the ap- pearance of which has become somewhat changed with age. A large specimen, weighing about three hundred pounds, was taken near the St. John's bar in March or April, 1874, by James Arnold. It was shipped by Mr. Hudson, a fish dealer in Savannah, to Mr. Blackford, who presented it to the Smithsonian Institution. A fine cast of this specimen graces the Fisheries Hall of the National Museum. Professor Poey, by whom the species was named, states that in Cuba it attains to the weight of six hundred pounds. An old Connecticut fisherman, who was for many years engaged in the Savannah market fishery, states that the Havana smacks often catch Jew-fish. They are so voracious that when put into the well with the Groupers they would do much damage. The fishermen have found it necessary therefore to sew their jaws together before placing them with other fish. The Spotted Hind of the Gulf of Mexico, Epuicphchis Drummond-Hayi, has been found only in the Gulf of Mexico and at the Bermudas. It was observed at the Bermudas in 185 1 by Col. H. M. Drummond-Hay, of the British army. It is there called "John Paw." Specimens were sent to the National Museum in 1876 and 1877, by Mr. Blackford and Mr. Stearns. It is one of the many important species which have been brought to notice by the labors of the United States P'ish Commission. Although it is an excellent food-fish, it is, even now, not well apjjreciated. Mr. Stearns records the following facts concerning its habits: "The Spotted Hind is common in company with the Grouper and Jew-fish, and is most abundant in South Florida about the reefs. Off Pensacola it lives in the deep fishing grounds, in seventeen, nineteen and twenty-two fathoms. It swims close to the bottom, and is of sluggish movements. I Sir! Ill THE GROUPERS AND THE JEW FISH. 51 have not known of its occurrence in the bays, and believe that it spawns at sea. Specimens weighing fifty pounds have been caught, but that is fully four times the average six.e. It is seen daily in the Key West market and sells readily, but at Pensacola, Mobile and New Orleans it is hardly marketable. Its color varies very considerably with the different colored bottoms on which it lives." The Coney of Key West, Epincphelus apua, the " Hind " of Bermuda, is an important food-fish which occurs throughout the West Indies. Speci- mens have been sent by Mr. Stearns, who remarks that it is common in South Florida among the reefs, and is often seen in the Key West market, where it is readily sold. The Bermuda Grouper, Epincphelus striatus, one of the most important food-fishes of those islands, is sure to be found in the vicinity of Key West, and will probably pre , e to be one of the important fishes of our own southern coasts. About Key West and in the Gulf there are several species of the sub-genus Afycteropcrca, which may be grouped together under the name " Rock-fish," the name by which all fishes of this genus are also known in Bermuda. They are large fishes of excellent food quality, similar in habits to the others of the family which have already been discussed. The material at present on hand is not sufficient to ad- mit of satisfactory identification of all the species. The " Black Grouper" of Pensacola, which has bee', variously named Mycteropcrca brunnea, J/. microhpis, and M. stomias, is said by Mr. Stearns to be common in com- pany with the Red Grouper, although not so abundant. It spawns in June and July, at sea and in the inlets. As a food-fish it is considered superior to the Red Grouper, although it is not more readily sold. It at- tains a weight of fifty pounds. Professor Jordan is of the opinion that the form recently described by Goode and Bean as M. stomias, the " Gag " of Key West, is the adult of that previously characterized by them under the name Af. microlcpis. The Rock-fish of Key West, which has not yet been identified, is said by Mr. Stearns to be very common, and is sold almost every day in the market. The average weight is four or five pounds, the maximum twenty- five to thirty. There appear to be at Key West, as well as at the Bermu- das, various forms known as "Rock-fish." An allied species, Mycteropcrcafalcata, is called at Pensacola by the name '* Scamp." It is common off the Florida coast, living near the bottom in 52 AMERICAN FISHES. \ i i^ V company with the other species of Groupers. It is fouii'l on the coast all the year round, and is caught with the hook and line. It seldom exceeds the weight of twenty pounds, and the average size is much smaller. It is considered an excellent table fish. The Spanish fishermen of Key West call it "Baccalao" (Cod fish.) S. C. Clarke refers to a fisli which he calls the " Mangrove Snapper or Red Grouper," to which he attributes gamey qualities far in excess of those mentioned by Stearns. It is probable that he has in mind this grouper and not a snapper. Several of these fishes, whose relations have not yet been determined, have been taken abong the Atlantic coast, particularly at the mouth of the Chesapeake and at Wood's Holl, Massachusetts. There are several other species belonging to this family which have been observed, none of which, however, are of any economic importance. The Pacific Jew-fish, Stcrcolcpis gigas, is one of the principal serranoid fishes of the Pacific coast. It is also sometimes called the "Black Sea Bass." It reaches a weight of five hundred pounds, being the largest food-fish on the coast. It ranges from the Farallones to below San Do- mingo, and is generally abundant in deep water about the islands, but from its great size is seldom taken. It feeds upon smaller fishes, and is voracious. It is often taken by swallowing a white-fish when the latter is on the hook. Its flesh is of excellent quality, and those small enough to be available always brings a ver\- high price in the market. The Cabrilla, Scrramis ciathratus, is called at Monterey, where it is not common, the "Kelp Salmon"; further south it is known to the Americans usually as " Black Bass," and to the Italians and Spaniards as " Cabrilla," a name applied to other species of Serranus in the Mediter- ranean. The Chinese call it " Lockee Cod " (Rock Cod). It reaches a length of eighteen inches and a weight of about five pounds. It ranges from San Francisco to Cerros Island, being very abundant about the Santa Barbara Islands, where it is taken in large numbers. It lives in water of no great depth, chiefly about the rocks. It feeds on squid, crustacea, and small fishes. It is an excellent food-fish, similar in (piality to the related Atlantic species. The Johnny Cabrilla, Serranus nchulifcr, receives the name " Rock Bass" and "Cabrilla" with the other species. The distinctive Spanish name of '• Johnny (Juan) Verde " is also in frequent use, especially at San 4 THE GROUPERS A Xn THE JEW FISH. S3 Pedro. It reaches a length of twelve to twenty inches and a weight of about five pounds. It has been taken at Monterey, but is common only from San Pedro southward to Magdalena Bay. So far as known to us, it agrees in habits and value with the preceeding. THK, I!Kn tiUOUPKU. EPIN'KPIIKLL'S MORIO. The Spotted Cabrilla, Scrraniis macuiofasciatus, receives the same names, " Rock Bass " and *' Cabrilla," as others. It agrees with the ])re- ceeding in value, distribution, and habits, so far as is known, but is rather smaller in size. It is an excellent food-fish, and from its great abundance about San Diego it may become of considerable economic importance. Its range extends southward to Mazatlan, it being one of the very few California fishes which extend their range to the south of the Tropic of Cancer. s ,*. I ill < t I I I 'IS I ! 'I' ,,i : - '^SiT* '\\ii^^'?< ""g THE LAKOE-MOUTU BASS. SuV THE BLACK BASSES. Fishing, if I, a fisher, may protest Of pleasure is the sweetest, of sports the best Of exercises the most excellent ; Of recreation the most innocent, But now the sport is niarcle, and wott ye why. Fishes decrease and fishers multiply. De Piscaiione, 1598. TTNTIL recently, we supposed that there were many kinds of Black Basses. Different communities christened them to their own liking, and naturalists, misled by the numerous popular names, described, as dis- tinct, forms which, had they been seen side by side, they would have con- sidered the same. Twenty-two separately named species are on record. In 1873, Prof. Gill, after studying specimens gathered from all parts of the United States by the Smithsonian Institution, came to the decision that there were only two species, the Large-mouthed and the Small-mouthed bass. This was easy work for so accomplished an ichthyologist as Gill, but the difficulty was to determine the ownership of the many names already established in the literature of ichthyology. After five years of uncertainty, and several changes, thirteen of these have been allotted to the Small-mouth, and the remainder of nine to its cousin with the long jaw. The oldest name for the Large-mouth is Micropicnis salmoidcs, and for the Small -mouth, as Henshall has proved, Microptcnts Dolomici : it is hoped that this decision, which is grounded upon a firm foundation of priority, maybe permitted to stand unchanged. Gill's paper, in which he defines the differences between the two species, was published in 1873 in the Pro- ceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. THE BLACK BASSES. 55 This volume is, however, not easily accessible, and the important differences are therefore repeated in this jilace. In the Large-mouth the upjjer jaw extends far behind the eye; in the other to a jioint below it. The Large-mouth has from sixty-five to seventy rows between the gill- opening and the base of the tail, instead of seventy-two or more, while on the cheek there are about ten oblique rows instead of seventeen, also seven- and-a-half to eight instead of eleven rows between the lateral line and the dorsal. There are other distinctions, such as the absence, in the Large- mouth, of scales on the bases of the dorsal and anal fins, the smaller ntnn- ber of rays in the pectoral fins (there being thirteen or fourteen instead of sixteen or seventeen), and the lesser height of the spinous dorsal. (In the Large-mouth the first dorsal spin is one-half; in the Small-mouth, one- third of the height of the third dorsal spin). ///' - THE SMALLMOrril BASS. Numerous as have been the zoological names, they are outnumbered by the popular names still in use in different localities. Charlevoix, a Jesuit missionary, who explored Canada in 1 7 2 1 , mentions a fish called ' ' Achigan , ' ' which is thought to have been the Laije-mouth. An earlier allusion to this species, which in the Southern States is still called "Trout." occurs in the writings of Rene de Laudonniere, who described the incidents of the first Huguenot expedition to Florida in 1652, under the command of Jean Ribault. The Large-mouth is known in the Great Lake Region, especially in Northern New York, as the "Oswego Bass." This name should not be confounded with " Otsego Bass," a local name for the com- mon whitefish. In Kentucky, and possibly in Florida, it is called " Jumper ;" in Indiana, " Moss Bass ;" in the Southern Strtes generally, " Trout," though on the Tar River of North Carolina, it is called " Chub," and on the Neuse, " Welshman." i: Ii,i a I '■ S>' i'l S6 AMERJCAX FISJIES. The Small -mouth shares with the Larfjfe-mouth in the Southern States the names "Jumper," " Pearch " and "Trout," and in Alabama, according to Prof. Jordan, it is called the " Mountain Trout. "Bronze-backer" is one of its pet names among the anglers. "Marsh Bass," "River Bass," " Rock Bass," " Slough Bass," " White Bass," "Green Bass," "Spotted Bass," "Green Perch," "Yellow Perch," " Black Perch " and " Speckled Hen " are other names applied to one or both species. A comedy of errors this hath surely been, and the colloquy between the Duke and the Dromios comes pat to the pen : '■'■Duke. One of tlic-se men is genius to the other ; And so of these. Which is the natural man, And which the spirit ? Who deciphers them ? Droinio of Syracuse. I, sir, am Dromio ; command him away. Dfoiitio of Ephcsus. I, sir, am Dromio ; pray let me stay."* Both species are very widely distributed over the Atlantic slope of the continent east of the Rocky Mountains, and their range is probably much Avider than is now supposed, for many of our northern and western waters are still unexplored. The Large-mouth and Small-mouth dwell together in the Great Lakes, and in the upper parts of the St. Lawrence and Missis- sippi basins. The Small-mouth is found north to latitude 47° and west to Wisconsin, while southward it ranges to latitude 2)Z° ■> where Prof. Jordan found it in the headwaters of the Chattahoochee and Ocmulgee Rivers, this being the only instance of its presence in a stream emptying east of the Alleghanies, into which it is not known to have been introduced by man. The Large-mouth ranges further to the west and north, occurring in the Red River of the North, perhaps as far as ALanitoba, in latitude 50°. It abounds in all the rivers of the Southern States, from the James to the St. John, and in the lower reaches of the streams and bayous connected with the Gulf of Mexico, around to Texas, in latitude 27°. To the waters of New England and the eastern part of the Middle States they are not native. The Small-mouths found their way into the Hudson in 1825 or soon after, through the newly-opened Erie Canal, and they have since been introduced by man into hundreds of eastern lakes and rivers. Many circumstances suggest the idea that in early days, before * For fuller information upon this and other matters connected with the species the reader is referred to Dr. J. A. Henshall's elaborate and exh.austive illustrated treatise, entitled " Book of the Ulack Biiss," published in 1881 by Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati. " Fly fishing for Bl.ick B.ass," a serial publication by W. S. Norris, in The American Angler , is an exceedingly well-written sketch in the American style. /'///•; /U..ICK J^ASS/.S. 5/ tlic various drainaLjc systnus wciv < oniicctL'd hv car.als. the distribution limitsof the two sitccics were iiuk h more sharplv derined, the Large-mouth inhabiting, perhaps, tlie upper jiurt of the basin of tlie (Ireal Lakes and St. Lawrence and tlie ri\ers ot" tlie southern seaboartl, wliile the Small- mouth was found chietly in the northern ]iart of the Mississippi basin. 'IMiis theory can never be demonstrated. howe\er, for the early ichthy- ologists had ncjl adopteil the accurate methods of study now in use, and their descriptions of the fish they saw are scarcely good enough to guess by. 'l"hc mingling of the two forms might have been accomi)lished in an incredibly short time. A iijw yotmg I'.ass will multiplv so rapidl\' as to stock a large lake in five years. The Potomac and its tributaries swarmed Avith them ten years after their first introduction. A very suggesti\e incident occurred at the I'lrooklinc Reservoir, near Boston. Nine Dass were introduced in July, I'^Gz. l'"our or five years after, in examining the water-pi])es leading thence to Long roiul, IJass in considerable numbers ami of large si/e were fonnd ; and what is still more strange, they had, either as young fish, or in the egg state, gone through the screen at the mouth of the i)ipe and found their way into the pond itself, having accomplished an undergronnd journey of fifteen miles through a brick aqueduct nowhere more than six feet m diameter. ( ". ill states that the two forms of Micropfcnis have long inhabited the waters of the cismontane slope of the Ignited States, excei)t those of the New luig- land States and the Atlantic seaboard of the Middle States. Only one, however, the Small-month, appears to have been an original inhabitant of the hydrographic liasin of the Ohio River. The Bass do not seem to depend closely on temperatnre. Having no opportunity of avoiding the c:oli'r( h, titi'.it. \.)iiii'_; sil;ii tii aiid i'\oii the ravi'iioiis pic kiTi-l, iiiv ili'\ oiiii'd. riu'\ t'i.'i'(l ;it tlu' siirf.u c oil moths, llits ;iihI fro^s ; llioy turn over stones ill sr.ui li ot' c r.iwlisli ;iii(l iiisi'lai> turbuts and marvellous store of other sorts of fishes altogether ilifferent t'rom ours." The spawning season occurs on the approach of warm weather. Its date does not vary much with latitude. In Florida, in Virginia and in Wis- consin they build their nests in May and June. The oldest fish, we are TlfE J i LACK HASSl'lS. 59 told, sometimes anticipate tlic ordinary season, wliile many late spawners are orciipied with family (ares until the last of July, ano some yoimg li>h are not ready until October and \ovend»er. After the spawning is o\er the IJass are "in season." They take the hook eagerly from July till November. In the winter tiiey are lank and black, though in season till the ice comes. Concerning their spawning habits, Mr. Hallock, of the IJlooming (lro\e Association, wrote in ing. The ordinary si/e of the adult tish is two and one-half \o three in)unds. though they are sometimes taken in the North weighing six or seven pounds. In Floritla the Large-mouths grow larger. A seven or eight-pouniler is not unusual in tlie St. John's ; and 1 was told tlial in March. 1875, a I'lsh weighing nineteen and one-half jiounils was caught in the lake at (Gainesville. Fla. Fish culturists have made many efforts to hatch the eggs of the Black Bass, and have never succeeded. One reason for their failure, perhaps, lies in the fact that, while in the shad and salmon the eggs fall trom the ovaries into an abdominal cavity, whence they are easily expressed, in the Bass and other sjiiny-rayed llshes they are retained until the parent tish are readv to deposit them. This failure is the less to be regrette(,l since the young Bass may easily transported from place to place in barrels of cool water, and. when once introducei.1, they soon multi])ly, if protected, to any desired number. Black Bass are very tenacious of life. A Germantown correspondent mentions some taken at 10 o'clock a. m.. sold and wrapped in paper, let't in a warm room till 5 p. m. . when they were found to be alive and well. Tur. lu.ACK n.\ssi:s. r.i TIk' first experiment in tlieir transpnrt.itinn seems to have lieen ih.it mentioned l)y A. M. N'alentine, who states tluU a pond near Ianes\ ille, Wis., w.is stocked witli lUack llass about 1S47. In 1S30 .Mr. S. T. Tis- (hUe carried twenty-seven Large-months from Saratoga I-ake, N. V.. to I'lax I'ond, in Agawam, .Mass. 'I'lie manner in whi( h tlu' I'otoniac w.is stocked wiili Small-mouths isalsowell known. It was in i.S5_^,soon after the r>altimore ami ( )hio Railroad was finished, that (len. Shriver. of Wheeling, carried a numlier of young fish iVoin the ' )hio to Cumlierland, Md., in the water-tank of a locomotive engine. These he placed in the basin of the Chesapeake and ( )hi() ("anal, whence they soon penetrated to all parts of the Potomac basin, and as far down the river as Mount \'er- non. The custom of stocking streams soon became p()|)iilar, and through l)rivate enter|)rise and the labors of State I'"ish Commissioners nearly every available body of water in Xew England and the .Middle States has been filled with these fish. Tliis movement has not met with unmixed appro\al, for by the ill-advised enthusiasm of some of its alack Bass is one of the most universally popular of American fishes. Even those who know the joys of trout and salmon angling do not disdain it. For one man who can go forth in search of salmon, and twenty to whom trout are not impossible, there are a thousand who can visit the Bass in his limpid home. There are many methods of angling for Bass. Those who use rod and reel are perhaps not unreasonable when they profess to pity their uncultured brethren who prefer the ignominious method of trolling with hand-line and spoon-bait. I ' i AMERICAN FISHES. I shall not attempt to discuss the merits of various kinds of tackle. The dealers in angling apparatus can usually give advice both timely and suitable to the locality. Those who wish to enter into the extreme refine- ments of the art of Bass fishing must read the writings of Dr. Henshall, and then learn for themselves by long years of observation and experi- ment, for to no one is book-knowledge less valuable than to him whose desire it is to catch a fish. Bass may be caught by the use of artificial flies or artificial minnows, with live bait, consisting of minnows, chubs, young perch and many other small fishes, frogs, helgramites, crawfish, shrimps, grasshoppers, crickets or worms, or by the use of spoon-bait or trolling spoon. In bait fishing a light rod, about eight-and-one-half feet long is used with a multiplying reel to insure the delivery of the bait at long distances. In fly-fishing a more flexible rod, eleven feet long, with a click-reel, is preferred. Strong lines, preferably of braided raw silk, are used, and too much care cannot be given to the strength of leaders and snells, and to the perfection of the hooks. Of the various forms of the latter, Hen- shall puts the " Sproat bend " first and the "O'Shaughnessy " second, using Nos. 4, 5 and 6 for bait fishing and Nos. 2 end 3 for fly-fishing. In trolling from a boat at least 300 feet of line should be used. Troll- ing with the rod " skittering " and " bobbing " are other modes of local l)opularity. The Small-mouth is the angler's favorite in the North, being the more agile and pugnacious ; but in Florida, the paradise of the Big-mouths, few complairts are heard as to the character of the sport which they afford. "J. W.," writing to xX^^t American Angler, June 31, 1862, re- ported as follows the weights of sixteen taken in the Homosassa River, Hemard Co., Fla., in one-and-a-half hour's fishing: yT,.^, 6i4, 51^, 51^, 5, 4 14, 4, 4)4, 4i<, 4, 3. 2^, 2, \Vx ; total, 68 pounds. The introduction of the Black Bass into England by the Marquis of E;:eter has caused great consternation among British anglers, who fear that its rapacity may lead to the destruction of trout and salmon. It has many friends and advocates, however, not the least powerful of whom is Mr. .R. B, Marston, editor of the Fishing Gazette. It is, I believe, intended only to place it in streams inhabited by " coarse fish," and the waters of England would sureb. be the better for the destruction of a goodly percentage of their breams, roaches and barbels. ,i» • THE BLACK Fy ASSES. 63 I have already often iiuoted the opinions of tliat wisest of anglers, Charles Hallock, and I cannot otherwise than repeat in this place his prophecy concerning the future estate of the Black Bass. " No doubt the Bass is the appointed successor of the trout ; not througn heritage, nor selection, nor by interloping, but by foreordination. Truly, it is sad to contemplate, in the not distant future, the extinction of a beautiful race of creatures, whose attributes have been sung by all the poets ; but we regard the inevitable with the same calm philosoi^hv with which the astronomer watches the burning out of a world, knowing that it will be succeeded by a new creation. "As we mark the soft vari-tinted flush of the trout disappear in the even- tide, behold the si)arkle of the coming Bass as he leaps into the morning of his glory ! We hardly know which to admire the most — the velvet livery and the charming graces of the departing courtier, or the flash of the armor-plates on the advancing warrior. The Bass will un(|uestional)ly prove himself a worthy substitute for his predecessor, and a candidate for a full legacy of honors. " No doifl)t, when everyone of the older States shall become as densely settled as (Ireat Britain itself, and all the rural aspects of the crowded domain resemble the suburban surroundings of our Boston ; when every feature of the pastoral landscape shall wear the finished appearance of European lands ; and every verdant field be closely crojiped by lawn- mowers and guarded by hedges ; and every ])urling stream which meanders through it has its water-bailiff, we shall still have speckled trout from which the radiant spots have faded, and tasteless fish, to catch at a dollar per ])ound (as we already have on Long Island), and all the ai)i)urtenan(es and appointments of a genuine English trouting privilege and a genuine English ' outing.' " In those future days, not long hence to come, some venerable piscator in whose memory still lingers the joy of fishing, the brawling stream which tumbled over the rocks in the tangled wildwood, and moistened the arbutus and the bunchberries which garnished its banks, will totter forth to the velvety edge of some peacefully-flowing stream, and having seated himself on a convenient point in a revolving easy chair, placed there by his care- ful attendant, cast right and left for the semblance of sport long dead. " Hosts of liver-fed fish rush to the signal for their early morning meal, and from the center of the boil which follows the fall of the handfuls thrown in, my piscator of the ancient days will hook a two-pound Trout, and play him hither and yon, from surface to bottom, without disturbing the pampered gourmands which are gorging themselves upon the disgusting viands ; and when he has leisurely brought him to hand at last, and the gillie has scooped hiui with his landing-net, he will feel in his cajjacious pocket for his last trade dollar, and giving his friend the tip, shuffle back to his house, and lay aside his rod forever." I i ■V, m M ' \ / '' .'^ Xy X I 1 i >i % li 1 1^ i, .iri£.' t /-) ./t "/^^l^ ^. TUE SU.V-II^II, LEPOMia GIBBOSUS, THE SUN-FISHES AND THEIR ALLIES. Slowly upward, wavering, gleaming Rose the Ugiulwash, tile Sun-li^h Seized the line of Hiawatha, Swung with all his weight upon it. * ■.-. * But when TTiawatha saw him Slowly rising through the water, Lifting up his disk refulgent, Loud lie shouted in derision ' Esa ! csa ! shame upon you. Vou are Ugudwash, the Sun-fish ; Voii are not the fish I wanted ; You are not the King of Fishes.' Lo.NGFELLOw, llUivjatha' s Fishing, 'T'lIE " rumpkin sccil " and the perch are the first trophies of the boy analer. Many arc llie memories of truant davs dreamed away hv pond or brook side, with twine pole and pin-hook, and of the slow homeward trudge, doubtful what his reception will be at home; pole gone, line broken, hooks lost, tlie only remnant of tlie morning's glory a score of lean, sun-tlried perches and Sunnies, and, maylia]). a few eels and bull-heads, ignominiously strung tlirough tlie gills upon a willow withe, and trailing, sometimes dropi)ing from wMry hands, in the roadside dust Then in later youth came the excursion to some distant jiond ; thf T'n-: srX-FISHES AXD 7'/f/-/R AI.Lir.S. 65 early start, long before sunrise, the cane roo nd tl ie cast- ing of the seine for minnow-bait, the embarcation in the l)o;!t, the careful adjustment of sinker and float, and the hmg, delightful, la/y day, lloating over jungles of eel-grass and meadows of lily jiads ; now pulling in by tlie score the shiners, Pumpkin seeds ami perches ; now passing hour after hour without a bite. Just as the nightingale and the lark, though eminent among the lesser song-birds of Europe would, if native t(j America, be eclipsed by tlu- feathered musicians of our groves and nieailows, the perch and Sun-fi^h yield to the superior claims of a dozen or more game fishes. I'he Sun- fish and the perch must not be snubbed, however, for thev are i>rime favorites with tens of thousands of anirlers who cannot leave qu est of sport. -y vill th rive and miiltii)ly, almost beyond Home in elief. in ds and streams too small for bass, and too warm for trout and land pon locked salmon ; and I prophesy that they will yet be introduced in all suitable waters lhrouL;hout the continent, which thev do not now inhabit. The Sun-fish, /r/i onus il'h OSIIS, is th e common Pumpkin-seed, or " Sunnv )f the brooks of New York and New llu'dand. \\ IS everv w •here abundant in the Great Lake region and in the coastwise streams from Maine to (leorc:ia. It is never found in i. le ^\ ISSlSSll)!)! \x\\ e\ except in its northernmost part, its distribution corresponding precisely to that of the perch. Its breeding habits are thus described by Dr. Kirtland : This fish ])refers still and clear waters. In the spring of tlie year the temale ])repares lierse If a circular nest bv removing all reeass. The Sacramento Perch, Archoplitcs intcrniptiis, known only by the name of " Percl " a name aj)plie(l in the San Francisco markets to many very different fishes. It hTs been thus far fi)und only in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and tributaries. It is abundant in the lower parts of these rivers, large numbers being shipped to the market in San h'rancisco. It is there bought and consumed mainly liv the ('hinese, who value it highly, paying for it more than fijr any other fish which tluy consume. Although it is an excellent jjan-fish. ^ ;.'ry similar to the black l)ass, we have never seen any of them bought Uy Americans. It reaches a weight 1 ■ :!, 6S AMERICA X F/S/fF.S. of little habits. more than one i)Oun(l. Nothing distinctive is known of its '-W>/^ Tin: liocK r.Ass The Rock V>i\><<, ^[i/i/'/opIifi's /■///'i-s/r/s,\s also known as the "Goggle- eye" anil '• Red-eye." All these names are in general use, the first being most common in tlie Lake region, the last further south. It is everywhere abundant in lakes, ponds and larger streams throughout the (ireat Lake region and the Mississijipi Valley. It prefers clear waters, and is not often found in muddy bayous, it is a hardy and gamey fish, and takes the hook readil\-. and it is a good jjan-fish, though not large, its weight seldom exceeding one-and-a-half i)ounds. Like other Sun-fishes, they spawn in early summer, and about the same time as Black Bass; and kee]) much about sunken logs and roots. The Mud Bass, AciintliarLhiis poniotis, is fi)uud only in the coastwise streams of tb.e lowlands from New Jersey to North Carolina. Its habits are similar to those of the ^^'armoutl1, but it is similar in size, and has little \alue as a food-fish. Coifrarcluis iiiacroptrnis has no name more distin(-ti\-e than " Sun-fish " or •• Perch." It is fi)und throughout the lowland streams of the South from North Carolina t(j Florida. Southern Illinois and Texas, ])referring generally rather deep, clear waters. It is rarely seen in upland streams. It is a fish of good (juality, but small, rarely weighing more than half a l^ound. Little is kni)wn of its habits. The Strawberry Bass, romoxys s/^aroii/cs. is a beautiful fish known by a THE SrX-FISHES AXD TlfEIR ALLIES. 69 many names. In T,akc F.ric. and in Oliio j,^cnL'rally. it is the " Straw- berry Bass," '' Strawberry Pen h "' or " (Irass IJass." Tlie names "Bitter Head" and "Lamplighter" are also ascribed to it by Mr. Kliiipart. and "Bank Lick Bass" by Dr. Kirtland. and it is also called '• I'.ar-lish." "Razor ]5ack." '• C"hin(|uapin iVnh." ■• Silver Bass" and '-JiiL;- bin Bass." In Lake Michigan the name •■ liar-llsh " is in general use, giving jilace in Illinois to the name " Calico llass." 'l"he latter is among the most apin'opriate of these designations. ha\ ing allusion to its varie- gated colcjr. In the South, like Amhloplitcs niprslris. it becomes a " Cioggle-eye " or " (loggle-eyed Pert h." The Strawberry Pass is found in abundance in all the lakes and ponds. of th.e (Ireat Lake region and the Upper Mississippi. It is also diffused throughout the Missi>.siii])i \'alley, and ajijjears in the streams of the Cavolinas anil ( Georgia east of the mountains. Its preference is for (luii't. < kar waters, with a bottom co\ered with grass ; and in the mudib. sloughs and lia\'ous. where the C'rappie is abundant, it is rarely seen. it is an excellent ]ian-fish. reaching some- times a weight of two or tluee ]ioun.iih ¥< A #1 i iW 70 AMERICAN FISHES. ! ■ ;; its merits, 1 hesitate not to iJi-onounce it tlie fish for the million. It is a native of our Western rivers and lakes, where it usually resorts to deep and sluggish waters; yet in several instances, where it has found its way into cold and rapid streams, and even small-sized brooks, by means of the constructing of canals or by the hand of man, it has adapted itself to the change, and in two or three years stocked to overllowing these new loca- tions. As a pan-fish, for the table, it is surpassed by few other fresh- water siK'cies. For endurance and rapidity of increase it is unecpialed. * * * The (Irass Bass is perfectly adapted to stocking i)onds. It will thrive without care in Aery small ])onds of sufficient depth. * * ^ic It will in nowise interfere with the cultivation of any number of species, large or small, in the same waters. It will live harmoniously with all others, and Mhile its structure and disjKjsition restrain it from attacking any other but very small fry, its formidable armature of spinous rays in the dorsal and abdominal fins will guard it against attacks of even the voracious pike." Tin: CKAppir;. Closely related to the Strawberry Bass is the Crappie, Pomoxys aiuiiilaris. It is the form almost universally called Crappie in the Mississippi ^'alley. Dr. Henshall has proposed that it shall be called the "Southern Crappie," reserving the name "Northern Crappie " for the Poinoxys sparoidcs.^ It is not such an eas}- matter to change tlie po])ular names of fishes, however flexible may be the terminology of the ichthyologist. Strawberry Bass * American Angler, III, 167 THE SL X-J'ISJf AM) THEIR ALLIES. 71 and Calico Ikiss scliii to 1)l' \n)i)riatL' designation for Poiiioxys sparoidts, and has the aihlitional advantage uf being already generally in nse in a larger district. Eonioxys annularis is also known hy such names as •* Uachelor" in the Ohio Valley, " Xew Light " and *' C'amiibellite " in Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana, names gi\en to it by the irre\erent during the great Camp- bellite movement in the ^^■est nearly half a century ago. It is also called '• Sac-a-lait " and •• t']iin<|ua]iin Perth" in the Lower Mississippi, and has other names of local application as •' Tin Mouth," '• Bridge Verch,' ' "Goggle Eye," "Speckled Perch." ••John Demon " and "Shad." It is also often confounded with the preceding species, and some of the names of the two are interchangeable. This species is not often seen in the (ireat Lake region, but throughout the Lower Mississippi and its tributaries it is verv abundant. its vouult swarm in all the mudd\ bavous along the rivers, and grc *■ numbers of them are destroyed in the fall when these bodies of water dry up. With the e.xception of its predilection for muddy waters, I know little in its habits distinctive tVom those of the Strawberry Bass. Like the latter, it is said to bean excellent fish for ponds. Both take the hook, feed upon small fishes and crustaceans, and spawn in spring. They grow to be about twcKe inches long and U) the weight of a ])ound. Exceptionally large individuals have been known to weigh three jwunds. Among the Louisiana anglers, esi)eciallv about Lake I'ontchartrain, the Craiijjie is a prime favorite, for it will take a minnow bait as promptly as a black bass. It is not \erv pugnacious, however, and will not fight as long as the bass, and is also more easily tVighteneil, re([uiring greater caution on the jiart of the angler. A correspondent of the Ams/r/-* describes the fishing mi Cedar Lake, Indiana. Angling is carried on I'rom little flat-bottomed skiffs and from sail boats, with bait of minnows, worms or i)ieces of fish. In five hours two men caught fifty-seven bass and eighty-two Crappies. Trolling is a favorite mode of fishing among the people who li\e near the lake, who, using two lines with spoon-baits or " whirl," and fishing from a sail boat, frequently take two hundred or more Crajjpies in ada\-, besides occasional pickerel, perch and bass. Two men fishing for pleasure, took in June, 1SS2, in the course of three days, a thousand Crappies, weighing from four * " J:>p " in .hiu'yii.an A>igicy, ii, S7. I U I; i ill 11 I," 72 A MK R/C\ I X I'/S/I/CS. to twenty-four ounces each. Another correspondent of the same journal writes as follows concerning Crappie fishing near St. Louis.* "Our ' Crojipie,' the greatest pan-fish of tlie A\'est, is highly esteemed by us for the tal)le. W'c have seen a monster Cropjjie this s|)ring, weigh- ing over three i)oun(ls, taken at Murdock Club Lake, near St. Louis, on file Illinois side. We consider one of one-and-a-half to two ])ounds a large one. They are taken about logs and tree to])s, on the water's edge, in our rivers and sloughs. 'J'hey are greedy fellows, but as soon as hooked, step right into the boat without a struggle for liberty. "A gentleman of this place, a member of one of our old IVench families, who turned the scale at about three hundred jiounds, was noted for his success in Croppie fishing. lie would ha\e his large llat toweil to a tree ; when, tied to a limb, he woidd settle himself for the day. on a |)illow. phu ed in a large sjilit-bottom chair. Hauling his li\e box and minnow jiail alongside, he would bait two hooks attached to a strong line, using a weak snell, so that in case the hook should foul, he could break it loose. He used a lloat and short, stout bamboo rod and, shaking the bushes a little, ' to stir up the fish.' would select an oi)eniiig and carefully drop in the minnow, two feet below the surface, pass the end of the rods through rings in the side of the boat, light his pipe, and wait for something to happen. It was not long, and after the fun began, it was the same monotonous lifting out of fish, and dropping them into the li\e-bo\ all the day long, and was continued on the next, until he had brought to creel over three hundred. " I have always associated in my mind the Croppie. and the lo\e of ease and ([uiet of our old French inhabitants. Motliing could more truly re])resent contentment and ease than the ])icture of this simple-minded old gentleman, on his annual Croppie fish at King's Lake." * " St. Louis " in .■liiu-ruan Ati^ii.-)-, 1, J12. Tin; ui:i) sn.m'im.i;. SNAPPERS AND RI«:D-!\I0UTIIS. Th. slaiul' s c'd^cs arc a-wiiit; Willi Irccs that i.vcrhiaiicli 'I'lic sea, with siiiij;-liirils wclcuiiiini; 'I'lic curlews to ijrcuii rliaiit;c, Ami (lovis fr. 'Ill li.ilf-cli.^nl lids fsjiy The rcil aiul I'lnplr li-.li iin liy. Mijs. IIkiiwmnc;, .1/1 Islaiiti. 'HE Snappers and the (In: ■> belong to dill's laniily. J''iistipo»tatiJ(C. [ordan juits tluni Avitli the Spai'itin', or S(.a-I>reanis, while (Hinther in- chules them in his nun h more <'om])rehensi\e ])i'r(h familv. 'I'hev arc among tlie most wliolesome and almndant ot' the t"ood-l"ishes of trojiical waters. There are nnmerous species in the West Indian fauna, hut onlv a small numlier are suftuienllv abundant on the coast of the I'nited States to merit discussion m tins book. The Snappers and runts are among the most highly colored of the tropical fishes — the tanagi'rs and grosbeaks of the coral reets. The Red Sna])per, Lu/Jiuius JUackfordii, although it has been for manv years a favorite food-fish of the (iulf of i\[e\ico and ICastern Florida, has but recently become known in Northern markets. About 1X74 in(li\ iduals of this species were occasionally seen in New \'ork and \\'ashington, and they began shortly after to come into notice in the c ities of the Mississippi Valley. It was not even described and nametl until 1S78, when a study IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) k A 1.0 I.I m. 12.5 ■^ ^ 12.2 US 12.0 IK 6 " Hiotographic .Sciences Corporation .SJ v ^ \ :\ -A. -<^>>. O^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. I45S0 (716) S72-4S03 !ii b Ji ^ A :^ ^ "^ i1»»tfc,4;,, » 74 AMERICAN FISHES. ;i ! %% of tlic notes ami measurcniL-iUs obtained in Florida contlrmcd my sns- l)i(ion, which had l)t'cn j,'ro\ving for years, that the s|)ecies was new to science. The name I.utjaiius IHackfordii was ( hosen in compliment to Mr. Mugene (i. l>la< kford, C'ommissioner of Fisheries of New York, whose enthusiastic labors have greatly aided all students of American ichthyol- ogy, and who has added several sjjccies of fishes to the fauna of the L'nitcd States. The genus lutjainis was founded in 1787 by Bloch, who derived its designation from Ikaii Lutjixii^i^, an Asiatic name for a kindred species of the group, its color is bright crimson, and it is the most conspicuous fish ever to be seen in our markets. Seven years ago the geographical range of this s])ecies was supi)osed to be limited at the north by Savannah Hank, but during the summer of i a grouper." Red Snaj^pers are also known to be abundant on the Savannah bank anil on the Saint John's bank, off Fastern (ieorgia and Florida. The Red Snappers are strictly carnivorous, feeding upon small I i>h. crabs, and prawns. Tlie temperature of the water in which they live probably rarely falls below 50". They have no enemies except sharks and two or three enormous sjjiny-rayed fishes such as the jew-tlsh or warsaw {Gi/(JS(j). The only reliable observations upon their breeding habits have been made by Mr. Stearns, who states that they spawn in May and June in the bays and at sea. In June, July, and August they are toun;reilients. Cover, and hoil slowly for one hour. Then put in the lish anJ took as directed for plain hoilini;." — Miss I'aki.oa. sx.i/'/'/:7^'s AX/) Ri':D-.\[Oi'Tns. 11 unniistakiiblc evidence of rocks, and over-hoard went the lines. 'I'liey scarcely touched bottom before the iry 'Snapper!' 'Snapper I' was heanl, and a crimson beauty j^'rac ed our dec k. " All were soon enj,^ai,'e(l, foreward, aft. starboard, and port. To feel the bite of a twenty-five pound Snapjjcr at a depth of twelve fathoms causes a sensation never to be f<)rj,M)tien. .\s the line is pulled in and tlie fish is first seen at a de])th of several fathoms, he looks like silver and not lari,'er than one's hand. As he (omes neanr his lints deepen, as he stru^.^hs at the surface to escape, all his rii h. brilliant <<)lors are displayed, and when he reachi's tlie deck every one e\( hums. -What a lieautyl' l'"or a few minutes the shouts resound from all sides, but a ( hant,^e soon occurs. ICach man labors as if the number to be captured dei)ended upon his in- dividual exertions, and no breath or time ( oidd be spares than two hours the whistle sounds ' Up lines' for we must cross the bar at a jiarticular stai^e of the tide. The fish are l)itinL,MMpidlv. but our tired arms and blistered fingers induce us all (piietU' to obey the warning. " ( )n the home-trip otu- captures are counted: — not sea bass, porgies, and small fry, but fish worth counting. — and it is found that the party has cap- tm-ed one grouper weighing thirty-fi\e pounds, two of eighteen pounds, and two hundred and eiglit snappers aver .ging twenty-fi\e pounds each,— the entire catch weighing two and one half tons." One April day, some years ago, the writer and a party of friends were passengers on the little steamer whii h jilied between Jacksonville and the mouth of the St. Johns. .After leaxing Mayport on the return trip, we were hailed by a party of men from a large sail-boat laying-to in tliemici- dle of the river. We threw them a line, and they gave us a deck-load of stout fishes, — shajiely, bright-eyed, and c rimson. Wc learned that the boat had left Ma\port on the previous afternoon, carrying six men, who had, in three hours, taken ninety Red Snai)pers, weighing in the aggregate over a ton, besides cjuantities of sea bass. Their brilliant hues were a great smprise to those of our i»arty who were acijuainted only with the neutral colors of the common northern market fishes, or i)erhaps had even seen the tlull red color of the Snappers hanging in the markets. 'l"he ladies were eager to ])Ossess some of the '• lovely scales," but soon learned one of the first lessons of ichthyology, that scales are always white, what- ever may be the color of the fish whic h wear them. The writer also learned a lessjn in ichthyology, on the same occasion. The opportunity to examine so many specimens of this fish, gave him the clew to the fact that it was an inidescribed species ancl led to its descrij)- tions 1)y Goode and Dean under the name Liifjaiius Blackfordii. i ?■' AMERICAX FISHES. ''•5 ; ,"( The genus Liitjamis is found everywhere in trcjpical waters, and fish resenililing tiie Red Snai)i)er occur everywhere throughout the West Indies. There is one which is abundant on the Bahama IJanks and in South Florida. This is /. cainpt'cliiaiiiis, I'oey, ])erhaps also accompanied by /. toniiiiis, Coi)e. Two other brilliant red species occur with L. Black- fordii '\\\ the (lulf of Mexico — the IVnsacola Snapper, L. Stcanisii, and the Mangrove Sna])i)er, RhomhopUtcs auronibciis:. On the Bermuda reefs occurs a small but brilliant specieb, still undeseribed, which I propose call- ing L. atitolycus. The Pensacola Snapper might fairly be compared with L. Black- fordii, although its color is somewhat less vivid. Concerning this ^w- cies. Mr. Stearns, whose name it bears, writes: " It is abundant on the Clulf coast, and lives in the bays all the year. In siunmer it is to be foimd about stone-heaps, wharves, and old wrecks, where it obtains crustaceous food in abundance. In winter it returns to the deeper j^laces in search of food, and to escape from the cold surface-water. During a cold snap in 1S76 a great many of these fish were benumbed and floated at the surface, until the sun appeared and warmed them, when they revived and sought the bottom. They spawn in May and June. They are very cunning, and will not readily take the hook. Those commonly seen in the bays are (juite small, averaging ten inches in length, while those taken with t!ie Red Snai)])ers at sea are from twenty to twenty-four inches long. It is an e.vcellent food-fish, generally thought to be superior in flavor to the Red Snapper." This fish has as yet been found only on the Gulf coasts of the United States, where it is known as the " Mangrove Snapper." Since this name is used on the .Vtlantic coast for another species, and has been so used since the time of Catesby, it seei'-'is desirable to designate Luijaiius v.S'/t'<7/v/j// by another name, and " Pe'"!;;acola Snapper" has l)een suggested. The Mangrove Snapper, Rhomboplitcs aiirornbcns, of Charleston, called at Pensacola the "Bastard Snapper." is a much more slender and ele- gantly formed fish than cither of the Snappers already described. Its color is less vivid, being somewhat more russet, and is enlivened by the presence of narrow, obliiiue lines, with gold and yellow upon the sides. It is a swift-swimming fish, probably less given to bottom feeding, and more partial to a diet of living fish. It has been found at Jamaica, and as far north as Charleston, S. C. " In the Pensacola region," writes Stearns, "it is well-known, but not sw.i PPERS A XD /v' /•: D- .}ro rr/rs. 79 a common species," Single individuals are occasionally brought in from the sea with the Red Snajjpers and grou]iers. It is caught at all depths, from ten to thirty-five fathoms, and seldom exceeds eighteen inches in length. As a food-fish it is ecpial to the Red Snapper. The (Iray Snai)])er, Lutjauus caxis, is similar in fi)rm to the others, but not red in color. It is called the " (Iray Snapper" in South Florida, and the " Black Snapper" at Pensacola : is abundant about the Bermudas, and has been found on the east coast of Florida, in trojjic al South America, in Western Africa, and about the Bermudas, where it attains the enormous size of sixty to eighty jjounds, and is known as the " (Jray Snap- per," and also, on account of its sly, cunning habits, the "Sea Lawyer." Mr. Stearns writes : "It is most abundant in South Florida, living in deep channels, on rocky bottoms, about old wrecks, stone-heaps, and wharves ; it is considered the most cunning fish on the coast, and ex- tremely difficult to catch. The young may be 'en about the wharves, and the breeding grounds are probably near by. Those usually observed are from ten to twelve inches in length, but I think I have seen specimens which would measure two feet." The Red-mouths or Grunts, small fishes belonging to the genus Diaba- sis, are found in the inshore waters of the Southern Atlantic and (lulf States. They arc closely related to the Snapjiers, which they resemble in form, and have remote affinity, with the jjcrch, the bass, and the jiorgy and sheepshead. Their colors are nsually striking, and without exception, they are distinguished by the brilliant red color of the inside of the mouth and throat, from whic h they have sometimes been called Red- mouths, or Flannel-mouths. F>om their habit of uttering a loud, rather melodious sound when taken from the water they have accpiired the name of " Grunts " and "Big-fish." In some localities they are called also "Squirrel-fish," in allusion to the same habit. They are, for the most part, bottom feeders, preying chiefly ui)on crustaceans and small fish. In fact, they are, in most respects, miniature counterparts of the Red Snap- l)er. In many localities they are in high favor as food-fish. They have not yet been very carefully studied, but so far as they are now untlerstood the following species are known to occur in sufficient numbers to jjrove of commercial importance. The Black Grunt, Diii/msis P/tnnicri. has a brownish body, lighter upon the sides, and has the sides of the head ornamented with numerous hori- !, So AMERICA N FJSJfKS. I ! ! zontal stripes of l)rij,'lit hliic, while the posterior half of tlie lower lip is red. It occurs as far north as Charleston, and Dr. Yarrow ( laims to have seen it at Beaufort, North Carolina, though there is some (piestion whether this species was not mistaken for another. Ilolhrook records that it has been observed on ihe Atlantic borders of South Carolina, (leorgia, and Florida. I noticed several small indi\ iduals in the markets of Saint .Augustine in Mar'h, 1.S77. Stearns mentions the lilack Crunt as abundant at Key West among the reefs, and as fre(piently seen in the markets. It is there known as the '• Ronco (Irande," D. alhiis being called the " Margate Fish." and D. diromis the "Sailor's Choice." The Ked-Mouth (iiunt, J)i\i/uisis iti/ro/iiK'ufiis, is probably the " Flannel- mouthed Porgy," familiar to Florida fishermen, and often taken on the St. Johns bar. It has recently been found to be common in Charleston in summer. 'I'his sjjecies was mentioned in Catesby's great work, publisiied in 164^, under the name of "Margate- fish." W'lien alive its color is bright silvery, l)Ut it soon becomes, when taken from the water, of a dull amber-brown, with a slight bra/en tint along the l)a( k and sides, though the belly remains white. The up|)erjaw, within, is white ; the palate is salmon-colored ; the lower jaw and mouth below are also white in their interior third ; the posterior two-thirds, both within and without, are red, and the mouth below ; the tongue and fauces are of a similar color. This llsh occurs in Northern Brazil and throughout the West Inilias, and si)ecimens are recorded from Jamaica, Trinidad, and the Bahamas ; it is found in tlie Bermudas and on our coast at least as far north as Charleston. Stearns writes : "It is (piite common on the Gulf coast of Florida from I'ensacola to Key West. It is caught with hook and line, and is eaten as a jjan-fish. I took an extremely large specimen from the snapper ground l)etween Cedar Keys and St. Marks in fifteen fiithoms of water. It is not found in the vicinity of Pensacola." Hol- brook writes: "The Red-mouthed Crunt is occasionally taken in our waters at all seasons of the year, but is never abundant, as seldom more than a dozen or two are met with in the market at one time. It is not highly esteemed for food, since its flesh lacks both firmness and flavor." Uhler and Lugger say that it occurs occasionally in the lower part of the Chesapeake Bay, where it is not considered to jjossess great economi- cal value. The occurrence of this species so far north needs confirmation. The Norfolk Hog-fish, Poniodasys fulvomaculatus, belonging to a .V.A'//77./AV ./.\7) Rrn-^lOfTllS. 8i clnsdy ivlntc.l ^r^niis is tho '• Iln--|M,/' „r '• ( Inint." ..f ilu- Chc'^.iirakc. and calk'.l also " l'i--risli " („• •' ( inmt •• i,, the Culf of Mcxi.o. an.l " iV.rk- lish" and '• Whitin-" ;u K^y WVm, and kn.nvn in South Carolina and tlic St. Joim's RivcT, II,., as well as in llonnu.la under the nanu- of "Saih.r's ("iioi(v. Its ,oh,rs arc as follows: Ai.ovr. pak- I.rown : hclly. silvery; sides ni. irked with numerous uran-e-((,l.,ri'd or vellow spots; thosL' a!)ove the Literal line dis|.,,M(l in irre-ular oMi, pie' lines, those l.elow it in horizontal rows. Dorsal, an.il anan-fish of the Lower Chesapeak the salt water of tile lower |)art of the Cdi esa- leiin ]ierhaps the most po] ui- At Ueaufort, X. C, where it is also called •• liog-lish. Jordan, it is extremely coi wrote about 1S60 : "Tlie nmon e\er\where in the harbo according to Ilolbrook ailor s C'h oice makes it- appearance i;i our ! >t \ t j.]//:A'/i.i.\ //s/f/is. waters alidiit tlu' iiuiiitli of April .ind < ( iitiiuics with us until NoNfinlicr, uluii till' largi'st ari' takc-n. 1 lia\t.' tnuud in the stuuKK h of this animal onh thf ninains of small fish, ami \rt it takes hook readily when Waited with shrimiis and ( lams. It is loiind along the ( oast from (leorgia to \ir ginia, where it is called " Ilog-l"ish," and is held in great estimation hv e|)i( ures." "On tlie (lulf ( oast." writes Stearns, "it is common everywhere and throughout the \ear it lives in shallow water among the grass, feeding upon small crustat fous animals. It spawns in Ajiril and May, and is .1 ( hoi< e food-fish. 'I'he average length is about ten inches." Stearns also refers to three s|iecies known respeitixi-ly as the " White," " \'ellow " and " lihu k " (iriint. whi* h are found at Key West and upon the neigh- boring reef in great abundaiKe. lie states that " they are taken with hook and line, and are brought daily into market. IJetore the jioisoned water visited that neighborhooil the (Irunt was the most important as well as the favorite food-llsh in the market, but since then they ha\e been scarce, and other l"ish, to a great (.xteiit, ha\e taken their place." ( )n the ( oast of California, especially southward, occur two species of this family; one, known by the name " Sargo," Pristipoiiux Daviii- soni, is found from San I'edro southward to Cerros Island, chietly about tlie islands, and is nowhere lommon. It feeds on crustaceans, and is a a good pan-fish, but is too scarce to have much economic value. It reaches a len^'th of about fil't een in (lies. Still another, Xcnisfiiis calif or ///Vv/jvV Steindachner, occurs from San Diego to Cape San Lucas. It is too scarce to be of any importance for food. Tin; siii:i:i'sm;Aii THE SIIKEPSHl'AD. 'I'liu |iU:.is,iiito^l :ni:;liiiL; U l.i sec tlic li^li Cut will) Wr ;;m1iIcii o.us ilie -ilvcr stro.iiii Ami yiccdily ilcv.Mir the trLMclicnuis ti.iit. 'TpHE nu'nil)LTs of tlic fiunWy S/>tr//,/,ri\ the '• Si.'a-Hivains " as tluy arc often called, aiv cspuc ially < harac tcii/cd I>\- tlicir licav w rather com- l)rcssc(l bodies, their lar^e lieads, and stroni; jaws and teeth. In addition to one or more series of teeth in tlie t'ront of tlie jaws, either conical orin- cisorial in sliape, adapted for tearing tlieir food froni its lodging places, they always have a set of heavy, tlat. grinding-teeth in the hack of the nK)Uth, which are often in double or triple rows on each side and are closelv set. like the stones in a mosaic. Their use is to crush hard shells of mol- hisks and of barnacles, and other crustaceans. They are sedentarv in their habits, living close to the bottom and browsing among the rocks and piles. Their colors are usually inconspicuous and their motions slug- gish. Representatives of this family are found throughout the world in temperate and tropical waters everywhere, and were numerous in the seas and lagoons of the Tertiary and Cretaceous periods. The most important representatives of the family in America, are the i I 1 p \ .i.]//:a'/c\lv /7.s7//;.v. ■itt S!u'('| shvMfl .iii'l tlu- SciippiiiiL; nr rur-;\. Tlirrc iic si'sir.il ntlurs inh.iliit- iiiLj <•' r soiitluTii (i>.i-.t. (if \vlii( li the S.iiliir's ('hoicc. Ltl;^Oiiiyii r/ioni/u>iJiS, \\\v\ tlic IJiwiiii. ur ll.i'^t.iril SiKipiaT. S/>,rr//.f tir/t /lUi ///.<, arc thr ln'st known, Iml llu>n)/>cr/'/tir///.<, is one ot" the < lioi( est i'l^lies ol'otir waters. It deriM'^ its n.iiiie iVuni the reseinlilani e ol" it>. prollle ami teeth ti> ihoM-nt'a siieeji, .md al>o tVoni its |irow->in.,f li.ihits. I'nlike most (if those lishes whic h arc widely
  • >tril)nted along our seaboard, it has only one name, and 1»y this it is known iVom ("ape Cod to tiie Mexican bor- der. The negroes of the .Soutli. howe\er, freipienlly drop the siliilant siiund from the ir.iddle of the word and call it " Sheeiihead." .Several other siie( ies ari' (ailed li\- the snnu- name, lnit there is little danger of ( onliisiiiii e\( ejit in tlu' i a->e of the so-( alhil " Slu-epshead " of ».he(ireat l.ake>. whi( h is similar to the well known "hnnn:" this lish is ()((asi(jnallv sold to the imwary on the re( (\n^v has it become conumin. ( )n the south shore of Long Ulaml it is tpiite abundant, and in New \(irk harbor and its various ap|)roa( lies, at times, may be taken in (dusiderable ninnbers. '. )n the coast of New Jersey it is also abundant, and between Cape May and .Montauk I'oint the spe( ies is said to attain its greati-st perfec tion as a food-fish. Lugger states that it frciiuents the oyster localities of all parts if Clu a|iea ke I!av, liut is now more common among the southeastern (ouuties of \'irginia, where it i omes in considerable ntunbers to Wxil upon the animals whi( h li\e on the ovsler bars. It is found about wre( ksofold vessels, on w IS hi< h barnacles and nioUusks live. About Ueaufort. N. C, it also abundant, and also along the entire coast of the South Atlantic and Tin: siri: iirs/fj:. \n. (itilf States, when- it fri-imt-ntly um int.t i.illy in I'inrid.i. \\v^\\ up the fi\'>ii\vatcr rivers. In tlu- (iiilf, atiordiiig to Stiarii^., it i^ aluiMil.mt on tlic (oast from SoiitlK'rii I'lorida to Mcxii «>. TIk- Sliecpshcad is a hottnm loving' s|i(.'( ies, ipiK't in its iiahits. and littk- j,'i\cn to wainkrinj,'. Nortii of (liark'stun it is ali^int iVoin t'lr inshort- waters dining' the winter si'a-M>n. l)iit it i> idohaMe that its iniLtrations do nut carry it I'ar. lldllirdok ret urds tliat it has been taken in Port koyal Sound as early as January, while in Charleston it makes its apitear- aiK e in April and continues luitil Novetulier. |)r. Mit< hill, wh.ose obser- vations on this spei ies in the vit inity of New ^'ork. made sixty years ago. are perhaps as satisfactory as any whii h Iia\e lieen made, remarked that its term ot" c ontinii.UK e was iVom the headlining of June to the middle of Sep- teiiilier. lie had. ho\ve\er, known it to stay later, for one of the most niuiierous < ollei tions of Sheej^head he ever saw was on the 4th of ( )cto- ber, 1S14; he had observed it as late as the 17th of ()oks and lines are strong in i)roportion ; yet he freciuently breaks them and makes his escajie. Sheepshead have been caught with such fish- ing-tackle fastened to their jaws. When the line or hook gives way, the accident makes a serious impression on the company. As the possession of the Sheepshead is a grand prize, so his escajjc is felt as a distressing loss. 1 know an ancient fisherman who used to record in a book the time, place, and circumstances of every Sheepshead he had caught. This fish is sometimes speared by torchlight in the wide and shallow bays of Queens County and Suffolk." Dr. Mitchill concludes his naive remarks by the mournful words: "It is to be regretted that the Sheepshead too often corrupt for want of ice." Schoepf, writing of the same region forty years before, states that dur- ing the period of the Revolutionary war the Sheepshead was very abun- dant in the summer months and was a very highly prized species. In 1773 the New York Chamber of Commerce offered a ])rize of twenty pounds sterling to the crew of the vessel which should bring to the city markets, " the greatest quantity of live Sheepshead, from the ist of May, 1773, to the ist of May, 1774." Some unknown writer contributed to Brown's " American Angler," in 1S46, the following memorandum : " These noble fish have become ijuite scarce in our harbor. The writer has taken them repeatedly near Covernor's Island, opposite the Battery, but this was in days long since gone by. Still, they are still taken, occa- sionally, at Caving Point and at the Signal poles, at the Narrows, also at Pelhani Bridge and Little Hell date." Scott gives the following advice to Sheejjshead anglers : " If a resident of New York, you will find Canarsie on the OV\ Mill, near Eaft New York, the most convenient place from which to take a sail- boat : a boat is generally at hand at either place. Sail down the channel above the inlet toward Near Rockawav. abr the water, the fish becomes an court I'ouilloii, and should the fish be simmered in a small quantity of water, to which is added a savoury seasoning of herbs, it is known as being a hi bonne tail ; in this case it is generally served in the liquor in which it was dressed ; done in equal quantities of red wine and water, strongly impregnated with aromatic herbs the fish is described as being an bUn, and is almosf \v I THE SHEEPSirEAD. 91 'Hie Pin-fisli, Diplodus irolhrookii, which is alniiKhuit at Charlfston and about IJcautbrt, X. C, was first scientifically described by Dr. Ik-an from specimens obtained in Charleston market, in March, 1S7.S. Jordan found it abundant everywhere near the shores of Beaufort, N. C, in which region it reaches but a small size, and is not used for food. It is confounded by the fishermen with the Sailor's Choice, Lagodon rhomboidcs. invari.llily served cold ; (nily the best kin(h of fi-ili, such as striped-bass, sea-bass, sheepshe.-id, mnonfish, rcil siialiper, sciiietcauiiu, s.iliiiuii ^cc., are trcalud in the List way. Salniiiii, and all dark-lleshud tish rcnuire nunh niDre Imilin.; tii.in the wliitc-fleslied kinds. AVlicn pcissible, some vine.i;ar sliiiiild l)e riililicd (in tlie ont>ido of ti>h before it is lioilcd, by wliich means the skin is prevented from cracking, but the introduction of much llavorinj; in tlie licpiur in wliicli it is dressed is principally necessary when the fish has been some time out of the water, and is cunseiiiienlly de- ficient in natural flavi^r. It is considered preferable to serve boiled fish upon a napkin, rather than have a sauce poured over it in the dish : and with salmon it is thoiinht better taste to have a pl.dn white sauce, instead of anything less simple; cucumber or melon in slices may be served apart. No positive rules can be Kiven as tothe length oftime fish should be boiled, as everything depends upon the size and kind of fish yon have to dress. Salmcju, usually, should be alloweil at least ten minutes to each pound, while two or three nunutes per pound will be ample for haddock, cod, S;c.: a mackerel needs about a ([uarter of an hour to do it properly ; herrings, and many other sorts ot fish, scarcely half so long. i 1 i. r 1 THE SCIPPAUG. STENOTOMUS CHRTSOPS. THE SCUPPAUG AND THE FAIR MAID. Uait the hook well ; this fish will liitc. Shakkspeaki;, Much A{ Mishciippauog, an appellation used by the Narragansett Intlians, which has unfor- tunately been corrupted to form two others, neither of which is euphon- ious or significant. In New England it is generally called "Scup," while about New York the second syllable of the abbreviated Indian name has been lengthened into " Paugy " or "Porgy." The latter name is particularly objectionable because it belongs to an Eng- lish fish, and its iiroper etymology as a fish -name is very different. Another Indian word, " poghaden," a corrujit form of the Abnaki name for the menhaden, or moss-bunker, has been changed to " pogy " and " porgy," thus leading to much confusion. " Scuppaug " is an excellent name for the fish, and its claims for general ado])tion will be recognized by all who wish to preserve the memory of the aboriginal languages of America. THE SCUPPAUG AXD THE EAIK MAID. 93 Tautog, (■hof,fsct, stnictcat,niL', niiimmic liog, nmttawacca, menhaden, siscowct, tullibcc, ciuinnat, oulachan, (uniassa and naniayciish arc among the best of them ; their nmiiher is few, and they need careful guardianshi]). Until very recently < nlyone sj e( ies of the genus Slciiotcwus was known to occur in our waters. I)r. I5ean has, however, shown that there are two on the Atlantic coast of the United States, in addition to the nninij!ortant species, S. lafriiius, re( ently dts( ril td fxm theOulfof Mi..\i(o. The " Scup " of the North, Siniofoiiitis c/insi'/s, is by far the most im- portant, though the Southern si;ecies, S. aciilcaliis, has considerable «-om- niercial value. The former, Mhidi is distinguished by its larger teeth and more abrupt jirofde, is abundant between Ca] e Cod and Cape Ilatteras; the latter has its metroj olis en th.e Caiclina coast, but has been found sparingly as far north as Wood's licill, Mass. w THE FAIR MAID. STFXOTO.Ml'9 ACULEATt:9. On the Virginia coast the Southern Scup is known as the " Fair Maid." The name " I'orgy " is in use about Charleston, S. C.,but is not dis- tinctive, being appdied to several allied foims. Their range is much more limited to the south and extends farther to the north than that of the Sheepshead. Holbrook wrote in i860: " The Porgy is found along our coasts at all seasons of the year, though most abundant in June and July." lie further states that its southern limit on the Atlantic border is Cape Florida, a statement probably not susceptible of proof. 1) i ',i 94 ^/ . ME MIL 'A X J'lSIfES. O ill Tht' NortluTii S( ii|) rarely passes the boundary of Cape Cod ; in i.SjS, however, thirty-seven were taken at the Milk Island weir off Thatc her's Island, Cai)e Ann, Mass., and they a])pear to be increasing in abundance. This spe( ies does not ajipear to be indigenous north of Cape Cod. Storer states that in the year iort of the U. S. Fish Commission, the following life-history is comjjiled : " It makes its ajijiearance, at least in considerable quantity, on the coast of New Fngland about the middle of May, although the advance- guard of very large fish arrive sometimes as early as the middle of A])ril ; and it is most abundant toward the 1st of June, and arrives in successive detachments or ' runs' differing in si/e, the smallest fish coming last. The first run on the southern coast of New ]',ngland, as stated, takes ])lace about the beginning of May, and consists of large breeding fish, weighing from two t ) four pounds, and measuring up to eighteen inches or more in length. 'J'he spawn is (juite well developed at that time, and is said to be at first red, but gradually to become light yellow as it matures. The l)articular time and ])lace, however, of laying the eggs is not yet known, although it is ])rol)able that this occurs early in June, since the schools are said to break up about the middle of that month, and the fish to scatter. It is thought probable that the spawning takes ])lace in the eel-grass which covers the shoal water of Narragansett Bay and Vineyard Sound. "According to the fishermen generally, the Scup on first coming into the shores do not take the hook readily, being apparently too much occu- ])ied in the business of reproduction, and two weeks usually elapse before they can be caught in this way. They present themselves in large schools of immense extent, and moving very slowly, at about the rate of three miles an hour. From the testimony ])resented before the committe of investigation of the Rhode Island legislature, they ajijiear to come from the south and west, as when they enter Narragansett Bay they strike the THE sccrrAca axj) tj[e fair maid. 95 western shore and move np alon,^ its edge. They are said, however, to . small crustaceans, mollusks, «!vc.. and take the hook \ery freely during tlic greater ])art of their stay ; in fact, the smaller ones 1 ec cjine \eritable nuisances to the fishermen, from the reaclimss with whic h they pounc e upon the baited hook whenever thrown overboard. "The flesh of the Scup is \ery nuic h ])ri/.ed by most ])ersons. as it is firm and flaky, and usually sweet, although occasionally a bitter flavor detracts from its jjalatability. Sine e the settlement of the coast by the whites, it has been by far the most im])ortant food-flsh of I'isher's Island and \'ineyard Sound, Narragansett I'.ay and of IJuzzard's liay ; ancl the rai)id diminution in number has caused the greatest solic itude. " Ot their abundance on the south coast of New llngland in former times, almost incredible accounts are given. They swarmed to sue h a degree that their capture ceased to be a matter of s])ort. The line when thrown overboard could be immediately withdrawn with the assuranc e of having a fish on each one of two hooks. Any number of fishermen from boats could take five hundred to one thousand ])ounds a day without the slightest difficulty, the limits of the catch being simply the ability to find a sale. " In flavor the flesh of this flsh is surjiassed by very few others on the coast, although its superabundance caused it to be under\alued. The period of greatest develojjment in number of this flsh coincided with that of the absence of the bluefish, and since the return of the latter to the coast of New England the S<:up has become scare e, although still a very important object of jnirsuit. " The Scup is a fish that grows with rapidity, and at two years is almost of sufficient size to be marketable. Throughout the summer young flsh of the spring spawning are to be seen floating around in the eel-grass and over the sandy bottoms, having attained a length of from two and a half to three and a quarter inches by the ist of October. When these flsh reappear the next season, thus completing one year of e>istence, they measure about six inches, six to eight or nine weighing a pound ; and by the ist of Septemlier attain an average length of eight inches, including the tail, and a breadth of three inches. In the third year of existence, or at the age of two years, they have increased considerably, though not so rapidly as was once sup])osed, measuring, on their reappearance, about t ! f I ^ yO AMlUaCAX J'7SIfl':s. tin iiK Iks, with ;in avira^c wcijilu of one-half i)oiin(l. After this tlicy \irnw moic (iui( kly. One himdrid ami niiu'ty-ninu, prcsiinKd to he tliicc years' fish, wei^'hed on the 6th of September, averaj^'ed one and a half l)onn(ls ia( h, and measured about t\vel\e in( lies in lenj^'th by fotir and a half iiK lies in width, some individuals being larger and some smaller. 'I'he female fish of the second year not imfretnieiitly contains mature eggs. It is in the fifth year, or after the lapse of fi)iir years from birth, that the Scup presents its finest development ; specimens believed to be of this age measured fimrteen f)r fifteen in< lies by [\\i^ to six iiK lies or more, with a weight of two-and-a-half to three jjomids. 'I'liey, however, still lontinue to grow, spet iniens being not unfre(|uently met with eighteen in< lies long, and weighing f()uri>oun(ls and even more. 'I'lie dimensions may belong to fish of six or more years t)f age ; more i)ro',)ably, however, of li\e years. ".\s a general rnle, in their movement along the coast the .Scup are not found in water shallower than a few fathoms; and it sometimes hajipens, in the course of liea\y storms, that in conse(|Ueiice of the discoloration of the water near tlie shore the fish move farther out to sea, and on such occasions measurably escape falling into the traps. "The S( up is very largely a bottom feeder, and depends very mtich u|;on mollusks or shelllish tor subsistence. J have been informed bj- the fishermen that they may freciuently be seen feeding U|)on small bivalves of different sjiecies, rooting tlum out of the sand or mud. The stomachs of about two hundred one and one-half jjound S( up were examined at one time in the beginning of September. These almost exclusively contained shells of various genera, with some worms and a few ampliipods. Its es])ecial food ap])ears to be small shells, crabs, shrimjJS and possibly small fish. The abundance of such food on the south coast of New England must be prodigious to supj^ort the swarms that even now are found there. It is in regarti to this s])ec ies that a close time appears desirable, so that access to the spawning-grounds and freedom from disturbance may be enjoyed by a sufficient number to maintain the species. '* Like all other small fish, they are tlevoured by their more rapacious fellows, and very largely by bluelish, notwithstanding a general impres- sion to the contrary. 'I'he extent to which this takes place will be con- sidered under the head of the bliiefish. Halibut, cod, sharks and other ground- feeders likewise use them up in great numbers. "As already remarked, the breeding fish tlo not appear \.o feed on their first arrival, being then too muc h occupied in carrying out the reproduc- tive function. As, however, they can be taken with the hook about the Tst of June, we may infer that this is about the time they begin to feed for themselves. The younger fish jirobably feed as soon as they reach the shores. No remains of fish have hitherto been found in the stomachs of Scups, and we may conclude that they are not piscivorous. " The Scup remain along the northern coast until about the middle of October, when tlie larger ones, at U'ast, begin to leave the shores and TJIE SCLl'J'AL'iJ AXD THE PAIR MAID. 97 ni()\L' out into (lcL'i)i.T watiT. Mr. ^'iiKil I'.dvvards has. liovwvir, taki'iv younger lisli at Wood's Holl as late as ilic lotli of I )(.•((.' ml )i'r. and ('apt. John kogiTs, of Noank, states that, in fishini,' for rod on NantiK kit Shoals late in \()vend)cr, their stoina< hs are o( ( asionally filled with small S( lip, \vhi( h dro])S out of their mouths when hauled on dec k, found to he to tile extent of five or six at a time. It iscpiite possiMe that tlu'v, as well as other fish, seek in winter that portion of the (iiilf Stream that corre- s|)oiids in temperature to that of their summer abode ; and as the mean summer temperature of the waters of Southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island amounts to about 65" l'., they must go nearly to the lati- tude of Norfolk, \'a., before they (an find that same temperature in the winter season." 'I'iiis s])e(ies has a certain interest derisid from its (onnection with an early and imjiortant incident in the history of the market lisiieries, for we are t(jld that the smack "Amherst," laiUK hed July 2X„ I7f>,^ was the first I'lshing boat ])rovided with a well for the tr.uisportation of living fish ; and that she was intended for the •• pcrgy " fishery. In the New Wjrk Gazette of January 30, 1764, were printed some lines beginning thus: " Since on our hanks the |)orgys found A smack they've built to try the jjrouiul." v\c., etc., The " porgy " soon became too common for profit or jjleasure, and the fishing was abandonetl.* Immense numbers of Sciip are caught in the pounds and trai)s in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and for several weeks in each year the market is usually glutted, a barrelful being freipiently sold for twenty-five to fiftv cents, or a small fraction of a cent a pound. It is extremely doubtful whether any part of the more northern ( oast of North .\merica can fur- nish, within three miles of the shore, as large a weight of fish in nuu kerel, herring and cod as has been furnished by tlie Scup, sea-bass and tautog alone in the waters of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Mr. William Davol, of Rhode Island, with his "gang," caught 2,400 barrels of Scup, valued at $1,200, at Seconnet, in May, i860. Fish were purchased by Messrs. Reynolds, Young iv: Co., of Fall River, and shipped to I'hiladelphia. In the summer of 1S80 over 2,500,000 pounds were sold in New York city alone, and the product of the New l-higland fishery amounted to at least double the quantity. As many as 10,000 barrels have been taken at once in a single pound in Narragansett Bay. The Scup is not especially * De Voe, Market Assistant, p. 182. 7 i >i j.i//.A'/r./.v r/s/rr.s. in f;i\()r as a food-fish, altli(>iij,'li whi-n viTv fresh it is entitled to a middle rank. l,ar;,'c oms should he hroiled with rii h saiu c, small ones treated as lian-lish. 'I'he llesh is somewhat dry. and wiliioiit distim tive tlavor. 1 was j,'reatly surprised to find this sjieeies exposed for sale in the markets of Paris and Koiii'n in i.S.S;, and meetinjf with a ready sale. A large ([uantity had heen sent in i< e from Xew \'ork to I'ranc e. The European analogue of our American S< up or l'or;.;y is the .V/.. bi-iiij,' known aliotit ('apt.' Ilatti-ras a> tin- •• Roliiti " and •• I'in li^Ii." at Cliarks- ton as the "Salt-water Ureain." at l!riinswi( k. (l,i., as llu- " Si|uirr(.'l- fish " and ••Sailor's Choi'i-." iii tin- St. Inlm's l\i\or a-, the ••Sailor's Clinicc " atid '• Pori:}'." in the Indian ki\rr re.u'ion a>. tlu- "Sailor's Choice." "Scu]>." and •■ N\ llow-tail." at ( edar Keys as llu •• I'orLiv " and ••Shiner." and at lVnsa< ola as the ••('hopa Spina." South c)f ("ape Hatteras this l"i>h is e\ieedin,uly almndant. and is n>n,illv found in company with the shei'iishi.id. whi( h it inn( h resend'les in h.diits. Its jaws, however, are not so stronL,^ as thn>r ot" the sheepsliead. 1>\' riMson ot" whi( h it is debarred from feediiiL; upon the stronL;er slielKd uiollusks and criistat I'ans. whi( h toiistitute the prim ipal diet of the latter. ( )n the Atlantic coast the largest individuals rarely e\( eid ten im he-> in length, the ordinary si/e in I'.astern Florida lieinL,^ six (U' ciuht iu' lies, with the weiLjht of I'im- or six ouik es. 'I'he Sailor's ('hoi( e is one of the most delic iouslv tlavond i'lshis nf our coast, beiiiLj preferreil to the younj,' slucp>head by many of tho-c who ari' familiar with its i^ood (lualities. laigyer states that it enters the (bains of the ocean coast of Maryland, and is occasionall)' ( aii^ht in I'le lower part of the Chesapeake I'ay. A( (ordinj; to Jordan tluy are excessively abnml- ant everywhere in the harbor of Ueaut'ort, N. ('.. wlu're they are taken bv the thousand by boys with hook and line from the whar\es, but are seldom used for food, and are found eipially numerous through the (lulf States coast. At Charleston, according to llolbrook. this fish is taken at all seasons of the year, though most plentiful in May and June. Xo referen< e is made by this author to its \alue as an article of fofxl. At Brunswick, da., the Sailor's Choice is highly esteemed ; in the St. John's it is \erv abundant, and is taken in company with the sheepshead far up the river. It is easily cajitured with hooks baited with shrimp, and is considered to be a very superior jian-fish, its (lesh resembling that of the scuppaug, though much sweeter and harder. In the Indian River region, according to Mr. S. C. Clarke, this fish is resident all the year, and is very abundant. The weight of the largest observed by him was one ])ound. The average weight is about five ounces. They are found in the deej) water, or salt water, feeding upon minnows, small crabs, and shrimps. The spawn is pale blue, and of the size of il 1 i I CO AMERICAN FISHES. W niustaril seed. Vounu; fish are r.ccn in great abundance. They are taken l)y hook with mullet or clam i)ait, and also in east-nets and seines. One hundred are often taken by a fisherman in a day. They are highly prized fur food, and are occasionally salted. They are sometimes sent in ice to Savannah and Charleston. "On the Oulf coast," writes Mr. Stearns, ••they are very abundant, living and breeding in the bays and bayous. They spawn in winter or early si)ring, and the young of different sizes may be seen in May and June. The adult fish li\e in deep water, while the young remain near shore. Many are caught by hook and line, and with tlie seine." A fisli known as the " Sheepshead Porgy " is said by Stearns to be common in tlie Oulf of Mexico and about the l-'lorida Reefs. It is caught with hook and line, and is sold in the markets of Key AVest. There are other species, known by the name *' I'orgy," which are found in this re- gion, such as Calamus hajoimdo, common also at Charleston, where it is callcvl the "White-boned Porgy." the "Jolt-head Porgy." of Key West. C. inci::;accpJiahts, C. arctifrons, the " Shad Porgy " of " Grass Porgy " of Key We;t, and C. in i: crops. California h:\s tv.o important sjiecics belonging to this family, concern- ing which Professor Jordan has communicated the following information : The Plue-fish, Girclla iiii:;n'caiis, inapjiropriately so called, reaches a length of about fourteen inches, and a weight of three or four pounds. It ranges from Monterey southward, and is very abundant aboi;t the Santa Bar- bara Islands. 'J'iie young of this species are common inhabitants of the rock-p^'jjs. The Bluefish is entirely herbivorous, it is a food-fish of good ([uality, but the flesh softens sooner after death than is usually the case with related fishes. It is very tenacious of life. The Ilalf-moon, S(-orpis cti/ifornintsis. more commonly known bv its Spanish name, Mt'dia/itiui, reaches a length of more than a foot, ami a weight of three or four jiounds. It ranges from Point Conception south- ward, chiefly about the Santa Barbara Islands, where it is exceedingly abun- dant, and, in tiie winter, forms the greater jiart of the catch at San Pedro. It feeds chiefly upon crustaceans, but is, to some extent, herbivorous. It takes the hook readily, is an excellent food-fish, and, in the Los Angeles market, is second only to the barracuda in importance. ! .^ li,M-\'^x>,>Ks.^ Tin; i!ri> iiiiiM. THE RED DRUM. Long as a salmnii, if nut so stout, And springy ami swift as a mountain trout, Inni:s Randolph, TIu' Prum-Jisti. 'T^HE family Scicviiii/d- is (listribtitctl along the coasts of temperate and trojHcal eountries. the world over, though most abundant in the Western Atlantic, the Eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans, and in the Mediter- ranean Sea. In general form many of the members of this family are not unlike the salmon, and are sometimes mistaken for it. I'hev are, how- ever, true spiny-rayed fish, and they may be distinguished tVom all others by the presence of the comparatively short, spiny, dorsal fin, and a verv long, soft-rayed fin u])on the posterior jiortion of the back. Many of theni are ground-loving species, are provided Avith barbels bv which they feel their way over the bottom, and with strong, i)avement- like teeth for crushing shell-fish and strong shelled crustaceans. To this group belong the fresh-water Drum, the King-fish, and others. Another group, typified by the Stpieteagues, are without the barbels and possess long, sharp teeth, being rapid swimmers, and voracit)Us surface feeders. Many of the sjiecies are most abundant about the mouths of rivers, and there are several spet ies, such as the fresh-water Drum, JFaploidouotiis gnmnicns, of the Mississippi ^'aliev, which are found only in fresii water. Nearly all have the power of uttering loud sounds. This, as has been demonstrated by M. Dufosse, is accomplished through a peculiar structure of the air-bladder. I ' mm9 Uu I i 'I i02 AMERICAN FISHES. Sitioiti oiflhita is t,n-L'atly in need of a good English name. Other forms more widely distributeil or better known seem to have substantial claims of priority upon all its appellations. In the Chesapeake and south to below Cape Hatteras it is known as the "Drum;" but, ro}:;o)iias c/iroiiiis, is called by the same name fro... Provincetown to Texas, and is the jjossessor of a much more musical organ. Some of the old writers coined names for it like "Beardless Drum" and "Branded Drum," referring to the brand-like spots upon the tail ; but these are of no value f( In the Caroli Florida <1 the Clulf meet th ommon us( the names " Bass," and its variations, " Red Bass," " Sea Bass," " Reef Bass," " Spotted Bass " and "Channel Bass." Many persons suppose " Channel Bass" to l)e a characteristic name, but this is a mistake, for the term is applied properly only to large individuals which are taken alone or in pairs in the channels of streams and sounds ; wherever this name is used, the smaller fish of the species are called simply " Bass" or " School Bass ;" even if tlie word " bass " could be so qualified as to be applicable to the species, there is an insuj^erable objection to its use for any fish of this family. " Spot " sometimes corrupted to " Spud " is another name erroneously applied to this fish, and which is the property of a much smaller species of the same family, otherwise known as "Lafayette" or "Cape May Goody." Finally, we have the " Red Fish " and " Red Horse " of Florida and the Gulf States, the " Poisson Rouge" of the Louisiana Creoles, and " Pez Colorado " of the Mexicans. This is perhaps best for general use, if modified to "Southern Red-fish or "Red Drtmi." The chief objection is that the fish is not always red ; in the young there is not a suggestion of this color, while in the adult it is more a tint, an evanescent, metallic refiection of claret from the scales, which is often absent, and at all events soon disappears after life is gone. The number of spots on the tail is variable ; usually there is one or two, but sometimes as many as eight or ten, and their arrangement is a matter of chance, while occasion- ally they are absent. A facetious friend suggests that "Bass Drum" would not be inappropriate, because of all the drum family it is " hardest to beat." The Southern Red-fish is among the important species upon the coast of the United States from the Chesapeake to the Mexican boundary. THE RED DRlWr. 103 Abundant as it is in the Carolinas, in I-'lorida and in the (Iiilf of Mexico, the limits of its range appear to be \ery sharply defined, there being little tendency on the part of individuals to stray away from their wonted pas- tures. Although the sjieeies has long been commonly found in the Chesa- peake, I am unable to find any record of its capture north of Cajje Charles jirevious to 1880, though sin( e that date the sjiecies has been rather abundant along the coast of New Jersey. Mit( hill and DeKay refer to it in their books on fishes of Xew York, but their descriptions were based upon market specimens, probably brought fnun more southern localities, and Prof. Ikiird obtained none in his exploration of the Xew Jersey coast in 1S54, nor can it be found in \\'el)ster"s collections from the Atlantic side of the Virginia Peninsula. Its range to the soath seems to terminate with e(]ual abruptness. Stearns states that from Tampa Bay and northward to the Mississippi River it is one of the most common e/Xi-!u Xfthcrlaiiif, translated by Hon. H. C Mi'Mihy. 'T^HE genus Cxiioscioti, is represented on our Atlantic coast by thret- species. Cynoscion regale, the Weakfish, or Squeteague, is found from Cape Ann to the mouth of the St. John's River, Fla., and possibly to the Gulf of Mexico. Cynoscion caroUucnse, the Spotted S'lueteagtie, or Southern Sea Trout, ranges from the Chesapeake to the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Pontchartrain. The Silvery Squeteague, Cynoscion notJium, is a fish of somewhat unusual occurrence, observed at Charleston and in East and West Florida. There was still another, described by Holbrook under the name Cynoscion thalassinum, which has not been seen by other natur- alists, and which is probably not a valid species. Like all of our important fishes, which have no European representative, the Squeteague are known by a great variety of names. About Cape Coil thev are called "Drummers;" about Buzzard's Bay and in the vicinity THE Sq UE TEA G I VuV. Ill the Iarj,H'st are known as " Yellow I'lns ;" in New \'()rk and in New jei>ev. •'Weak-fish;" from Southern New |erse\ to \'ir;4inia, '• liliielish." 'The name " Stini t fiom the " trout " of the fresh waters of tht; South, whi( h is a Uhu k Uass. The name " Squeteague," since it is the aboriginal Inea( h, by the steam sma< ks " 10. T. DelMois," Cajit. J. A. Keene ; "Leonard IJrightman," Capt. lOlijah I'owers, and "J. \V. Haw- kins," C'apt. J. \V. Hawkins. 'I'hese smacks are engaged in the men- haden oi '• mossbunker " fishery for the oil-rendering and fish-scrap works on r>arren Inland, and were cruising off Rockaway yesterday in search of schools. About noon a vast school of what the fishermen supposed at first to be menhaden was discovered stretching along the coast for miles. 'I'o borrow their language, ' 'l"he water w;4s red with the fish, but they ilidn't break the surface as menhaden always do.' The boats were lowered, the seines spread, and then it was discovered that the school was of Weakfish and not menhaden. * I have been in the business for twenty years,' said the mate of the ' I'rightman,' ' and I never saw anything like it before.' The fish varied in length from one and a half to three feet, and in weight from three to seven pounds. The * DelJlois ' took over 200 barrels, the 'Hawkins' 150 barrels, and the ' Brightman ' 350 barrels. The entire catch was estimated at something over 200,000 j^ounds, which, at the ordinary market jjrice for Weakfish — seven cents a ])oimd — would amount to $14,000. But, of course, the market price could not be maintained in the presence of such a catch as this." The Siiueteague comes on the coast of New England in summer in pur- suit of food. Its wanderings do not often carry it north of Monomoy. "In the days of my boyhood," said Capt. Atwood, when before the Rhode Island Legislature in 1S71, " my neighbors often si)oke of a fish called the 'drummer,' which is the same variety that you call the Stjuc- ' Tlfl: SQIETEAGLES. ".i tiMLjiK'. \vhi( li wen- s(i iik'niilcl tli.il lluy < oiild In.- laki'ii li\ thi' hoat-load. I'.iit in 1.S16, wlun I first wiiu iiiln a fishing boat, tht-y had (lisa|>|)iMrilentiful that it is not unusual to catch five or eight barrels at one drag of a seine. One man fishing with hook and line sometimes catches one hundred in less than a day. The Trout is an excellent food- fish, and of considerable importance to the fish trade. The demand for it would be much greater if it was not so hard to preserve in this climate." S. C. Clarke writes that it is more of a game fish than the Squeteague, active, vigorous and voracious, and cai)turable with similar fishing gear. He recommends a bamboo rod of eight or nine feet, a multiplying reel with drag, and 100 to 150 yards of fifteen thread flax line, with hook of the Cuttyhunk pattern, and ounce sinkers of hollow lead. The Silver Squeteague, Cynoscion notlium, called at Charleston the " Bas- tard Trout," while resembling in shape the two species already described, is easily distinguished from them, being of a uniform silvery hue, the back being slightly darker than the rest of the body. One or two individuals have been taken in Chesapeake Bay, but it has rarely been observed north of South Carolina, whence Holbrook obtained the specimens from which the original description was made. I have ob- tained one or two individuals from the mouth of the St. John's River, Avhere they are not distinguished by the fishermen from the ' ' Shad Trout, ' ' or Northern Squeteague. In the Gulf of Mexico, according to Stearns, it is common in company with the Spotted Scpieteague, and, as far as has been observed, its habits are similar. It is, however, according to Jordan, less abundant, and is not to be found at all seasons. It is most abundant in September and October, but no sjxawning fish or young have been seen. The " White Trout," as it is called in Pensacola, is caught with hook and line in company with the Spotted Trout. On our Pacific coast there are several species of Cynoscion. The most rrrp. sq l 'e tea g ues. 121 important of these are undoubtedly Cynoscion iiobilc and C. parripiiiin-. Jordan thus describes their liabits : ^"■Cynoscion nobile is everywhere known as the Sea-bass and the Sea- trout, sometimes as ' White Sea-bass,' to distinguish it from the Bhick Sea-bass or Jew-fish. The young, while yet banded, are known as * Sea Trout,' and generally considereil a distinct species, and both are frequently called 'Corvina' and 'C'aravina.' *^^^^i^^:^'- I I ^i I'll I ■ ' ■• M«?»;;i»»»»^re'WlULVn?!^ Ji^taiSi ■Ci&';*."' " ' ^^i*iuiii.;i THK RONCADOR. " It reaches a length of four to six feet and a weight of fifty to seventy- five pounds, perhaps more. Those usually seen in market average al)OUt fifteen. "• It ranges from Cape Mendocino southward to below San Diego, being especially abundant from Santa Barbara to Monterey in spring and summer. It is not often seen in winter. Only aiUilts are taken in spring, and it jirobably comes to the shore from deeper water for the jnirpose of spawning. Itgoes in small schools, and its movements are irregular. Its food consists of crustaceans and fishes. It sjiawns in June or July. It is one of the most important food-fishes of the coast. Its Hesh is excellent, firm and well flavored, and its great size renders it a very valuable species. In the firmness of its flesh it differs strikingly from most of the other species of the genus. '• C\'iioscion parvipinnc , is usually known as the * Corvina ' or ' Caravina.' It is also occasionally called Bluefish. It reaches a length of about two feet, and a weight of eight pounds. It is found from San I'edro southward to the Clulf of California, rarely straying to the north. In San Diego Bay it is abundant. It feeds on crustaceans, and especially on small fishes, as '1: i I 22 AMERJCAN FISHES. anc lioxics niid saivlincs, and is very voracious. It spawns in July or August. Its tk'sli is tender, being very similar to that of the weak-fish (C. ;•<;;,■■(//(•). It softens soon, but, when fresh, is of a fine, delicate ([uality, and s( ilrcely surpassed by any fish on the coast. Several other sjjecies of this genus occur southward along the Me.\ican coast, where they are among the most important of the food-fishes." THE KINO-FISn. MEXTIC1RRV3 NF.nCLOSX-S. THE KING AND QUEEN FISHES. These lie tlie hills, fciimih he) tlie siirijes hie, On whicli f.iire Cynthi^iher he;in.ls ilotli feed ; Hor heartls he thmisantl fishes witli their frie, Which in the hosome of the hillowes breed. • Of them the shcphcard, which hath charge in chief, Is Triton, blowing loutl his wreathed horn At sonnil whereof, they all, fir their relief. Wend too and fro at evening and at nKjrnc. Si'BNSEH. Co/in Clouts Coiiii' Ilotne ^\i;ain. 1591. 'T'HE Kixo-FISH, .}rt'nficirnis nrhif/osiis, also known as the "Hake" on the coast of New Jt-'rs<-'y and Delaware, and as the " Tom-cod " on the coast of Connecticut, the "Barb" about Barnegat, the " Black Mullet " in the Chesapeake, the " Sea Mink " in North Carolina, and sometimes also in the South as the " Whiting," ranges from Cape Ann south at least as f;ir as the mouth of the St. John's River, Fla., although in the southern part of its range it is frequently confused with the Whiting. It has been obtained by Jordan and Stearns at Pensacola ; though it is rare in the Gulf. Its great gaminess, its beauty of color and form, and its excellent flavor, Mr. Cheney assures us, causetl the loyal citizens of New York in colonial days to call this species the "King-fish" and in former times, when it was abundant in New York bay, the King-fish and the small striped bass were the crowning glory of the old time fishing. It is discussed as follows by Professor Baird : "This species, well worthy of the name which has been given it, and 124 AMERICAN J'ISJ[E:1 the estimation in which it is held l)y Xew Vork epicures, as it is certainly savory wlien taken frosh from the water, leaves nothing; to he desired in the way of a i'lsh diet. It is (luite abundant off the Middle States, but is rare much to the eastward. A few sjiecimens are occasionally taken in Hu/zard's Bay and Vineyard Sound, and Dr. Storer mentions four as hav- ing,' been cajjtured in Massachusetts Hay. It is almost as capricious in its occurrence in the more northern waters as the Lafayette, sometimes being scarcely met with for several successive summers, and then suddenly reap- pearing, as if migrating from more southern waters. At Heesley's Point, N. J., wiiere I have had most opportunity of studying its habits, it appears (juite early in the spring with the scjueteague, mmX is found a good deal in company with it, like that fish seeming to jjrefer a slight mixture, of fresh water, as shown by its keeping in the mouths of rivers and run- ning farther up during the dry season. It takes bait readily and affords excellent sport to the fishermen, although not caught in anything like the same number in a given time as the squeteague, thirty or forty at a single tide being considered an excellent catch for one boat. " Nothing has been recorded in regard to the precise time of their spawning or the places where they lay their eggs. The young are met with at Beesley's Point in immense numbers on the sandy bottom as well as in the surf. The smallest were about an inch long. I have taken the young also in considerable number in Vineyard Sound at a time when the old fish were scarcely known. They occasionally run to a considerable distance up the rivers, as I have caught young fish of this species at Sing Sing, on the Hudson, where the water is scarcely brackish. The King- fish run much in schools, and keep on or near a hard, sandy l)ottom, i)re- ferring the edge of channels and the vicinity of sand bars ; and they con- gregate about oyster-beds, especially when the oysters are being taken up, and m .y be seen under the boats, fighting for the worms and crustaceans dislodged in the operation. They bite readily at hard or soft clams, or even pieces offish, and are taken most successfully on the young fiooil. Like the squeteague, they wdll occasionly run up the salt creeks at night, and may be captured in gill-nets as the water recedes. This, however, is not so common a habit with them as it is with its associate. " The price of this fish varies at different seasons of the year, but it is always well maintained, and it is generally valued at nearly as high a fig- ure as the Spanish mackerel. The European analogue of this species, Uin- rirr. Kfxa axd qveex r/s/n-.s. />riii(i cirrfhKUt, is soinuwliat similar in general appcaraiK o. and its (Icsh is hiLjlily esteemed. This feeds on small fislies, molltisks, and. accordiuLj to \'arro\v, on sea-weed, sometimes attaining a weight of forty pounds. 'This magnitude 1 have not seen approximateil !)y our species, although it is pos- sible that it may occasionally reacii a large si/e. Of its distribution southward I can find no satisfactory account." In 1.S79 numerous small individuals of this species appeared in the har- iior of I'rovincetown, Mass.; they seemed however, to be out of their proper habitat, and many were ihilled by the coldness of the water and cast up on the beach. In 1S80 and iSSi, the species is said to have been particidarly abundant on the coast of New Jersey, and to have afforded much sport to anglers of that vicinity, many of whom had not been famil- iar with it in previous years. Mr. .\. N. Cheney gives the following instructions for Kiiig-fish angling: "A light rod and multiplying reel, a strong and very light line, a swivel sinker and two rather small hooks arc what is recjuired in the way of tackle ; much the same rig as is used in weakfishing. The bait I's eitiier shedder crab or sand-worm. The King-fish is thoroughly game ; he seizes the bait eagerly and then goes to the bottom, following up this movement with long runs from right to left ; it is really remarkable what a determined resistance the little King-fish will make. In size he varies from one to six l)Ounds, the average being two or three pounds. The time to fish for them is when the tide is running in. Kingfish can be caught along the south side of Long Island, off the Jersey coast at Atlantic City, Long Branch and Barnegat Inlet, and further south they are very common." The Whitings, favorite food-fishes of the Southern coast, embrace the two species, Mciiticirnis aUninius and M. Uttoralis, both closely allied in general character to the King-fish of more northern waters. They are said to occur abundantly from Cape Fear River, N. C, to the Rio Grande, in Texas. Uhler and Lugger claim that they inhabit the salt water of the Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries, but it is not probable that they are at all abundant. On the coast of South Carolina, according to Dr. Hol- brook, the Whiting remains all the year round, and although few are taken in December and January, \-et they are sufficient to prove themselves constant residents. Near Charleston in the spring and summer months they are very abundant ; they enter the mouths of bays and rivers, and are captured in great numbers. They take the hook readily ; their favor- f \ I 26 AMERICAX Fisfrr.s. itc bait is tho «lriiin. and lieing strong, lively and a( tivo in hahit, thov alTord great sport to the riNJiermen. 'I iiey prefor deep antl running waters, and seldom approaoil, and it nuisl cover uliatover you wish to fry. Wlu'ii fit lioils it is cuiite stiU, leaves oil" moving; or Imhlilinu'. ami a thin blue smoke or vapor rises from it. I'at can be kept for a loni; time to fry in ; it shoiikl be straineil after using, anJ it can be clarified often, provi(led it is not allowed to burn."— (lM)n il ('i..ahki;.) After being cleaned and wiped i)erfectly dry, lish for frying should be rnbhed over with flour, oi dipped once or twice into egg and bread irunibs, or passed through a regularly-niade batter. Fry it in plenty of very hot oil or fritiirc ; drain il thoroughly from grease; sprinkle fuie salt upon it, and serve it upon a damask napkin filded in a dish tastefidly garnished ; serve a sauce apart. Chopped onions are generally fried and served with fresh herrings. If a sulVicieut (|uantity of fat he employed, a good thick fish will not need more than tern minutes's frying ; smelts and suih-like small tish are done in five minutes, or even less. I'inely-shrcd herbs may be sprinkled over some sorts of fish, such as eels or mackerel, previously to frying them, but soles, or in short flatfish generally, should be only done with bread crumbs and egg, so as to send them to table looking of a clear golden yellow." — 1( Ii-iiiiciANA^ Hill.) To fry fish in the Virginia style :—" Choose miihlle-si.'ed fish; cle.in them, scale and wash them: then with a very sharp iicnknife score them on the sides, hut not very deep nor very close ; dredge them with flour; then fry them in oiled butter. When they are well done and brown serve them up garnished with fried parsley, and send np with them plain melted butter. This give; the fish its true ll.ivor, and many, fur tlr.it reason, prefer it to any other way of dressing."— (Mrs. Smiih.) To fry fish in the angler's style : — " Never put your fish in the pan till the fit is boiling hot . .Mways cut your pork small, and don't try it out irotherwise cook it too fist, as it will lo^e much of Its sweetness. Score the fish and roH tliem in flour bef ire hiying them in the sparkling fat. In using lard, a table-spoonful of salt to a pound is a fair average." — ^GiiNio C. Scott.) 13- AMERICAN FISHES. coast of New Jersey, is quite an important fond fish in the Southern States. But little has been written regarding it, antl its excellent qualities are not yet thoroughly appreciated. In fact, it has been confused with other species by both Holbrook and Gunther. This fish has not been observed north of New York, where it was recorded by Mitchill and DeKav, the latter of whom stated that it was no' uncommon in the summer season. Prof. Biiird found the young very abundant about Beeslcy's Point in 1S34, though the adults were unknown to the fishermen. Uhler and Lugger, who, following the niistaken nomenclature of Holbrook, confused this with a species of Z.ui/r)w«j, say it is common in the Chesapeake and Lower Potomac. It is also abundant about Beaufort, N. C, and in the vicinity of Charleston. THE TELLOW-TAIL. According to ni.iny observers, Yellow-tails are highly esteemed for food at St. Simon's Island, New Brunswick, Ga., and in the Lower St. John's River. They probably never ascend the river much above Jacksonville, though in 1877 great quantities were taken, in the month of April, at the mouth of the Arlington River. In 1878 the water was so fresh at this point that none could be taken there, though I saw them at Yellow BlulTs in water not perceptibly brackish to the taste. A large majority of those observed at INIayport on April 7, 1875, were full grown and taken at the point of spawning. Others taken by fishermen at May- 1 i SPOTS, CROAKERS AXD ROXCADORS. port, -April, 15, 1S7S, had the spawn runniny free from them. The largest iidiilt did not exceed eight inc lies in length. On the Florida coast of the (lulf of Mexico, according to Stearns, they are very common. They wer'j found bv Jordan to be very abundant along the shores of Louisiana and Texas. At l'ensacf)la tliev are known bv tlie name " Mademoiselle." Thev are jiresent throughout tlie year, but most plenty from May until November, and are found in companv with the trout and the S])ot on the grassv shoals of the bavs where tlu'y {kiki^X and spawn. The time for spawning is in June and July. The)- feed chieilv n]ion small fishes and shrim])s. Thev (\o not school, luit swim singlv or in ])airs. Their extreme length does not exceed ten or ele\en inches, the average being al)out eight. They are regarded as e.xcellent l)an-l"ish. Tin-; ciiOAK!:n. The Croaker, 2fiiropog(Vi iiiii^u/a/tis, ranges from Xew Xox'k at least to the Gulf of Mexico, although rarely seen north of Delaware. It t)ccurs also in some of the West Indian islands and soudi of 15razil. Its name refers to the peculiar grunting stnmd whi( h it utters, but in the Chesa- ijeake this name has been corruptetl into *• Crocus." In Texas it is ( ailed •'Ronco." At lleaufort, X. C, acciM-ding to Jordan, it is very abundant, and, next to the mullet and the Sjiot, is the most common food-fish of the region. Holbrook states that the C^-oaker makes its appearance off Charlest()n in the month of May, but becomes common in shall- w water in June and July, and is most abundant and attains its largest size in October and I 134 AMERICAN FISHES. November. It is not much esteemed as food, and is only used as a pan- fish. It is abundant and highly esteemed at Brunswick, Ga., and everywhere in Eastern Florida, in company with the Spot, ascending the St. John's as far as Jacksonville. Stearns writes: " In the Gulf of Mexico it is very common. Is found everywhere in the bays and bayous throughout the year. Lives mostly in shoal water or grassy bottoms. Feeds upon crustaceous animals. Breeds in the bays in November and December. The young are seen in the spring, having grown to a size of two or three inches in length. Is caught with hook and line and seine. It sells with other pan-fish for a low price. It is an excellent food-fish ; average length ten inches. At Sarasota Bay. December 8, 1879, 1 caught two specimens of spawning croakers that were each fully eighteen inches long — the largest that I have ever seen." An allied species is Lan'iniis fasciatits, which is called "Chub" in Charleston. Prof. Jordan supplies the following notes upon allied species native to the Pacific waters : Cortina satit ma, is known wherever found as the " Red Roncador," less commonly as " Black Roncador " or " Croaker." It reaches a length of sixteen inches and a weight of three or fcur pounds. It is found from Point Conception southward in moderate abundance. It feeds largely on crustaceans and spawns in July. It is a food-fish of good quality. Roncador Stcarnsi, is generally known as the "Roncador" or the snorer, from the Spanish roncar, to snore. It makes a very distinct grunt- ing noise, probably with its air-bladder, on being taken from the water. It reaches a length of over two feet, and a weight of six to eight pounds. It is found from Santa Barbara southward, usually in abundance. It feeds on Crustacea and spawns in July. It is a food-fish of excellent quality. It is named in honor of that eminent naturalist. Prof. R. E. C. Stearns, so long identified with the scientific interests of the Pacific coast. Genyonemiis lincatus, is known about San Francisco as the Little Bass. Southward it is called the Little Roncador. The name " Cognard," said by Dr. Ayers to be given to it in San Francisco, is unknown to us. It reaches a weight of little over a pound, and a length of a foot ; it is found from Tomales to San Diego, being most abundant from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. It often comes into the markets in large numbers ; it SPOTS, CROAKERS AXD RONCADORS. 135 feeds chiefly on crustacca and spawns in July. It is a food-fish of good quality when fresh, but its flesh becomes soft in the market sooner than that of most species. Many are dried by the Chinese. Umhrina roncador, generally known as the " Yellow-tailed " or ''Yel- low-finned Roncador." It reaches a length of more than a foot, and a weight of two or three pounds. It is found from Santa Barbara southward, and is generally abundant, especially in summer. It feeds on Crustacea and spawns in July. It is a food-fish of good quality. Many are split and salted. i r THE SEA DRUM. (Young.) SEA DRUM AND LAKE DRUM. I 'is drumming lic.irt cliecrs up his burning eye. Shakespeare, Ra/>e of Lucrccc. "^EXT to the s\vord-fi,sh, tunny, jcw-fisli, and lialibut, the Drum is perhaps the largest of the food-fishes of our coast. It is most r:nm- dant in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Southern Atlantic States, thou"-h nearly every summer a few specimens aiipear on the south coast of New- England. In one or two instances individuals have been observed a's far north as Provincetown, Mass. In the Gulf it is common everywhere, even to the southern l)oundary of Texas ; liow much further south it goes there is at pre.sent no means of determining. Ichthyologists formerly sup- posed that there were two species, one of whicli, of small size and con- spicuously banded with brown and white, was called the " Banded Drum," P. fasciatus, or "Little Drum." This is now well-known to be the young of the 7'. cliromis. It seems curious that the changes of color in relation to age, althougli known to Cuvier forty years ago, should liave been overlooked by American naturalists, and that the species /^./t?jv/<7///j should have stood as valid until 1S73. The name " Drum," as everyone knows, alludes to the loud drumming SEA DRUM AX D LAKE DRU.V. 13: noise which is heard, cs])C(ially in the lireeding season, and is doubtless the signal by which the fish call to their mates. This habit of drummini,' is shared by many fishes of tliis family, but appears to be most highly de- veloped in the Drum, and in a European species known as the Maigre, Sciccna acjuila. M. Dufosse has investigated, very thoroughly, the physio- logical causes of these sounds, which appear to depend largely u])on the action of the air-bladder. The northern limit of the s])ecies ajipears to be (L-fincd by Cape Cod. In 1S73, Mr. James H. lUake ca])tured one at I'rovincetown. Another, of twenty-five pounds' weight, was secured by Vinal lldwards for the Fisli Commission from Rogers's pound, Quisset, Mass., July. 1S74 ; another large individual, of sixty i)ounds' weight, was taken near Noank, Conn.. July 10, 1S74, the third instance of its capture known to the fishermen of that vicinity. Schoepf, writing about the year 17S6, says that they were at that time very rare about New York, though he had occasionally seen them at the city market, where they met with sale, though their fiesh was none of the hardest. The Drums caj^tured north of Sandy Ib)ok have been, so far as I (an learn, large adult fish. Prof. Baird fi)und the young fish of this species very abundant in August in the small bays along the shores of Ueesley's Point. N. J., though few were seen in the rivers. Its southern limit is some- where in the Culf f)f Mexico, but has not been accurately ascertained. The voung are very dissimilar to the adult fish, though the fishermen in Florida and elsewhere recognize the actual relations. In this respect they are more discriminating than the ichthyologist Holbrook, who described them as distinct species. The adult is known as the " Black Drum," the young as the "Striped Drum." In addition to the marked differences in color, the young has a much more shaj^ely body than the adult, mu( h higher in proportion to its length. The full-grown fish sometimes weigh eighty i)ounds, though the average is perhaps not more than one-quarter as large. They are sluggish swimmers, and are especially adapted to life on tlie bottom, where their long, sensitive barbels aid them in their search for buried treasures of food. They feed upon all bottom-dwelling inver- tebrates. Their teeth are extremely heavy and pavement-like ; their jaws are provided with very jiowerful muscles, by means of which they can crush with great ease the shells of the most strongly ]irotected invertebrates. i IVS A.]rER/CAX FISnES. It is claimt'd by oystcr-plantL-rs that the Drum is very dt'striictive to the oyster-beds. Mr. Stearns writes : " Oysters are their favorite food on the ( iiilf coast, anrum was known to the Dutch colonists of New York as early as the middle of the seventeenth century, as is shown by references in Steen- dam's poerp "In Praise of New Netherland," already referred to. Its name was " Dartien," while the l)ass was " Twalft," and the shad " Elft " — frets which give endorsement to the old tradition that the earlv colonists of New Netherland knew only ten kinds of fish and that when the shad came they called it the eleventh kind {Elft) the bass the twelfth {T7ua/f() and the Drum the thirteenth {^Dartien or Dcrticncif). It is inter- esting to sptculate as to which were the ten they first knew. The Sr.A DRlWr AXD LAKE PKlWr. 141 fiillowiiiL; lixt is imibahly iioi far IVdiu ri,i,'ht, ami is useful fn)in its suggestions as to the origin of some of the names ntiw in use: / ^iiijrs. IVnh, (white and yeUow). Ait/. Ifiiriii;^. Maki\iL errini:. H Mac kereh 5. Stciihrassiin and Carper, I'ream and Sucker. Mashank. Schol and Bot, St. cur. 10. Prik. Knorliaan. Mosslmnki. • or Menhaden. l-'hitfisli ami I'lujnder. Sturgeon. Lamprey. (lurnard or Sea Kobin and Sculpin. 'I'he W'ickvis (Weakt'isii or Si|ueteague), llie Roch (Kot k-fisli), \.\\ki Sonne vis (Sun-fish), SK is still current. " It mav often be heard there on s ummer evenings, savs a recent writer, 'The listener being on the beacdi, or, yet more favor- ably, in a boat lloating on the river, a low, jjlaintive sound is heard rising and falling like that of an .l-volian harp, and seeming to issue from the water. Th e sounds, u hich are sweet and ])laintive, but i.ionot lonou^ cease as st)on as there is any noise or disturbance of the water."' Jiienville, the French explorer, heard the music of Pascagoula, when he made his v(.)yage in 1699 to the mouths of the Mississippi, and his e\]ieri- ences are recorded in liis narrati\e. Mr. A. W. Roberts gives in the American Ani:;/cr the following inter- esting notes upon observations of the Drum in confinement : '•\Vhen curator of the New York Aipiarium, several small sjiecimens of the so-called '* Banded Drum" were brought to the establishment by the regular collectors. At first they were placed in the medium-sized tanks, where they increased in size so ra])idly that in course of time it was found necessary to remove them to more roomy i[uarters, where they remaiied 142 AMERTCAN FISHES. up to the time of the closing up of the establishment, having been in con- finement over three years, and by which time they had become the blackest of black drum ; all the bands that were so conspicuous in their younger stage having disapi)eared entirely, although, for the la; t two years, the shark tank, (some seventy feet in length), in which they had been kept, was always flooded with strong sunlight in the morning and strong daylight during the afternoon, not to mention a flood of gaslight during the evening. The bottom of this tank consisted of clean and white shingle, so that a great deal of reflected light was the result, and yet these " banded drum " seemed to become blacker and blacker black drum every month. Mussels and scollops, in the shell, were their particular delight, and they always had plenty as long as I was their keeper. The bull-nosed clam was too much for their pharyngeal teeth, consecpiently I liad them partially opened before feeding them out. " During the spring months the males constantly pursued the females, and, on such occasions, l>oth the males and females gave out a series of very musical and liquid dium-like sounds, which could be distinctly heard in any part of the acpiarium. Often, when dredging at night-time at Princess Bay, Staten Island, I have heard the constant drumming of the drum at different points about my boat ; they were evidently having a big oyster supper." TUE LAKE DRUM OR MALESHAGAXAY. The fresh-water Drum, Haploidonotus grtinniens, is always known in the Great Lakes by the name " Sheepshead." In the Ohio River it is usually called " White Terch " or " Gray Perch," often simply " Perch." In the lakes of Northern Indiana it is called " Crocus," evidently a corrup- tion of "Croaker." In the Southern States the name "Drum" pre- dominates ; that of " Thunder-pumper," also used for the bittern, Botau- SEA DRUM AXD LAKE DRUM. 143 nis Icntiginosus, is heard along the Mississippi River. Southwestwanl, ii Txniisiana, Texas and Arkansas, it is always known as the '• (laspergou."' ' Drum," " Thunder-pumper." etc., refer t( These names, "Croaker,' the croaking or grunting noise made by this species in common with most Scia^noids. This noise is thought to be made in the airdtladder by forc- ing the air from one comjiartment to another. Another name used in the southwest is "Jewel-head." Th IS species, w •rites Jordan, "is \erv abundant in al an iKKllCS of water throughout the Western States, from the (Ireat Lakes to tlie Rio Grande. It seldom enters small streams. It feeds largely upon crus- taceans and niollusks, but sometimes swallows other fishes. It is rather a bottom fish than otherwise. Its value as a food-fish depends on the water and food, and, unlike most fishes, its ([uality seems to improve to the southward. Although from its size and abundance it becomes an import- ant market fish, it cannot at best be considered one of high (jualit)'. Its flesh is tough and coarse in filler, and often of a disagreeable sliark-like odor, particularly in the Great Lakes, where it is never eaten. 'J'he flesh of i)artly grown specimens is better than that of the adult. It reaches a length of four feet and a Aveight of forty to sixty pounds. Those usually seen in market are much smaller. Nothing is known concerning its breeding habits. The ear bones or otholiths of the Lake Drum are large and ha\ e a tex- ture like ivory. They are often carrieil as amulets by the negroes of the South, and are also prized by boys in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the West, who call them "lucky stones," perhaps in allusion to the fact that they are marked by a figure which resembles the letter L. The name " Jewel- head " refers, of course, to these bones, and Jordan's generic name Eiity- chclithiis, proposed for a form of the Lake Drum, supposed to inhabit Lake Huron, is a translation of the words "lucky stone." The Lake Huron form is in all probability identical with that of the other lakes, and it is hoped that the Indian name " Maleshaganay " may be i)reserved in con- nection with these lacustrine scia^noids. * Mr. Norman Walker, in a recent paper on " Outdoor Life in Louisiana," published in Outhii;, infornis us that "gaspergou " is '.n Indian word, meaning " lish," and is applied by Louisianians to anything lisliy from the sheepshead to the mudsucker. % Tin: coiUA. COBIA. MOON-FISH AND FLASHER. Vmi straiij^c, ;i>tc>iiislic(l-li"'kiMi;, ;ui,L:lc-facud, Drcary-muuthcd, ijaiiiti;^ wretches of the sea, (liilping salt-water overlastiiij'ly, CiiUl-l)looileil, thou^li with reil ymir hloml ho Ljraced, Ami mute, though dwellers in the roaring; waste, What is't you dcj? what life lead ? eh, dull gogi^Ies? How do ye vary your didl days and nights? How pass yonr Sundays '! Are ye still hut joggles, In ceaseless wash? Still noiiL;ht, hut gapes, and hites, And drinks, and stares, d.iversilied with hoggles, Ltu;ii Hi.NT, The Man to thr Fish. npHK Cobia or cral)-catcr, Elacaic civnula, known in tlie Chesapeake 15ay as the " Bonito " or the "Coal-fish," as the "Sergeant-fish" in Southern and I'-astern Florida, and in parts of Florida as the " Ling" or "Snooks," is considered one of the most important food-fishes of ^laryland and ViTginia, though it is b",<: little known elsewhere. Like the Bluefish. it is cosmopolitan in its distribution, having been recorded in the seas of China and Japan, in Southeastern Hindostan, in the Malay Archi- pelago, on the coast of Brazil, in the West Indies anil the Bermudas, where it is called the " Cubby-yew," and along our own shores from the C/ulf of Mexico to Cai)e Cod. DeKay speaks of the capture of a single individual, in Boston Harbor. The species was originally described by T,inna;us from a si)ecimen sent to him from South Carolina by Dr. Garden. The name " Sergeant-fish" refers to its peculiar coloration, several strij)es of brown and grey being visible on the sides of the body. The name "Crab-eater" ajipears to have been ascribed to the fish by Dr. Mitchill. What is known of its habits may be very shortly told. Holbrook remarked : " Tile (.^rab-eater is a solitary fish ; it prefers deep and clear water and is COB I A, MO ON- FISH AND FLASHER. M5 only taken singly with a hook. It lives on the coast of Carolina late ii, !May, and is occasionally captured until September, when it is no longer seen in our waters. It is exceedingly voracious, and destroys many smaller fish, which make its ordinary food, though it does not reject crustaceous animals. ' ' Mitchill dissected a specimen caught in New York Bay obtained by him in tlic city w .rket in June, 1815. He found its stomach dis- tended with food of various sorts, including twenty si)Otted sand-crabs and several young flounders. DeKay tells us that the si)ecimcn from which his description was taken was captured in a seine in the harl)or ot Boston and placed in a car with otiier fish. It was soon discovered that it had destroyed and eaten every fish in the car. 'I'hese fish were chiefix- sculpins and porgies. Mr. S. C. Clarke, speaking of the fish faiuia of Florida, remarks: "This fish I have never seen except in the Indian River, where it is a common species, lying under the mangrove bushes in wait for ])rey like a pike, which it much resembles in form and in the long under jaw full of sharp teeth." The size is from two to three feet. It attains the length of fi\e feet and the weight of fifteen or twenty pounds. The Cobia breeds in the Chesapeake ]]ay, where in 1880 j\Ir. R. K. Earll succeeded in artificially fertilizing the eggs. Dr. Mitchill speaks of its availability as a food-fish in the highest terms. It is occasionally taken by trolling lines in the dulf, and seems to be regard'^d with favor by the anglers who have made its accpiaintance. Mr. AV. C. Prime, whose charming book, " I do a Fishing," has become one of the classics of Wallonian literature, writes ; " In shape he may be roughly likened to the great northern pike, with a similar head, flattened on the forehead. He is dark green on the back, growing lighter on the sides, but the distinguishing characteristic is a broad, dark collar over the neck, from which two Idack stri])es or straps, parting on the shoulders, extend, one on each side, to the tail. He looks as if harnessed with a pair of traces, and his behavior on a fly-rod is that of a wild horse. The first one that 1 struck, in the brackish water of Hillsborough River at Tampa, gave me a hitherto unknown sensation. The tremendous rush was not unfamiliar, but when the fierce fellow took the top of the water and went along lashing it with his tail, swift as a bullet, then descended, and with a short, sharp, electric shock left the line to come home free, I was for an instant confounded. It was all over in ten seconds. Nearly every fish that I struck after this behaved in the 146 AMERICAN FISHES. same way, and after I had gotten ' the hang of them ' I took a great many. ' ' "^^Ss- THE MOON riSU OK Sl'ADK risii. The Moon-fish, Chcctodiptcriis fahcr, is on(; of the rarer species on our coast, and has recently come so miicli into favor in New York that among connoisseurs it is one of tlie most highly esteemed food-fishes. It is also greatly valued by residents of Washington who know it, being abundant in the markets of that city in summer. In the northern parts of the Gulf of Mexico it is called the "Spade-fish"; from Florida to Charleston the "Angel-fish," a name which, according to Schoepf, appears to have been current during the last century at Beaufort, N. C, where it is called the " Porgee " or " Porgy," and at New York, where it is stated to be found in summer. " Three-tail Sheei)shead " and "Three-tailed Porgee" are names which are said to have been formerly in use among the New York fishermen. com A, Moox-Ffsir axd flasher. M7 The range of this species ah)ng our coast is very wide. It lias h-een found in (luatemala, and j^erhaps farther south, and the J'ritisli Museum has specimens from Texas, Santo Domingo, and Jamaica. It is said to be somewhat abundant on the coast of S(juth ('arolina, and not uncommon at the entrance to the Chesa])eake l>ay. They are occasionally taken alxMit New York, and several individuals have been obtained by the Fish Com- mission at Woods Holl. It is occasionally taken in Southern California, about San Diego. It attains the length of eighteen inches and the weight of several pounds. 'J"he large adult s])ecimens have a jieculiar globular bone in the head, unlike anything which has been found in any other fisli. Two s])ecies have been recognized by American ichthyologists. It seems l)robable that these represent different ages of the same fish. The only study of its liabits in existence is the following, which is (pioted from Mr. Stearns' excellent journal of obser\ ations. " 1'he Sjjade-Fish, CJuTtoiiiptcrus fahir, is common on tlie ^^■est Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana coasts. I lia\e not observed it in South Florida. It is found throughout the summer and fall in the bays, about wharves. rock-i)iles, and old wrecks, where crustaceous animals are abundant. In October and November large schools are seen along the sea-beaches, evi- dently leaving the coast for warmer waters, at which time many are caught by seine fishermen. It spawns in early summer, and the young are seen iintil October. 1 have seen specimens of Spade-fish fifteen inches long ; but the average size is not more than eight inches. It is an excellent pan-fish, selling readily in market." This species is known to the fishermen of the St. John's and Indian Rivers, Fla., under the name " Angel-fish." Holbrook states that it ap- pears on the shores of South Carolina in May and June, and is then taken in considerable numbers with the sei'->e. Jordan states that it is common at Beaufort, N. C, where it is used as a food-fish. Lugger remarks that it is not uncommon in the salt-water region near the entrance to Chesa- peake Bay, but is seldom, if e\er, brought to the Baltimore markets. DeKay remarks that in the waters of New York it only appears periodi- cally, and occasionally in great numbers during the summer months. .\bout 1822 they were caught here in seines in great numbers, and exposed in the Markets for sale. I am not aware that any such incursion has since been observed. On the coast of California, where, according to Jordan, It IS occasionally taken about San Diego in the kelp, it is too rare to be of commercial importance. 148 AMERICAN FISHES. V?»JJJjSy » » • < l< I I I » . ( nH r n»<»<^<«< -.v. 1 >,"',■■ ''(SSSS""' 1 • « < 1 1 V 1 1 1 1 1 i M t < < < »••■-,'.' ',,..- '^■■•■sat" ^ * * ♦ * *, 1 I » > '. I I 1 ^ t I » 1 • ' • ' ' ; ■• ' -1 '. • THE FI.ASIIF.R. The "Flasher" or "Triple-tail" of New York, Lo/>ofcs sii/-i>ia»ic>isis, known in South Carolina as the " Black Perch," and to the fishermen of St. John's River as the "Grouper," is spoken of by various authors as the " Black Triple-tail," and in 1S56, according to Ciill. was called in New York market the " Flasher." It is remarkable on accoimt of its extraordi- narily wide range, having been found in China, the Malay Archip.elago, at Sunda and Molucca, in the Bay of Bengal, and in the Mediterranean about Sicily, at Ceylon, in the West Indies .iliout Cuba and Jamaica, on the coast of South America, and in Surinam, whence the first specimen was derived, and from which locality the sjiecies takes its scientific name, and along the coast of the United States from St. John's River to Woods Holl, Mass. The Triple-tail is a short, thick, heavily built fish. The dorsal and anal fins i)roject backwards towards the base of the caudal so promi- nently as to give origin to the common name. When alive it is a very beautiful species, silvery and grey in color, but after death it soon becomes dingy — so dingy, in fact, that many of the common names are prefixed by the adjective "black." I saw four specimens at Jacksonville, Fla., on the 5th of April, 1875. The largest weighed about ten pounds and measured nearly two feet in length. The species is abundant about Charleston, where, according to Holbrook, it appears in June anil remains until September. It feeds upon small fishes and mussels, and is said to take the hook readily when baited with clams or with shrimps. It is CORIUA MOOXFISJI AXD J' J. AS HER. 149 occasionally taken in the lower part of the Chesapeake ]5ay. and Prof. Baird obtained specimens al)OUt three iiK lies loni^ in August among the eel-grass on Tuckahoe River, in New Jersey. Stragglers have been taken at New York, and even as far north as Wood's Hall, Mass. 'The)- are occasionally brought to the New \'ork market, where they are highly- esteemed, ("lill, writing in 1S56, said: '• I saw a single spec imen of this species in Fulton market last year, which remained exposed on tlie stall from August 30 to September 6. It did not seem to be known. It was about fifteen inches in length, and one dollar was ilemanded for it." l)e\'oe saw one in Catherine market, in August, 1.S64. taken in a net on the Long Island coast, near I'latlands. He speaks of its excellence as a fish for boiling, comparing it to the Sheepshead. \\\ the fishermen of St. John's River. I'la.. it is considereil one of the finest food-fishes, and its large silver scales command a high ])rice at the fancy shops, where they are sold to be used in the manufacture of scale works. 'I'llK UAVAI.I.IA. The Ravallia or Snook, Ccntropoimis iiiiih'cimalis, is a fish •which has only recently been added to the fauna of the United States. It occurs only along the (iulf coast, where it is known by the Spanish name, *' Robalo," with such variations as " Ravaljo," " Ravallie " and ''Ravallia." It ranges from Florida to Rio Janeiro, and occurs in the Pacific from the Gulf of California at least to Callao. The " Robalo " of Chili is (piite another fish, the Pingiiipcs cJiilciisis, of Cuvier, A closely allied species, Cciitropumus robalcto, is the " Constantine " or " Robaleto " of the Mazatlan fishermen. The Cciitropomus is a ])erch-like fish, and is not unlike Stizostcditim in apitearance and structure. Its habits are very like those of its fresh- s 150 AMERICAN FISHES. water ally, and it may appropriately be considered the ])ike-perrh of the sea roast. It occurs in the sea and also in brackish estuaries. The Robalo attains the length of about three feet, and is exceedingly strong, active and voracious, feeding upon all kinds of small fishes. It is un- doubtedly a good fish for the sportsman, though the "Ravallia" or "Snook" usually referred to in the chronicles of angling is Elacatc. I^resident Jordan gives it an unqualified endorsement: "A vigorous gamy fish it must certainly be, from its build and food, though I never took it on the hook. I have eaten them baked, and I know them to be good, and the Creole Spanish hold them in high esteem. In structure they much resemble the striped bass, and Robalo is the Si)anish name for the luiropcan bass. Probably the objection is simple prejudice. I once heard a darky, who had never before seen a Robalo, say of a twenty- pounder, that ' he would rather cat the devil than such a looking fish.' It is much valued on the Mexican coast and is occasionally taken about Gal- veston in summer. It becomes much more abundant southward along the Texas coast, and is one of the staple food-fishes about Brazos Santiago." There is reason for caution in speaking about this fish by its common names, since we are assured by Dr. Henshall that the name "Ravallia" is very commonly applied to the Cobia, and that the name "Snooks" is the one in common use for Ccntropomiis on the west coast of Florida. This, is of course a corruption of Snock, the Dutch name for the Pike {^Esox lucius), and was used in Dampier's list of fishes printed in the seventeenth century. ^- ik(f THE BLUEFISH. AikI, as he ilarts, the waters lilue Are streaked with gleams uf many a hue Urecn, orange, purple ami guld. Matthi'.w G. Lewis. Call them Sir, by whatever name we please : whether Miie-fish, of Massachusetts liay ; snapper, of New Hedfcird ; horse-mackerel, on the shores of Rhode Island; or tailor, in Delaware I!ay, they are the same 'rciiiiuhion saltator still, and deal out destruction and death to other species in all the localities they visit. Speech of Hon. X. E. Atwoou, of the Cape District, 1870. 'T^HIS fish, whiih on the coast of Now l'".nghin(l and the Middle States is called the IJluefish, is also known in Rhode Island as the " Horse Mackerel "; south of Cape Hatterasas the " Skipjack ;" in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland it is sometimes known as the " Green-fish." Young Bhiefish are in some parts of New England called " Snapping Mackerel " or "Snappers;" about New Bedford "Blue Snappers;" to distinguish them from the Sea Bass they are sometimes spoken of as the " Bluefish." About New York they are c:.lled - Skip Mackerel," and higher up the Hudson River "White-fish," In the Gulf of Mexico the name "Blue- fish " is in general use. Pomatomiis saltafrix is widely distributed — in the ^Nlalay Archipelago, Australia, at the Cape of Good Ho]je, at Natal and about Madagascar ; in the Mediterranean, where it is a well-known and highly-prized food- fish in the markets of Algiers, though rare on the Italian side. It has been seen at Malta, at Alexandria, along the coast of Syria, and about the Canaries. It has never been seen on the Atlantic coast of Europe, and, strangely enough, never in the waters of the Bermudas or any of the Western Islands. On our coast it ranges from Central Brazil and .the 152 AMERICAN J'lSlfES. (liii;inas through the Ciiilf of Mexico and north to Nova Scotia, tIioiij,Mi ncvLT seen in tlie IJay of J'undy. l-'roni Cajie I'lorida to I'enobscot liay, IMiiefish are abiuKhint at all seasons when the tenii)erature of the water is jiropitious. 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 ai)pearance during a |ieriod of years in connection with the ocean temperature, that they i)refer to avoid water which is much colder than 40°. It is ])ossible that the presence of their favorite food, the menhaden, has as much influence upon their movements as water temperature. Certain it is, that few liluefish arc found on ou' Middle and Southern coast when the menhaden are absent ; on the other hand, the lUuefish do not venture in great numbers into the Gidf 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 60° 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°, 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 (luite 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 subjec t to l^eriodical 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 Catcsby, 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 TlfE nLCEFISH. •53 his work on the "Fishes of New York," imlilished in \''^'. I>r. Mitchill recorded their fre(|Uent i ajtturc about New \'ork in 1S14, though before 1810 they are said to have lieen unknown tiiere. In 1S25 they were very abu'.idant and in 1S41 inniiense numbers were ( aptured in the Vineyard Sound, while al)out Nantuc ket they were on the inc rease tVoni 1820 to 1830. It is certain that they i)ad not reappeared in 1S22 in Nar- ragansett iJay, for in *' Dwiglit's 'I'ravels." it is stated that, though formerly abundant, they had not been seen in that region sine e tiie time (•>{ the Revolution. The first one which was noticed north of Cape C"od was captured in October 1837, though we have no record of their appearance about C'ape Ann before 1847. The Bluefish is a carnivorous animal of the most pronounced type, feed- ing solely upon oilier fish. Prof. IJaird remarks ; "There is no parallel in point of destructiveness to the Bluefish among the marine species on our coast, whatever may be the case among some ot the carnivorous fish of the South American waters. The Bluefish has been well likened to an animated chopping-machine, the business of whi( h is to cut to pieces and otherwise destroy as many fish as i)ossible in a gi\en space of time. All writers are unanimous in regard to the destine liveiu'ss of the Bluefish. Going in large schools, in pursuit of lish not mu( h inferior to themselves in si/e, they move along like a pack of hungry wolves, destroying everything before them. Their trail is marked by fragments of fish and by the stain of blood in the sea, as, where the fish is too large to be swallowed entire, the hinder portion will be bitten off and the anterior part allowed to float away or sink. It is even maintained, with great earnestness, that such is the gluttony of the fish, that when the stomach becomes full the contents are disgorged and then again filled. It is certain that it kills many more fish than it requires for its own sup])ort. "The youngest fish, equally with the older, perform this function of destruction, and although they occasionally devour crabs, worms, etc., the bulk of their sustenance throughout the greater part of the year is derived from other fish. Nothing is more common than to find a small Bluefish of six or eight inches in length under a school of minnows making con- tinual dashes and cajitures among them. The stomachs of the Bluefish of all sizes, with rare exceptions, are found loailed with the other fish, some- times to the number of thirty or forty, either entire or in fragments. J '.vt AyrERrcAX Fisrrr.s. '•As already ictcrrtMl to, it must also be boriK- in mind that it is not .ne'ifiy thf small tVy that arc thus devoured, and which it is expei ted will fall a prey to other animals, hut that the food of the iJhiefish consists very Kirgely of indix idtials whi( h have already passed a larne percentaj,'e of the ( lianccs against their attaining' maturity, many of them, indeed, having armed at the period of spawning. lo make the case more clear, let us realize for a moment the number of liluefish that exist on out coast in the summer season. As far as I can ascertain by the statistics obtained at the fishing stations on the New Taigland coast, as also from the records of the New N'ork markets, kindly furnished by Middleton X: Carman, of the I'liltcii .Market, the capture of Bluefish, from New Jersey to Monomoy, during the season, amounts to not less than one million indi\iduals, a\eraging five or six pounds each. Those, however, who h.ive seen the l)luei'ish in his native waters, and realized the immense number there exist- ing, will be (juite willing to admit that probably not one I'lsh in a thousand is ever taken by man. If, therefore, we have an actual capture of one million, we may allow one thousand millions as occurring in the extent of our coasts referred to, even neglecting the smaller ones, which, perhaps, should also be taken into the account. " An allowance of ten fish j^er day to each Bluefish is not excessive, according to the testimony elicited from the fishermen and substantiated by the stomachs of those examined ; this gives ten thousand millions of fish destroyed per day. And as the period of the stay of the Bluefish on the New England coast is at least one hundred and twenty days, we have in round numbers twelve hundred million millions offish devoured in the course of a season. Again, if each Bluefish, averaging five pounds, devours or destroys even half its own weight of other fish per day (anil I am not sure that the estimate of some witnesses of twice this weight is not more nearly correct), we will have, during the same period, a daily loss of twenty-five hundred million pounds, equal to three hundred thousand mil- lions for the season. " This estimate applies to three or four year old fish, of at least three to five pounds in weight. We must, however, allow for those of smaller size, and a hundred-fold or more in number, all engaged simultaneously in the butchery referred to. "We can scarcely conceive of a number so vast ; and however much we may diminish, within reason, the estimate of the number of Bluefish and TTFE nLCEFrsir. '55 the avcraitf iif tluir (•ai)tiircs, there still rt-mains an api)allin;,' aj,'j.'r(.'j;att> (if (K'>tru( lion. While the smallest lUuelish feed upon the diniinutive fry. those of which we have taken account capture fish o*" large size, many of iJKin. if not (ajialile of reprocUittion, being within at least one or two year^ of that period. '• It is estimated liy \ery good authority that of the spawn deposited liy any fish at a gi\en time not more than thirty per cent, are hat( lied, and that less than ten percent, attain an age when they are able to take (are of themsehes. .\s their age increases, the chances of reaching maturit\ become greater and griMter. It is among the small residuum of this class that the agency of the iiluefish is e\i;rcisecl, and whatever reasonable rediK tion may be made in our estimate, we cannot doul)t that thev exert a material inlhience. '• The rate of growth of the lUuel'ish is also an evidence of the immense amount of focxl they must consume. l"he _\oung fish which first apjiear along the shores of \'ineyard Sound, about the middle of August, are about fi\e inches in length. Ws the beginning of .September, ho\ve\er, they have reached six or seven inches, and on their rea|)iiearance in the second year they measure about twelve or fifteen inches. After this they increase in a still more rapid ratio. .V fish which i)asses eastward from \'ineyard Soinid in the spring, weighing five pounds, is represented, according to the general impression, by the ten to fifteen pound fish of the autumn. If this be the fact, the fish of three or four pounds which pass along the coast of Xorth Carolina in March return to it in October weighing ten to fifteen jjounds. " As already e.\i)lained, the relationship of these fish to the other inhabitants of the sea is that of an unmitigated butcher; and it is able to contend successfully with any other species not superior to itself in si/e. It is not known whether an entire school ever imite in an attack upon a particular object of prey, as is said to be the case with the ferocious fishes of the South Anieric.-an rivers ; should they do so, no animal, however large, could withstand their onslaught. " They ajipear to eat anything that swims of suitable size — fish of all kinds, but i)erhaps more especially the menhaden, which they seem to fol- low along the coast, and which they attack with such ferocity as to drive them on the shore, where they are sometimes piled up in windrows to the depth of a foot or more. ^56 AMERICAN FISHES. " The amount of food they destroy, even if the whole of it be not actually consumed, is almost incredible. Mr. Westgate and others esti- mate it at twice the weight of the fish in a day, and this is ])erha|)s quite reasonable. Caj^t. Spindle goes so far as to say that it will destroy a thousand fish in a day. This gentleman is also of the opinion tliat they do much more harm to the fishes of the coast than is caused by the pounds. They will generally swallow a fish of a very large size in ju-opor- tion to their own, sometimes taking it down bodily; at others, only the jiosterior half. 'IMie peculiar armor of certain fish prevents their being taken entire ; and it is not uncommon to find the head of a sculpin or other fish, whose body has evidently been cut off by the Bluefish. In tlie summer time the young are cpiite apt to establish themselves singly in a favorite locality, and, indeed, to accompany the fry ot other fishes usually ])laying below them, and every now and then darting upward and captur- ing an unlucky individual, while the rest dash away in every direction. In this manner they attend upon the young mullet, atherinas, etc. They are very fond of squid, which may very frequently be detected in their stomachs. In Augi"-t 1870, about Fire Island, Mr. S. I. Smith fountl their stomachs filled with marine worms, a species oi Ilcfcroiicrcis, which, though usually burrowing in the mud, at that season swims freely toward the surface in connection with the operation of reproduction. This, like the squid, is a favorite bait for the Bluefish ; and they api)ear to care for little else when these are to be had. This fact probably explains the reason why, at certain seasons, no matter how a])undant the fish may be, they cannot be taken with the drail or squid boat." The Bluefish are believed to have had a very important influence upon the al)undance of other species on some part of the coast. This has been noticed especially on the north side of Cape Cod. South of Cajie Cod the small fish occur in such enormous abundance that even the voracity of millions of Bluefish could hardly produce any effect upon them. Capt. A«:wood has recorded his belief that the advent of the Bluefish drove away tne plaice or large fiounder from those waters, not so much by their direct attacks upon them as by destroying the scpiid upon which the latter for- merly subsisted. He is also of the opinion that the mackerel, once, fijr a time, were affected by them. The mackerel have since returned to those waters in their wonted numbers, but the Bluefish are not ncnv suffi- ciently plenty north of Cape Cod to interfere with them. The flight of tlie THE BLUE FISH. •57 mackerel was not an unmitigated evil, however, since, as Capt. Atwood Iiointed out, the number of lolisters ft)r a time was very considerably increased. The mackerel fed upon their eggs, and when they were driven away by the Bluefish the lobsters had a better chance to multiply. The Bluefish sometimes make their way up the livers to a considerable distance, the adults, however, apparently neve)- jntering the perfectly fresh water. They arc found in the Votomac as fa,- north as Acijuia Creek, and also far up the Hudson ; indeed, the young of the year are taken as high as Sing Sing on the Hudson and in clcer tidal rivers, where the water is entirely fresh. Summing up all the evidence in regard to the ])eriodical ajjpear- ance of the Lluefisb, we find notice of its occurrence in 1672, or e\en 1659, and up to 1764. How long it existed in the waters prior to that date cannot now 1)e determined, 'i'he oral testimony of Air. I'arker refers to its occurrence at Wood's HoU in 17S0 or 1790 ; and it is mentioned by Mr. Smith as being at Newport in iSoo, and at l'',dgartown, Mass., about the same time, by Capt. Pease. Mitchill testifies t(j its occurrence in New York, of very small size, in iSio ; and it is recorded as existing again in Nantucket in 1820, and about Woods Moll and Buzzard's Ikiy in 1830 to 1 83 1, and a little later at Hyannis. In 1830 it had become abundant about Nantucket, and in the fall of 1837 it was first noticed in Massachusetts Bay, and then year by year it became more and more numerous, until now it is very abundant. Several accounts agree in refer- ence to the very large size (even to forty or fifty pounds) of those taken in the last century. Further research into ancient records may tend to throw more light on the early history of the Bluefish, and even materially to change the con- clusions already reached. It will be observed that the references to its occurrence, from 1780 to 1800, are on the testimony of aged persons who have heard their fathers speak of it. although I lind no jirintcd records anywhere in reference to it between 1764 and 18 10. The rate of progres- sion to the north of Cape Cod 1 ]ia\e at present ntj means of indicating, although they i)robably gradually ranged further and further north, and very possibly occurred much further east than we liave any mention of at present. During the present century the maximum of abumlance of these fish o*'f the middle coast of the United States appears to have been reachetl from m 158 AMERICAN FISHES. \% I 1850 to 1860. The testimony elicited from various observers, as well as from printed records, indicates a decrease since that period much greater in some localities than others. Aljout New York they are said to ha\c been unusually ])lenty in the summer of 1871, but farther east the diminu- tion which had been observed in jirevious years ap])cared to continue. Diligent resparch by numerous incjuirers during a period of sixteen years has ailded little to what I'rof. Baird has stated and it may lie regarded as almost certain that lUuefish do not spawn in our inshore waters. 'J'lie only important contribution to our knowledge on this sul)ject is found in the notes of Mr. Silas Stearns, who believes that he has abundant evidence of their sjiawning in the (lulf of Mexico. Mis remarks are (juoted in full below. The Hon. Robert B. Roosevelt records that he observed the Blue- fish fry less than an inch in length in the inlet of Far Rockav.ay, X. V., on the loth of July : Little is known of their reproduction. Dr. Yarrow does not give anv facts in regard to this subject, at Fort Macon, exce])t that spawn was seen to run out of a small female caught July 14. Dr. Holbrook is also silent on tliis head. Mr. (lenio C. Scott says the spawning l)eds are visited bv the ])arent in June, and consists of quiet nooks or bays. Mr. R. B. Roose- velt states that very diminutive young occur in immense luunbers along the coast at the end of September or beginning of October (-'(lame ]'"ish of America," 1S62, 1859.) Prof. Baird found the young fish at ]]ees- ley's I'oint, N. J., in July, 1854, two or tliree inches in length, and more comjiressed than the adult ; but farther east, on Yineyard Sound, although diligent search was conducted, between the middle of June and the f St of October, with most efficient apparatus in the way of fine-meshed nets, I met with nothing excepting lish that made their appearance all at once along the edge of the bay and liarbor. According to Capt. Edwards, of ^^'oods Holl, a very accurate obser- ver, they have no spawn in them when in \'ineyard Sound. Tids state- ment is corroborated by Capt. Hinckley ; and Capt. Hallett, of Hyannis, "does not know where they spawn." The only j^ositive e\idence on this subject is that of Oapt. Pease, who states it as the general imjiression about Edgartown that they sjtawn about the last of July or the 1st of August. He has seen them when he tliought they were sjiawning on tlie sand, hav- ing caught them a short time before, full of spawn, and finding them after- ward for a time thin and weak. He thinks their spawning ground is on THE HL UEFISH. '59 the white sandy bottom to the eastward of Martha's Vineyard, toward Muskeeget. \\'hile not discrediting tlie statement of Mr. IVase, it seems a little remarkable that so i^tw persons on the eastern coast lia\e noticed the spawning in summer of the lUudish : and. although there may be exce])- tu)ns to the fact, it is not impossible that the s])awning ground is in verv early spring, or even in winter, off New jersey and 1-ong Island, or farther south. It is not imjKJSsible that, at a suitable period after spawning, tlie voung, in obedience to their migratory instinct, mav mo\e northward ilong the coast, growing raindly as they ])r()cee( th This explains the almost sudden ai)iiearance of fish of live inches a bout Wood's HoU. We have the statement of Dr. \'arr()W that vast schools of small I'd ue- fish were met with in lieaufort harbor during the last week in December, 1S71. These were in company with small schools of \i>ung menhaden and yellow-tailed shad, and were apparently working their way toward the sea by the route of the inlet. When observed, they were ( oming from the southward through the sound, moving \er\- slo\vl\-. at limes neirl\- leaving- it, and then retiirnini The largest were about four im lus in length, and others were mu( h smallei md as manv as tweiitv schools were obserxed from the wharf at I'Orl Macon, each of them occupying an area of from sixty to eighty feet s(iuare. and a])parently from four to six fvet in depth. I would not be much surprised if these fish should proxe to have been spawned late in the year off the southern coast. The si/.e of the lUuefish varies with the season and locality, thoic spending the summer on the southern coast, according to good autliorit' . rarely exceeding two or three pounds in weight, and being generally con- siderably less. The largest summer sjjccimens are those found farther to the eastward, where they are not unfrccjuently met with weighing from ten to fifteen pounds, although this latter weight is (piite unusual. Mr. Snow, of Nantucket, mentions having seen one of twenty- 1 wo jjounds. and le axeraye size others give as their maximum from fourteen to twenty. 'J'l of the schools in Vineyard Sound, during the early season, is from five to seven pounds. The schools, howe\er, that make their appearance in ( )ctober embrace many individuals of from ten to fifteen ])Ounds. It is, therefore, not improbable that the difference between the first-mentioned average and the last represents the increase by their summer feeding. As already remarked, lUuefish in the last century sometimes attained a weight of forty or fifty pounds in Vineyard Sound ; according to Zaccheus Macy, thirty of them would fill a barrel. i 1 60 AMERICAN FISHES. Forest and S/rciim, ]\mc 25, 1S74, stated that L. Hathaway, Est]., a veteran fisherman, while fishing from the bridge at Cohasset Narrows, Mass., with rod and reel, captured a lUiiefish weighing twenty-live pounds. The largest jn-eviously taught weighed seventeen pounds. On getting back to the Carolina coast in the early part of November, ac- cording to T)r. Yarrow's statement, they are from three to l"i\e feet in length and weigh from ten to twenty jiounds. What becomes of these large fish, that so icw of them are seen in the early spring, it is impossible to say. If it be really true that they are much scarcer than in the tall, we may infer that their increased size makes them a more ready jirey to the larger fisli and cetaceans, or tliat they have accom|)lished their ordinary periotl of life ; possibl) that they have broken up into smaller i)arties, less conspicu- ous to observation, or that they have materially changed their locality. The axerage length of the fish tliat appear in the spring off the coast of Virginia and the southern part of New Jersey, according to Dr. Cmies, Dr. Yarrow and Prof I>aird, is about one foot, being probably about one year old. As a general rule, those of the smaller size keep close to the shore and can always be met with, while the larger ones go in schools and remain farther outside. Prof. IJ.iinl obtained no very young fish at Woods HoU in 1871, the smallest found making their appearance cpiite suddenly along the coast, especially in the little bays, about the middle of August, and then measuring about ^\\c by one and one-fifth inches. Py the end of Septem- ber, howe\er, these had reached a length of seven or eight inches, and at the aiic of about a vear tliev probablv constitute the twelve or fourteen inch fish referred to as occurring along the southern coast. The fish of the third vear, or those two years old, are possibly the three-pound fish, while the five to se\en pound fish may be consiilered a year older still. .Accurate observations are wanting, however, to determine these facts ; as also whether they reipaire two years, or three <)'• more, lo attain suffi- cient maturity for breeding. .\s far as I know, tliere is no appreciable difference between the sexes in their rate (jf growth or weight, excepting that the female is likely to be a little deeper in the body. A liluefish weighing one pound measures about fourteen inches ; two ])ounds. seventeen inches ; three ]iounds, twenty-one inches ; four pounds, twenty-four inches ; Wxa pounds, twenty-six inches ; six pounds, twenty ■ six to twent\-se\en inches, and eight pounds, twenty-nine inches. THE BLUE FISH. i6i The Rluefisli is one of our most important of sea-fishes, and sur- passed in public estimation only by the Spanish mackerel and the yoxw- pano. It may be said to furnish a large part c^f the supply to the Middle and Northern States. It is a standard fish in New York, Boston and other seaports, and is carried in great numbers into the interior. Its fiesh is. very sweet and savory, but it does not kee]) very well. In the Vineyard Sound the fishermen are in the habit of crimping their fish, or killing them, by cutting their throats in such a manner that they bleed freely. Every one who has opportunities for observing admits that fish thus treated are far superior to any others, (ireat cpiantities of Bluefish are fro/en in New York for winter consumption. They are still considered unfit for food on our Southern coast, and e\cn in the markets of Washington, D. C. I lia\c fre(iuently been slopped by fish-dealers who asked me to assure their ( ustomers that Bluelish were e:Ual)le. They are growing in favor everywhere, however, just as they did in Boston. C'ajjt. Atwood tells me that in 1H65 but very lew were sold in Boston, and that the demand has been increasing e\er since. When he first went to Boston with a load of BUiefisJi lie got two cents a pound for th'.'ni ; the second year they were scarcer, and he got two and one-half cents, and the year afterward three cents. Within a few years the reputation of the Bluefish among anglers has decidedly improved. Norris wrote in 1865, that the Bluefish was seldom angled for, and that it was not esteemed as food: in 1879, Ilallock ile- clares that the Bluefish and the Stri|)ed 15ass are the game fish, ]);.r excel- lence, of the brine, just as the salmon and black bass are of fresh water. The favorite mode of ca[)ture is by trolling or squidding. a process already described. This amusement is participated in every summer by thousands of unskilled, but none the less enthusiastic, amateur fisherman, who in their sail-boats, trail the tide-rips from Cape May to Cape Cod. Many jiro- fessional fishermen also follow this pursuit, especially in the Vineyanl Sound, about Nantucket and along the south shore of Cape Cod, a region famous for its swift cat-boats and fat liluefish. Another mode which is growing in favor is that of heaving and hauling in the surf, which has been already described in writing of the Striped Bass. No rod is used, but the angler, standing on the beach or in the breakers, v/hirls his heavy jig about his head and casts it far into the sea, and having hooked his fish puts his shoulder to the line, and walks up the ^1 tt v\ l62 AMERICAN FISHES. Ii. (W'l '^- j'l J beach, dragging his jirize after him to the shore. This is practiced every- where on exposed sand beaches, such as are found at Montauk, Monomoy, Newport, and Barnegat. Other anglers prefer to use a light rod and an artificial minnow from a stationary skiff near where Bluefish are breaking, or to fish with shrimp bait from the wharves in quiet bays where the young "snappers," six to ten inches in length, abound. I have seen this kind of fishing at various points, from the mouth of the Florida St. Johns to Nantucket. The Bluefish has also an important rank among the commercial species. The wholesale dealers of New York city handle nearly 4,000,000 pounds annually. The yearly consumption of Bluefish probably does not fall much below 8,000,000 pounds, valued at $500,000. The markets are supi^lied, for the most part, from three sources. Large quantities are taken in the weirs, forty or more in number, planted on the northern and southern shores of Cape Cod, in Buzzard's Bay, Martha's Vineyard, Nar- ragansett Bay, Peconic Bay, and at Block Island. The yield of these is estimated at 1,300,000 pounds. Gill-nets on the southern New England coast are supposed to take about 3,000,000. Enormous quantities are also obtained by line fishermen about Hyannis, Edgartown, Nantucket, and Eastham, and on the shores of Long Island and New Jersey. On the 19th of vVugust, 1874, I saw 12,000 taken from the long pound on the west shore of Block Island. The line-fishery is probably not less productive than gill-netting. In 1875, we were cruising about INIartha's Vineyard in the Fish Commission yacht "Mollie." Off Cai)e Pogue we noticed at least thirty cat-boats drailing for Bluefish. These boats were about twenty feet in length, square-sterned and well housed over. Each carried three lines, one at the stern and two at the end of long rods projecting over each quarter. When we anchored at dusk in Edgartown harbor, these boats were coming in, dropping alongside of a New York market boat, which lay at the wharf. The bright lantern under the deck awning, the black forms of the fisher- men, the busy changing of the little sails, the eager voices of bargaining, gave an im])ression of brisk trade. The same scene is repeated day after day, from July to October, in scores of New England seaport towns. I *: .. Till-: .m.uk::ui:l. THE MACKEREL AND ITS ALLIES. A rcijfiif level nek runs mit to sc.i, Anil yriii may lie w, /hvf/u'fs mil/ a SeriiK'ii. 'T^HE common Mackerel, Scomber scomhnis, is an inhal)itant of the North Atlantic Ocean. On our coast its southern limit is in the neighborhood of Cape Hattcras in early sj^ring. 'I'he fishing schooners of New England find schools of them in this region at some distance from the shore, but there is no record of tlieir having been taken in any num- bers in shoal water south of Long Island. A. W . Simpson states that the species has been observed in the sounds about Cape Hatteras in Augu^r, September and October. R. E. Earll finds evidence that siragglers occasionally enter the Chesapeake. Along ngland Mackerel abound throughout the summer month.>5, and are also f(nind in great numbers in the Gulf of St. E.'Vience, where in past years fishermen of the United States congregated in great numbers to participate in their cajjlure. They are also found on the coast of Labrador, though there is no evidence that they ordinarily fretiuent the M'aters north of the Straits of Belle Isle. They appear also at times to have been abundant on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland, though their apjiearance there is quite irregular. Mackerel do not occur in Hudson's Bay nor on the coast of Greenland. ^ ; t m M i 164 AMERICAN FISHES. It sccnis ])r()l)al)le that the natural nortlicrn limit cf the S])e( ics in the Western Atlantic, is not far from the Straits of Belle Isle. Prof. Packard, who \isite(l this re.^ion in 1S66. recorded that a few Mackerel were taken in AuLjust in Salmon Bay and Red Bay. l)Ut tliat the Straits of Belle Isle is evidently the northern limits of llie genus, while Fortin, one of the best Canadian authorities on fisheries, in his annual re|)ort for 1S64, stated that in summer they appear in some places, such as Little Mecattina, on the adjoining coast, latitude 50' j° north, and even sometimes enter the Straits of Belle Isle. The Mackerel, then, wotdd apjjcar to be a sliore-loving fish, not ad- dicted to wide wanderings in the ocean, and with range limited in the Western Atlantic, between latitudes 35'' and 56*^ ; in the I'^astern Atlantic between 36° and 71". The migrations of tlie Mackerel, the causes of their ap|)earance and disappearance at certain seasons at different ])oints along the coast, the causes of their relative abundante and scarcity in different vears, ha\e previously been discussed by numerous writers. The subject has received special attention on account of the disputes between our own and the Canadian Crovernment concerning the value to oin- fishermen of the right to participate in the mackerel fisheries in the Provincial waters. Notwithstanding the great amount of jiaper wliich has been covered with theories to e-\])lain the various mooted (luestions, it cannot be said that the hahits of the Mackerel are understood at all better than those of other fishes which have not attracted so much attention. The most volu- minous writer iqion this subject has been Prof. Henry Youle Hind, who devotes many p^ig*-'^ of his book, "The Effect of the Fishery Clauses of the Treaty of Washington on the Fisheries and Fishermen of British North America," to the attempt to prove that the Mackerel which have been at certain seasons in the past so abundant in the (bilf of St. Law- rence and on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia remain there throughout the year, hibernating in deep waters not very remote from the shore. I have attempted to show the weakness of his arguments in an essay pub- lished in the Fiftl: Annual Report of the L'nited States Commissioner of Fisheries for the year 1877, pp. 50-70. It is by no means demonstrated that certain schools of ]\Lackerel do not remain throughout the year ia waters adjacent to the coast of Canada, but the weight of evidence at present seems :o rest with those who believe that the Mackerel are given THE MACKEREL AXD ITS ALLIES. .65 to extensi^ve migrations north and south alon^' our coasts. TIicso migra- tions arc believed to l)e carried on in connection with anotlier kind of migration wliich I have called "bathic migration." and whi( h consists in a movement, at the approach of cold weather, into the dee|)er waters of the ocean. The menhaden and many other fishes have these two kinds of migrations, littoral and bathic. The sea-herring, on the uihcr hand, has extensive littoral migrations and probably very slight mo\ements of a bathic nature. In some the latter is most extended, in others the former. Anadromous fishes, like the shad and the alewife, very ]n)bably strike directly out to sea without ranging to any great degree northward or south- "ward, while others, of wliich the Mackerel is a fair type, undoubtedly make great coastwise migrations, though their bathic migrations may, vithout any great inconsistency, be as great as those which range less. Ui)on this i)oint I cannot do better than to (juote from a manus( ript letter from Prof. Haird to the Hon. Hamilton Fish, Secrerary of State, dated July 21, 1873. Having ex])ressed certain views concerning the well-known i)henomenon of the migration of the herring and slnul. he •continues : " The fish of the Mackerel familv form a marked exception to this rule. "While the alewife and shad generally swim low in the water, their pres- ence not being indicated at the surface, the Mackerel swim near the sur- face, sometimes far out to sea. and their movements can be readily followed. The North American species consist of fish which as certainly, for tlie most jiart at least, have a migration along our coast northward in s])ring and southward in autumn, as do the throngs of pleasure-seekers, and their habit of schooling on the surface of the water enables us to determine this fact with great precision. Whatever maybe the theories of others on the subject, the American mackerel-fislier knows ])erfectly well that in the s])ring he may find the schools of Mac:kerel off Cape Henry, and that he can follow tliem nortliward dav bv dav as thev move in countless mvriads on to the coasts of Maine and Nova Scotia." The mo\ements of the mackerel schools, like those of the menhaden, aii]v.'ar to be regulated solely by the temperature of the ocean. In my essay upon menhaden, which has just been referred to. I have attempted to show, in a preliminary way, the relations of the movements of the menhaden schools to the temperature of the water at different stations along the coast in accordance with certain crude observations, Avhich at present constitute the only material available as a basis of such ^1 I! II nil 1 66 AMERICAN FISIfES. generalizations. I liave there claimed that menhaden make their ajjpear- ance near the shore in the spring as soon as the temperature of the water in the harbors has reached a weekly average of 50°, and that they dis- appear in the fall soon after the wvters have again cooled down to the same average temi^erature. The Mackerel are partial to muth cohler w;uers. They range ten to fifteen degrees farther to the north, and their southern limit is propor- tionally high. They appear earlier in the spring and disappear later in the fall, and their presence is nearly synchronous with the time when the ■water temperatures of the harbor have reached a weekly average of 45°. It has been remarked that the presence of the menhaden depemls upon a weekly average of the harbor temperature of 50° or more. These harbor temperatures are several* degrees — it is not known exactly how many — higher than those of the open ocean at the same latitude, and there can be no question that the menhaden thrives in water as cold as 45°. Mackerel wdl remain active and contented in a temperature of 40°, or even less. The normal time of the departure of Mackerel from the coast is, therefore, a month or two later than that of the menhaden. There are well recorded instances of tiie capture of menhaden in Massa- chusetts Bay as late as December, and there are also many instances where Mackerel have been taken not only on the New England ccast, but also in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in midwinter. Casing their arguments upon s:.^h occurrences as these, Canadian writers have attempted to prove that large bodies of Mackerel hibernate along their shores in the winter months. It is still believed by many fishermen that the Mackerel, at the approach of cold weather, go down into the mud and there remain in a state of torpidity until the approach of warm weather in spring. All that can be said regarding this theory is that, although we do not know enough about the subject to pronounce this impossible, American ichthyologists think they know enough to be of the opinion that it is very decidedly improbable. The appearance of the mackerel schools at the appearance of summer in ordinary years has been noticed somewhere in the neighborhood of the following dates : At sea, off Cape Hatteras, ]March 20 to April 25 ; off Norfolk, Va., March 2 to April 30; off the Capes of Delaware, April 15 to May I ; off Barnegat and Sandy Hook, May 5 to May 25, and at the same date along the whole southern coast of New England, and as far THE .yrACKF.REL AXD ITS A f LIES. 167 castas Southern Nova Scotia, whiK- in the Ciiilfdf St. T,a\vr(.iuo thfy appear late in May, and in abundanc e early in June. There appears to be a uiarki'd differente between tlu' ui(i\einents of Ma( keri'l and the menhaden, t'or while the nKiihadcn are inu( h more gradual in their apjiroac h to the shore, and much nmre dependent iipcn a small rise of temperature, the Mackerel make their appearance almost simultaneously in all the waters iVom New jersey to No\ a Scotia at abi i,t the same time. Straj,'glers. orcour>e, appear mtu h earlier than the dates just mentioned; a few Mackerel were observed at \\'a(iUoit, Mass., as early as April 19, 1S71. In the fall the Mackerel disappear as suddenly as they came in tlie spring, but they have only in one instaiu e been observed olT the Carolina coast, exeept during the sprinr; run. I'his is verv [unliably because no fishing vessels ever visit this region later than June. The very vagueness of the statements ju.st nuule is sufiicient to slmw how little is aclually known about the movements of these I'lsh. The subject must bt studied long and carefully before it can be understood, and the interests of the American l"ishermen demaiul that it should be thus studied The Maci. erel belongs to what may technically be termed pelagic or wandering fish, as their movements, something like those of the herring, are api)arently more or less capricit)us, though probably governeil by some definite law, which has not yet been worked out. It moves in large s( hools c)r bands, more or less isolated from each other, which sometimes swim near the surface and give tlistinct evidence of their [iresence, and at others sink down into the dei)ths of the ocean and are entirely withdrawn from observation. The iirmy of fish, however, moves along with a very broad front, a portion coming so close t(; the shore as to be taken in the weirs and traps along the ccxist of the Middle States, espiecially in \'ineyard Sound and on Cape Cod ; while at the same time other schools are met with from twenty to fifty miles, or even more, out to sea. It is, however, still a question whether the fish that skirt the coast of the United States enter the Bay of St. Lawrence, or whether the latter belong to another series, coming directly from the deep seas off the NewfouniUand and Nova Scotia coast. Until lately the former has been the generally accepted theory, in view of the alleged fact that the fishermen of the Nova Scotia coast always take the fish coming from the west in the sjjring and from the east in the fall. . IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /> <° 1.0 I.I U£ 12^ 2.0 IL25 Ml 1.4 I Inn; 1.6 *^jj^ •^y > W ^}. Hiotographic Sdaices Corporation 23 WiST MAIN STREET WEBSTEIi.N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4S03 A iV 4 \ o ^ '^^^' '9>'- J z ^ ^ r^l i68 IM/:A'/C.l\ / /.S7//;.V. ('.lilt. Il;iii-.iin I'l. |((V< V', of Swill's 1>1. 111(1. Me. , dill' of till' lll()^.t i.'\|iirt :iii«l ()l)sii\ in:; in:i( km 1 I'l^lurincii of Niw Mn^'laml, thinks lli;'l tlu- inovo- nifiits of the s|iiin.Lr si liooK of M.u krn 1 arc vrry iiiui h iiilliuiK ctl l>y the ilirci tioii .iml fon <• of ihc |ir''\ ailini,' winds wliilc tlu- fish arc iHTfonniiii,' their iioilhi il\ miration. Ilr has j,'iiuTally foiiiul. lie >a\s. that \\\\v\\ thiTc has lntn a (oiitimiam c of strmiL,' iiorthiily winds about tlic hist of Mav and « arlv in jmu'. thr season at whic h thi- Ma( kcrcl are passing,' the slioals of NaiitiK kit and ( leoi-e's IJaiik. tlie si hools lia\c taken a southerly trai k. passiiiL,' to the southward of ( leor^e's Slioals and ( oiiiiiiuiiiL; on in an t'astirlv direi lion to the i oast of No\a Si ,)tia. and tlieix e to the llulf of St. I.awreiii e. When soiit!urI\- wind, or i alms i.re\ail at that season tho Mac ken 1 arc tarried into the watt rs of ilu' ( iulf of Maine, and in roiiseiiueme arc niiich jilciiticr off the Niw I.n-land • oast than in the St. l.awnnic Oult". ( )ii this tlieor\- ("apt. jnyic hasi's his actions in < ruisin,:,^ for Mackerel. alwa\s I'lr.hiiif,' off the New I'.iiudaiid shores when soiitlicrl\ winds have ])rcdoniiiiatcd in the sprint;, and .uoiiiu' to the St. l.awrciKe if northerly winds ha.H' hciii c\( cptioiially stroiit,' and (oiuinucs ahont tho last of May. 'I'lu' ino\ ciiK iits of the fish, as alrividy stated, season hy season, are ([iiitc urn ertain. soinctimes Ipeinu' Ncry aluindant in one dinxlion and sohutiims in another, and oi < asionally. indeed, tlu'y mav clisapinar almost ciitirelv lor se\i'ral \cars, sulisei|U(. ntly reaiipearin;,' after a (nn- sideraMe alisciite. in some \ears the fish arc \erv ahundant on the < oast of the rnitcd Sl.ites, and at others rare ; the same condition ai)i)lyin,i; to tlu' fish of the li.iy of St. I.awrcnie. It is not (iTtain. of course, that this indica.tt's an entire ahsentc of the fish f:ii:.i the loc.dity referred to. but tlicv iii.iv. ]iossi'iil\, for some rcisoii. nniain in the de|i!h of the sea, or some ( han.uc in the < haracter of the animal lite in it. whii h < oiistitiites the food of the l"ish. may produi e the i haiiLjcs referri'd to. A notable inslame of a somewhat permanent change in the migration of the Mat k- crel is found in the entire lailiire since 1876 of the mat kerel llshery in the Uav of I'lindy. wliii h, a tew years ago, enabled a merchant of Ilast- jiort to emjih y stu 1 essl"ully as many as a dozen vessels. es])ecially in liigby and St. Marv's ll.iv, but which is now abandoneil. There are indeed faint suggestions, in the early history of the country, of their total absence from the whole ( oast tor sexcral \ears, as was also the tasewith tiie bliiefish. THK MACKEREL AXD ITS A I.I.I IS. 169 Tlic wondL-rful abundance of Mackerel in the Wotern Atlantic has always been a siibjett of remark. I'rancis Higginson. in liis •'Journal of his X'oya^'e to New l'',ni,'lan(i. i6j(;." speaks of seeing ••many schools of Mackerel, infinite multitudes on tverv side of oiM-shi|>." off Cape Ann on the 26th of June : and Ki( liard Mather, in iiis journal. 16^5. states tiiat the seamen took abundance of Ma( kerel olT Menhit;,:,Mn (Monheiran). In (lov.Winthrop's journal, sjieakinL? of the year 1639. he remarks : *• There was siK ii a store of exceedin.ir larire and fat Mat kerel upon our ( oast this season as was a },'ri'at benelit to all our I'lantations. siiK e one lloat with three men would take in a week ten hoj^sheads, which were sold at Con- net ti(Ut for ^,'3 I 2s. od. jier hoLT^head." Their abundaiu e has varied greatly from year to year and at times their nundiers have been so few that },'rave ajjprehensions have been felt lest they should socin depart altogetlier. As earlv as 1670. laws were passed by the colonv of Massat husetts for- bidiliiiL; the use of certain in>triunents of cajiture. and similar ordinaiK es ha\i' been passed from time to time ever sini e. The first resource of oiu' State governments has always been, in seasons of scarcity, to attem])t to restore lish to their former abundance by protective legislation. It seems to us at tile present day absurb that the Massa( husetts i)eo])le should have sup])osed that the use of shore-seines was exterminating the Mai kerel on the coast of Massachusetts, but it is a fair (piestion whether their ajipre- hensions were not ;;s well grounded as those of legislators of the present he author's writings upon •' The Mackerel Fishery" published else- where, is shown a diagram, whic li, by means of curves, exhibits the catch of Mackerel in Xew England for a perioil of seventy-five years. From a study of this it seems (piite evident that the periods of their abundance and scarcity have alternated with each other without reference to overfishing or any other causes which we are prepared to umlerstand. In the year 3''^3.54'^ '_• barrels of Ma( kerel were (aught by tlie ( ili/ens of Massachusetts. In iSSi the nund)er of barrels salted was 269.495 ; to this, however, should be added 125.000 barrels (aught and marketed fresh by the Massachusetts fieet, making an aggregate of 394.495 barrels. The stories which are told by exjterienced fishermen of the immense nimibers of Mackerel sometimes seen are almost incredible, ("apt. King Harding, of Swampscott, Mass., described to me a school which he saw li S i 170 AMERICAN FISHES. ill the South C'haniK'l ill 1S4.S: '• It w;is a windrow of I'lsli." said lie ; "it was about half a mile wide and at least twenty miles loni;. for vessels not ill sight ot' ea( h other .>a\v it at about the same time. All the \essels out saw this s( hool the same day."' lie saw a school olT liloc k Island, J'S;;. which he estimated to contain one million barrels. He could see oidy one ed^je of it at a time. U|)on the abundanie of Mai kerel depends the welfare of many thousands of the citi/ens of Massachusetts and Maine. The success of tlie mackerel fishery is muc h more unc ertain than that of the cod fishery, for instanc e. for the su|i]il\- of i od is ([iiite uniform from year to year. 'The prospects of eac h season are eagerlv di^c ussed from week to week in thousands of little c ire les aloiiL,' the coast, and are chronicled by the local jness. 'The storv of each successful trip is p'assed from nicjuth to mouth, and is a matter of j^eneral congratulation in each llshing ccnnmunity. A review of the results of tlie American mackerel fishery, and of the movements of the fish in eac h part of the season, would be an imi)ortant contribution tcj the literature of the American fisheries. The fi)od of the Mackerel consists, for the most jiart, of small s])ecies of c rustaceans, whic h abouncl everywhere in the sea, aiicl which they ajipear to follow in their migrations. They also feed upon the spawn of other fishes aiicl upon the spawn of lobsters, and prey greedily upon young fish of all kinds. In the stomach of a "Tinker" Mackerel, taken in l''isher"s Island Sound, November 7, 1S77, Dr. Bean fi)uncl the remains of six kinclsof li^lies — of the anchovy, sand-lants, the smelt, the hake, the barracuda and the silver-sides, besides numerous shrimps and other crusta- ceans. C'apt. Atwood states that when large enough they devour greedily large numbers of young herring several months old. Specimens taken Julv iS. 1S71, twenty miles south of Xoman's Lanil, contained numerous siiecimens of the big-eved shrimps, Tltysanopmia, larval crabs in the zoea and megalops stages, the young of hermit crabs, the young lady crabs, rhitvoiiichus <>i(-//iifiis. the young of two undetermined Macrura, numer- ous C'opepoda and numerous specimens of Spii-ia/is Goii/Jii, a species of I'teropod. Thev also leed upon the centers of lloating jelly-fishes (dis- tophores). In (laspe the fishermen call jelly-fishes " mackerel bait." The greed with whic h Mackerel feed upon the chum, or ground men- haden bait, which is thrown out to them by the fishing vessels, shows that they are not at all daiiitv in their diet, and will swallow without hesitation anv kincl of lloating organic matter. Tin: MACKI.REL AND ITS AIL/f.S. Large Miu kcrd often eat smaller ones. Capt. Collins has rre(iuently found voung Mackerel three or four in< lies Ioult in the stomachs of those full ;,M-o\vn. This is generally noticeaMe onh' in the fall, and the young lish are probably those \vhi( h have been hati lied in the spring. In the fall of 1.S74 the writer made a trip ui)on a gill-net schooner to t!ie grounds off j'ortland, Me., some distaiK e to sea, for the purpose of studying the food of the Ma( kertl, and found their stomachs full of a species of 77iysiiti(^/^0(/(i and of a large coj.epod crustacean. 'I'he greater part of the food of Mac kerel consists, however, of minute crustaceans. ()wing to the infinite abundaiK e of these in the sea, Mackerel jirobably ha\e \ery little difticulty in liiiding food at almost any ]iortion of the ocean visited by them, whether on the edge of the (lulf Stream or near the shore. In an interview with ('apt. King Harding, of Swampscott, one of the mo^t experienced niackenl c ate hers on our c:oast, I obtained the follow- inL,-- amusing obser\ations : '• lie desc ribed one kind of crustacean Mac k- erel food whic h looked like spiders, wliic h were red. and crawled o\er his hand when he took them \\\i. 'i'liey look like sjuders ; the Mackerel are csi)ecially fond of them. At ISoone Island, Me., in July, 1S50, the water all around the island was red for one hundred yards from the shore ; th.ese crawled up the rock-weed on the shore until it was red. He took the sprays of ri)ck-weed in his hands ancl pulled them slowly to him, and the Mackerel, one ancl a half ]iouncl fish, wcjuld fcjUow in quite to the roc ks. He killed three with his oar, and tried to catch some in a basket by troll- ing them o\er it, but tliey were too quick for him. He asked his old skipper, ('apt. (lorham IJabson, what they were, and was told that they were "Boone Island bedbugs." And, said he, "Young man, when you see this kind of bait, no matter if you don't see any fish, never leave; the fish will be there in a few days." 'I'hen there is another kind, called "snappers." These are white, and dart rapidly about in the water; they are doul)tless small crustaceans. He says that sometimes they swim at the surtace, where the Mackerel fi)l- low them. A few days before he had been standing on the stern of his vessel, and though he coulcl see nothing under the water Iv.' knew the snappers were there about two feet below the surface, for he could see a school of Mackerel swimming along, opening their mouths and taking in their food, and then letting the water out through their gills. i I 172 AMERJCAX FISHES. Wlicn the Ma( kcrcl arc trolk'd u]) from twelve or llflccii fathoms below the surface their stomachs arc often full of bait; so it is certain that these little animals swim at all depths. Another kind of food is red, and is hot tu the hands. This is called '• Cayenne ;" and it sj.oils the fish. Years ago, according to Capt. Harding, Mackerel did not school as ihev do now. When you sec pollock jumping near the shore, it is a pretty good sign lliat there is ])lcnty of mackerel food. Tile presence of abundan< e of mackerel food is indicated by the great SI hools of sea-birds, ])articularly by the flocks of phalaropes, or sea-geese, as the fishermen call them, which congregate together, floating ujion the Avater, and when seen in summer give a sure sign of the jirescnce of Mackerel also. The \arious invertebrate animals preyed ui)on by Mackerel are known to the fishermen by such names as "shrimp," "red-seed" and " Cayenne." The winged jjteropods very jirobably form an important ])art of the mackerel food, as they sink and rise with changes of the temperature of the zone or sheet of water in which they are feeding. Although little is actually known concerning the spawning habits of the Mackerel compared with those of fish which, like the shad and the salmon, have been artificially propagated, it is perhaps safe to say that the subject is understood in a general way. The testimony of reliable observers among the fishermen of our coast and the coast of the British Provinces indicates that the spawning takes place in rather deep water along the shore from the eastern end of Long Island to Eastport, Me., along the coast of Nova Scotia, and in the Culf of St. Lawrence. The spawning season occurs in May in Southern New England, in May and June in Massachusetts Bay, and in June in the Culf of St. Lawrence, and on the Bradley Banks and about the INLigdalenes early in the month, and accord- ing to Hind, on the northeast coast of Newfoundland toward the end of the month. We are indebted to Capt. N. E. Atwood for the most complete series of observations upon the spawning of the Mackerel Avhich has ever been made, and what he has seen he shall be allowed to tell in his own "vords : 77/yr .VACKERiu. Axn rrs Af.i.n-s. •' T lia\f many seasons bucn i'ii.uM.i;rtl in ti^hiiif,^ for >ra( ki-U'l in mir li,i\ with gill-ni'ts. I wad lud the Matkcrcl niurc particularly in rr,uarlatnre aiitliori/inj; the appointment of three commissioners to make in\e^ti-ations with ri'Ljanl to the artifn ial propaga- tion of the iisli, and tliat I e\pi'( teil to he named one of the (onnnissioiurs. 1 went to the Tijiper jiart of Mas^ai hii>etts hav. where it is about t\venl\- miles broad. ant. On the -'cth J went out for the lir>t time with m\- drift in:,^ nets all ni-ht in the bay ; 1 caught 2,250 Mackerel; on the followin.L; I < aiiLiht .^.5:0. ^^'hen I first be.yan to cat( h them 1 observed that the sjjawn had < onie to its lull si/e, thou.uh it was not free to run from tluan. not beini,^ yet fully matm-ed. On or about the i->t of juni' wt- found that some of them wi're depositint; sjiawn, and as 1 took them from the nets the sjiawn ran freely. On the 5th of Jime J took the mature eu:!4S as they came from the ll^h and jiut them in aholiol. marking the daU', as I considered this time the middle of the spawnini^ sea>on. (I'.y the loth of June the fish had all ilejiosited their spawn, and tlu'\ then |jro( leded to the ,L;roimds where thev e\]iected to meet with better food in order to fatten and re< ruit. 'Ihe spawninsj; takes ]ilace at a depth of from fi\e to fifteen fathoms.) 'I'hirty days after 1 went out in the bay and found anv cpiantitv of schools of little Mac kerel whic h were, 1 shouhl think, about two inc lies long, though their length might ha\e been a little less. 1 took a number of spec imens ancl ])tit them in alcohol, marking the date. Twenty-fue days later 1 jiro- cured another lot of them whic h had grown to double that si/e. I don't mean to imply that they were twic e as long, but twic e as hea\ y. J put them also in alcohol, marking the date. 'I'he first time 1 subsecpienlly went to I'oston 1 called on I'rof. Agassiz and gave him the specimens. lie said that he had never before been able to ascertain these fatts so clearly and so well, and that he Mas very muc h jileased with them. 1 watched the growth of these joung Mac kerel all along, ancl I saw them grow considerably from month to month, so much so that the same fall, in the latter ])art of October, 1 caught some of them with a very small mesh net and found they had grown to a length of si\ ancl a half or seven inches. 1 kept a small c|uaiuily of them, sjilit, salted and pac ked them, in accordance witli the Massachusetts inspection law, as No. 4's, ancl since Mackerel were then scarce and \ery high in price, 1 sold them lor as much as $6 a barrel." " Much yet remains to be learned in regard to the spawning season of the American Mackerel," writes I'rof. ]5aird, "and little more is known of this except in regard to the luiropean variety. It is, however, well established by the researches of Sars that this fish, like the cod, and many 174 AMERICAN F J SUES. of the ll;it t'isli, ct( ., sjiawns in tlic open sea. some times at a threat dis- tance from the land, at otliers (loser inshore." Sars found tlu'm on the outer banks of the ( oast of Norway ; and Mr. Matthias Hunn. of Me\agis- sey, I'JiLjhind, < ommiinii ates to Land and Il'a/rr his obscr\ations of Mackerel found, with ri])e spawn, six miles from the coast. 'I'he fish taken in the weirs and ])oun(ls on \'ineyard Sound and about Cape Coil in the early spring are filled with ripe spawn; and that the operation of s])a\vning takes place on the American (oast is shown bv the immense scIkwiIs of small fish that are taken throughout the summer, of various sizes, from a few inches up, and Irom ]?uzzard's I'.ay to J'ortland and i*enobs( ot IJay. No species of young fish is, at times, more al)iindant throughout the summer season than the Mackerel. 'I'he egg of the Mackerel is exceedingly minute, not larger than that of the alewife or gas])ereau. It ai)pears to be free from an adhesive enwlope, such as ]»ertains to the egg of the lierring, and in c<)nse(|uence of which it agglutinates together, and adheres to gravel, tlie ro( ks or the seaweed at the bottom. As with the egg of the cod, that of the Mackerel is jirovided with an oil globule, which makes it float nearly at the level of the surface. I am indebted to Mr. Frederick W. True for an enumeration of the eugs in two Mackerel taken at Wood's Holl, Mass., in May, iHy^^; one of these contained 363,107, the other 393,887. The only i)revious record of the numl)er of eggs yielded by Mackerel is that made by Thomas Ilarmer, in 1764, and i)ublished in the " i'hiloso- ]ihical 'JVansactions " of J,(jndon, Vol. 57, \). 285. He found in one large Mackerel, weighing one and a (juarter ])ounds, 454,991 eggs; in a .second, of miu h the same weight, 430,846, and in a third, weighing about one pound two ounces, 546,681. The growth of the Mackerel has been studied by Cai)t. Atwood, and the same authority has, perhaps, more satisfactorily than anv other, interpreted the facts from which may be deduced the conclusions as to their growth year by year. Referring to the small fish, six and a half or seven in length, which he believed to be the yomig of the year, caught by him in October, 1856, he says: "Fish of this size are sometimes called * .S])ikes,' out I do not know their ]iroi)er name. The next year I think they are the ' IMinks.' being one year old; the following year they are the 'Tinkers,' two years old, ami the year after they return to us as the second size, three THE MACKllKIJ. AXP IIS ALLJJ.S. »75 \x';irs olil. It is prolialilc tli.it the fi^h iwu lus its full iiKituiil\ in t'nur years." lie ( oiitintii's : •■'I'Ik' I'lot Mac kiTel that ((iiiR- in arc \rry lar^f and spawiUTs. Imt tlu'sc do not liitc at tlu' honk : and \oii don't ( .it( h tluin with the srine. ]ii'(aii>r thrv don't >ho\v tluiiiseh r^. \'ou woiild not know of their presence if joii did not set iilIs for them. \\'lun tluy ire taken in nets set anywhere along the ccia-vt, at I'ro\ ircetown. etc .. a goocl nian\- people imagine that tliey are the remnant of the Mac ken 1 whic h were there tlie \ear jiefore. aiicl which lia\e heen inilncldiil in the iiiiicl ; aiicl when they taste tliese fi.sh they fane \- that tlie\- taste iniicl. When the next school arrixes there appear Mac ki'nl of cliffereiit si/e>. which take the hook. They are c .irriecl to I'.o^ton market and are >-olcl t're>h in their season. They are not sold hy weight, hut are culled, ancl are denominatetl as follows: Large one.s. second si/e. 'Tinkers,' ancl •lUinks.' ^\■hen the large ones are worth twelve c ents, the others niav sell, sec oiicl size, eight cents ; Tinkers, t'oiir cents, ancl lilinks, one ancl a half cents. These jirices may line tnate when there oc cur?> a large jiroportion of one or more of the above-named kinds at the same time. Any m.m who i> well ac - (piaintecl with them will make the Name c. tilling, as there seems to he a line of demarcation between the different kinds which staiicls out l)rominently. •' Admitting this to be the fact, those that < (Miie as lilinks are from the spawn of the year bet'ore, while those which are called • Tinkers ' arc from the lilinks of the vear ])revious, being the two-year-old t'lsh ; and those that are < ailed second si/e are from the Tinkers of the year before; when they grow n]) ancl mix with the bigger ones, I don't know how they live, or much about them. This is mv opinion about these matters, Vou will find that fishermen will tell you they think that Mackerel are six or seven years in getting their growth." Mackerel, when full grown, are from seventeen to eighteen inches in length; sometimes they attain a larger size. In August, 1 8So. a school of Mackerel was taken in the \icinity of I'lymouth ; they weighed from three to three and a half pounds each, and were from nineteen to nineteen and a half inches long. They were regarded as extraordinary large, and ;. barrel of them were sent to the Fishery ICxhibition at Berlin as an illus- tration of the jierfection to which the Mackerel attains in this country. Although the size mentioned is unusual at j)resent, in past years many thousands of barrels have been taken nearly, if not cpiite. as large. The ! 1:6 .i.]//:h'/(\i\ //s/f/.s. si/r\;iiirs t'loin yv.w tn \Tar, sdiiutimrs \ lt\ Ifw Ikiiti'Is \vlii( h • ;m lio iMti.(l ill Ni). I's la'iii,:,' tiiund in mir \\;iuis. A No. i Mackerel. iKiord- iiij,' to tlir Mas^^iu liiisftts ins|)c( tidii laws. iiKasun's tliirtL'i'ii IikIks fidin tlu' tip I'f the siioiit to tlu' ( rot< h or toik of the ( aii(hil I'm. 'I'hc average Kii,Ljth from year to war lor the whole < oast is ]irolial)ly not far from twehe iiii Ins in lengtli. and a weight of twelve to sixteen oMiices. The gamut is one of tiie most distrut ti\e enemies of the Ma< kerel. These hirds are often sii'ii so lua\ily weighted with these fish that ihev AW iin.diie tti ri>e on the approai h of tlie \essel nntil tlu'v have disgorged from two to iniir good-si/(.(l .Mackerel. This is so < ommon an occurreiKe that there are Imt fiw fishermen who lia\e nf)t witnesseil it. i'lirpoises and whales may also he iiu hided in the list of enemies of the .Mai kird. It is hy 110 nuMiis an iinusual sight on the fishing grounds to see hundri'ds of the former rushing and leading among sihools of Mac k- inl, s( altering lluin in e\ery dire< tiou. I'he shark known to fisliermen as the " mackerel shark " is one of the priiK ipal t'liemies of the Mackeri'l. I have often seen them ( hasing .Mac kerel. ami. when jigging was ]iracticed, it was a ( ommon occurrence for sharks to dri\e off a school from alongside of a \essel. 1 >ogfish ofti-n hoxcr around the outside of large schools of .\rackerel, and doiihtless feed on them. (Ireat difficulty is sometimes experienced in sa\ ing fish that lia\e been inclosed in a ])ursc-seine, owing to the immense numbers of dogfish that gather around and, in their efforts to eat the Mackeri 1, whic h they see through the meshes, bite off the twine, making large holes in the seine through wliicdi the inclosed fish escape. .\mong the other ])rinc i]ial enemies of the Mackerel are the bluefish, and the cod. The apjjearance of a school of liluefish in waters crowded with Mac kerel is an ;;lmost sure signal for their disajjpearance. The voung Mackerel are eaten by scpiidsalso. Prof. \'errill has recorded the following account of the maneuvers of the scpiid known to zoologists bv the name Omiiiastriplics illcccbrosus : '• Messrs. S. 1. Smith and Oscar I larger observed it at Provincctown, Mass., among the whar\es, in large nmnbers, July 28, engaged in ca])tur- ing and devouring the young Mackerel, whicli were swimming about in ' schools.' and at that time were about four or five inches long. In attack- ing the Mackerel they would suddenly dart backward among the fish M-ith the velocity of an arrow and suddenly turn oblic^uely to the right or left Till'. M.HKl:Ri:i. AM) ITS JlfJl-S. >77 and sci/c a ^l^ll. whic li was almost iiisiaiiily kilK'd h\ a Uw in iIk- 1m. k (.f the neck with the sliarp hcaks. The l.itew.is .ilwavs niadi- in the same lihuf, cutting' out a trianj.jular \>'wiy.- ot" ilr-h. and uaMlii]. cni>iii,'h to pene- trate to thi- spinal cord. 'I'he attai ks were not always snci es> |iii(l, liy a sudden dart, would he pretty sure to se( ure a tisli. Ordinarilv when swimming they were thi( kly sjioit'ed wi;h red and I.rown, I.iit when darting among the Ma( kerel theyapp(ared trandu( ent and pale. The .Ma( kerel, however, seemed to ha\e learned that the shallow water is the safest for them and would hug the shore as ( IomIv as jjossihle, so that in l>iiisuing them many of the s(|in'(ls 1k( ame stranded and jierislu'd hy hun- dreds, for when they oik e tou( h the shoir they hegin to pumj) water from their siphons with great energy, and this usually f(.r( es them farther and farther u|. the l'ia( h. At su( h times theyofti'n dis( harge their ink in large (piantities. 'I'he altac ks on the young .\(a( kerel were observed mostly at or near high water, for at other times "the Ma( kerel were seldom seen, though the s(|ni(ls were seen swimming about at all hours; and these aitai ks were ol)ser\e(l both in the day and esenin,-." The dog-fish is doubtless a dangerous (oe to the Mac kerel weakened bv the a( t of sjiawning and remaining mar the bottom. An old fisherman has described to me with great animation how greedily the dogfish devour the Ma( kerel which have become gill.d in the nets, how thev follow them to the surface and linger about the vessel while the pr(jcess of (leaning is going on, drinking the blood of the fish as it Hows from the s(ii|.pers. The Chub Mackerel, Si-om/ur co/his, or. as it is (ailed, the "'i'himble- eye," •' ]5ig-eyed Mackerel," or " IJuIl Ma( kerel." dosely resembles in general appearance the common Mackerel, fr(Mn whi( h it is distinguished ( hielly by the presence of an air-bladder, and also by the o< ( urren( e of a row of indistinct circular spots upon the sides below the lateral line. Thi.s is the fish which is called " Spanish Mackerel " in Ilngland, and the name was brought to us by the early Kngli.sh fishermen of N\w i:ngland. It has been found at Pensacohi and Charleston, as well as in New England. There is another fish clo.sely related if not identical with .V. fo/nis, whi( h Trof. Jordan found to be abundant in California, whi( h corresponds to the .V. piu-timaiophonis of the Mediterranean, and has been described from f 17S AMKKic.w iisirr.s. I llic I';i( ilM i\s S. i//(Xi'. I'll if, jiMil.m ( Kiisiilcrs it l<> ]>v the .S', ,(,w.v nf \ .iri- ous aiitlu)rs. Imt w litis iIkU Ik- is not \it jiRparctl t«) acct'])! as CukiI the jiiduimnt (pf Sttinthu hiuT ami \'.iillant tliat it is the young of .V. co/iiis. 'I'hc lower half ot" its sides is siKiiy and witiimit any gray s]iots. mk h as are consiiiciiotis in .V. co/ias. Jordan has i-iiec imens of the unspotted form nuH h larger than his smallest spef inuns of liie true S, colias. 11: (IK II .MA'Ki:i!KI.. 'J'he history of tlie Chub Ma( kerel on our roast is a pernliar one. At the beginning of tlie present century it was exceedingly abundant all along the coast of New England and New York. Milchill remarked that it " comes occasionally in jirodigious numbers to the coast of New ^■ork in autumn. This was memorably the ( ase in 17S1 and 1S13, when the bays, creeks and coves were literally alive with them, and the markets full of them." DeKay states that in early November, 1S2.S, they were very abundant, and many persons were jjoisoned by eating them. Cai)t. Kpes W. Merchant, of (Gloucester, a veteran fishing skipper, who has been familiar with the fisheries of Massachusetts Hay for the jiast seventy years, told me that the Thimble-cye were so abundant from 1S14 to 1820 that with three men and a boy and a small vessel he could catch ten barrels of them, or about three thousand fish, in a day. From these testimonies it would ajipear that between 1S40 and 1S50 the species, formerly so abundant, had disappeared along the whole coast line. In an essay by the writer, written in the spring of 1879, this sen- tence occurs: "For ten years past the Smithsonian Institution, with its collectors stationed at various points from Halifax to (lalveston, has tried in vain to secure one of them, and it is probable that no museum in the world possesses a species of this fish, once so common." //// .M.\{-KI Nl /. A.\n IIS M i.ir.s. •79 111 till' siiintiu r 'S r>7<). Iihwcvit. diiriiiu thi' --iMy nf tlic I'i -li ('umiiiis- .'■idii ;it l'ri)\ ini c'tiiw II, ,i < cdi^idirMlilo s( lioul df tlicM' I'l-h i aiuf into the li.'riior and wi-n- t.ikiii in < inniiany with tlu' Tinkir Mai ki-ii 1. N.mo We're oliMivi'il thiTi' in iNSo, howi'Vir, and it rtinain>> tn In' sirii wluihi r t!u\ liavr ntnriud In In- aLi.iin c tiiintnl ainnn,:,' the iiiTinamnl nuinlicrs of ihr r.iuiia. This I'lsh. diiriii;,' the |nriiiil(,r its aliun. not so nine h s(iiij,dit al'trr liy the l'i>luTmrn. ( 'nm crning thr Mac ki'irl ot'tlic l'a( il'K roast, wliii h I'lot". Joid.in ite. They would not bite unless the line was towed. 'l"wo irreat long ])oles were run out, one just forward, in such a manner that our vessel had the appearance of a long-armed s])ider. The poles were straight, and one line was fastened at one part, and another line on the end of the pole, in oroer to have them sejiarated." " The present mode of catching mackerel by drifting and tolling with bait did not come into general use until 1S12. The gear for catching, 1 revious to that, was a white hempen bob-linv, as it was called, and the st_\le of fishing was called ' bobbing ' mackerel. These lines were some seven fathoms in length, with a leaden sinker two inches long and shaped like a jiea-jiod. At one enil was a ganging aliout a foot long, for the hook. Every few minutes off would go the hook, and extra hooks were always in readiness to replace those lost. T'lis mode continued until the year 1S16, when Abraham Luivey, of I'igeon Cove, discovered a method of running lead around the hooks, and which were afterward called jigs. This he kept secret for many months. 'l"he hooks then in use were nearly as large as the haddock hooks of to-day. The small lines and fly-lines did not come into use until about 1823. About this time the gaff was iiUroduced, and was abandoned after being used some ten years.* *'riie in.ickercl gafT \v.^s used to some extent, by the hook ami line llshernien, as late as 1865, .ihd possibly even since that time. THE MACKEREL AXD ITS ALLIES. I Si TIk' mackerel fislicrv at the time of its liit^liest developement, from 1S20 to i!,/ ,,,!,/ /Iir r.tutlu-r. if.S?. 'TpIiE Spanish Mackerel is surely one of the most graceful of fislics. It a]ii)eals as scarcely any otlier can to our love of heaiity, when we look upon it, as shown in Kilbourn's well-known ]>aintinLj;, (lartin,LC li'«-' an arrow just shot from the bow, its burnished sides, silver fleckeil with gold, thrown into bold relief by the cool green background of the ripple 1 sea ; the transi>arent greys, opalescent whites and glossy blacks of its trembling I'ms, enhance the metallic s])lendor of its body, until it see.ns t > rival the most brilliant of tropical birds. Kilbourn made copies of liis large jiainting on the jjcarly linings of sea-shells, and ])rodu( ed some wonderful effects by allowing the natural lustre of the mother-of-jieari, to show through his transparent jiignients and simulate tlie brilliancy of tlie Jife-insjiired hues of tl.e (piivering, darting sea-sprite, wliose charms ewn ids jtotent brush could not properly depict. It is a lover of the sun, a fish of tropical nature, which comes to us only in midsummer, and which disap])ears with the ajiproach of cold, to some region not yet explored by ichthyologists. It is doubtless very familiar in winter to the inhabitants of some region adjacent to the waters of the Caribbean or the tropical Atlantic, but until this place shall have been discovered it is more satisfactory to sujipose that with the bhu.' fish THK SPAXISir ^^ACKKRI:L AXD TIfE CEROKS. iS: and tliL' mackerel it inhaliits that liviiotlK'tical winter resort, to which \vc semi the n)ii,^ratorv fishes whose hahits we do not understand — the mid- dle strata of the ocean, the lloatiiiL,^ beds of Sargassum, whicli drift hither and tliither under the alternate iiromiitiuLrs of the (lulf-stream currents and the wiiiti.r winds. Si\ty-two years a_Ljo. "Mit( Iiill. in his "Xcw \'ork j-'auna " said all that w;;s known of this fish in two >hort ^^entences : — •' .\ fine and li^'aiitifiil fish. Comes in July." Seven years ago. when the writer was ( ailed u|ion to l)repare its liioLjraphy fir his •■ (lame Fishes of th.e I'nited States." he was compelled to admit that later naturalists had added very little to this tersely e\pres>ed stor\'. The admirable studies of Marll aiul Stearn> ha\e since been mad.e. and the h.ibits of the Spanish Mackerel are now fairly well understood. It is a member of the Mackerel funilv and of the ■j^k:\\\\<, ScoiiibrroDionis, established in 1S02 by Lacepi-tle, and subseipiently re-named bv Ciuier. Cyhiiiin. lairopean naturalists still cling to ("uvier's name for the genus. which is composed of twelve or more s])ecies inhabiting the warmer \mx- tions of the Atlantic ami Indian oceans. 'I'he species under disc ussion was described by MitchiU under the name Siomhcr inaciilatiis. ]"or uearlv half a centurv it stood upon our books as Cyhiiiiu iinicit/ij/iiiii, but our pro- gressive American school of ichthyologists now insist that for the sake of a consistent nomen( lature, we must catalogue this lovely species under the unlovely name Scoiiibfroinoi-iis iiujciilatus. The Si)anish Mackerel is not the onlv representati\e of the genus Sci^iii- /'{'/-('iiionis which occurs in American waters. There are two closely allied forms in the Atlantic, which are gigantic in comparison. In the (lulf States they are called King-fish and are highly esteemed by loxers of good sport and delicate food. Both of these forms have been oc < asionally ob- served as far north as Cape Cod, and it is cjuite possil)le tiiat their abun- dance along our eastern coast is greater than is at iiresent suspected. The three sjiecies are very similar in form, and their distinctive characters are of such a kind that they might readily be overlooked by ordinary observ- ers. It is my own opinion that they are sold in large numbers with the Spanish Mackerel, and under the i:)restige of its name. The fish-mongers, the only])ersons likely to notice the differences, would, for obvious reasons, not l)e likely to call attention to them. The distincti\ e characters, though not obtrusive, are strong and con- iS6 .•i ME R I CAN FISHES. st;int and \\v who ( hooscs to do so may soon learn to discriminate between tlic S|)ani>h Mai kerel and its allies. 'l"lu' Spotted ('ero. or Kiui,' Cero. ScoDihrroiiioniS ri\ur//s. has seventeen dorsal sjiines. and upon the front ot' the tlrst dorsal, which is white, is a s]iot of deep Miie, \vhi( h is ])rolonged fur back upon the upper edLj;eof the '"n. The sides are marked with broken longitudinal bands of gold, inter- lined with brown and golden sjiots. It differs from A', inaciihitiis, \vhi( h also has seventeen dorsal s]iines, in t!ie form of its tieth and in its coloration. In the Spanisli Mackerel the teeth are somewhat conical and \ery ])ointed. the t'irst dorsal has a black blotch, and the sjiots upon the sides are golden brown nearly circular and not arranged in b nd lil;c series. tin; srorr;;;) ci'itd. The King C'ero is a magnificent fish which grows to l)e five or six feet in length and attains a weight of twenty to thirty pountls. It is abundant in the West Indies, and has been recorded from Cuba, Santo Domingo, Ja- maica, Barbadoes, Key West, and Brazil. The Silver Cero, Scombcromo- riis Ciilhilla, has fourteen spines in its full dorsal fins, which is immaculate in color. The young fish have the sides of the body marked with indis- tinct spots, circular in form, and tawny in color, which disappear with age ; the lateral line is very sinuous upon the posterior portion of the body. It is a ^\'est Indian species, which has already been observed at Santo Domingo, Jamaica, Cuba, Martinique, Porto Rico, and Brazil, and a few specimens have been captured as far north as Wood's HoU, Mass. Prof. Jordan states that they are caught with trolling hooks on nearly every summer trip of the steamer from Savannah to New York. This is a mag- nificent fish, which often attains the weight of twenty-five pounds. Its habits are doubtless like those of the Spanish Mackerel. The name Cero is commonly accepted in the United States ; it is a corruption of the THE SPAXfSH MACKEREL AXD THE LEROES. iSy Spanisli sicrrii, \vlii( li is in f;i( t tlic name aiiplicd to the species by the Spanish people ot' Mi-xico. Kin,^-lish. ai cording to Silas Stearns, are very abundant in the southern part ot" tile (lulf of Mexico, and are common in some localities alon^c the coa^t of our (lulf States. They live at sea and are caught by the use of trolling-lines. At Key West, large (piantities are sold in the markets. Two men in a smab >ail-l)oat sometimes cat( h a hundred or more in a day. I'he Pacific sjiecies, Scoiubcroiiionis coiicolor, has been called tiie " Mon- terey Mackerel." It attains a length of about thirty inches and a weight of about five or eight pounds. It has only been seen in the Monterey lJa\-, wliere trom five to forty individuals are taken each autumn, most of them at S()(|uel. They ajijiear in Sejitember and disai)|iear in Xo\endier. Nothing is known of their distribution or habits. They always command the high pri( e of from thirty to fifty cents per jxnmd. The fiesh is simihir to that of the Spanish Mackerel, which it closely resembles. The male is silvery blue, without spots, but the female has a tlouble row of alternately roundish blotches upon each side. The Spanish Mai kerel is a species smaller and more delicately fi)rnied than the others which occiu- in the .Atlantic. Its normal range, as now unilerstood, is from Cape ("od to the (lulf of Mexico. It is ])ossible, in- deed probable, as has already been suggested, that it occurs in the waters of South America, though the statement that Agassi/, recorded it from Brazil is based upon an erroneous reading of his statement in his bo(jk on the fishes collected by Spix. I'oey had it from Cuba. Solitary individu- als have been taken north of Cape Cod, one at Provincetown in August, TS47, one at Lynn in July, 1S41, and one at Monhegan in Maine. I am disposetl to ciuestion the official statement of the Canadian fisheries de- partment that one was taken at New London, in September, 1S80, which, if true, would extend the range of the species several hundred miles. The author of this report justly remarks : "It is rare to find this fish in so high a latitude. '"■■ The identification should be verified. Though abundant in the north-eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico, few individuals have as yet been observed off the east coast of Florida. The specie.s also occurs along the Pacific coast of Mexico, and in great abundance in the Gulf of California. ^ *Siipplcment No. 2 to the Eleventh Annuul Report of the Minister of Marine and Fisheries fur tlie year iSSo. p. 229. :^ii 1 88 AMERICAN FISHES. Spanish Mackerel visit the shores of our Atlantic states, on a missit)n (»f I'cecling and breeding. In early sjjring they appear in schools off our southern coast, apjiearing in the waters of West Florida early in March, or even in the latter i)art of February, reaching Pensacola about the beginning of April. Off the Carolinas, their coming is a little later, for they do not reach Charleston Ijcfore the end of Marcli, and really enter the sounds of I'andico and Albemarle until a month later. 15y the 20th of May, they are rounding the cajies of A'irginia, and the schools rapidly increase in number in the inland sea of the Chesapeake, imtil the middle of June, and their abund- ance continues through the summer and early autumn. In July and August they are most abundant off the coasts of New York and Southern New ICngland, where they remain in considerable nund)ers through the early ])art of September — ^just as they did in the days of Mitchill. and. so far as we can know, in the seventeenth century when Josselyn described tlie fishes of New England. With the approach of the autumnal equinox, their southward migrations begin. The first of October finds them absent from the region north of New Jersey, and by November they have deserted the waters of the United States, unless i)erchance, a few may still remain among the reefs and sand-beds of the Florida Keys. They are lovers of warm waters, even more so than the blue-fish, for they precede in the fall migration the schools of menhaden, while the blue-fish follow them. Their breeding season in the Chesapeake occurs when the temjierature of the water ranges from 78° to 84°, and it is believed that they do not willingly enter water colder than 60° Tlieir habits are much like those of the blue-fish, with whicli tliey are iaid to associate. They are much more active in their movements, and sjiort and dance between sky and water almost like swallows skimming over a lake. No oceanic fishes which I have seen are so admirably built for sjiringing. Their tails are muscular, shapely, provided with oar-like fins, formed like the crescent moon. Their bodies are conical, arrow-like, smooth as burnished metal, and their speed must be as matchless as that of the dolphins. When the blue-fish leaps, it is with more deliberation and noise, falling back into the water with a splash, while tie sharp head of the Spanish Mackerel cuts the water like the stem of a yacht. Mr. Farll tells me that the Chesapeake fishermen can indentify the species by its movements as far as the eye can see. riri: sr.ixisir }r.\CKi:Ni:i. Axn rm- cerors. is,; In Cn'iiio ('. Scott's •• I'i^hiiiL; in Anu'vii .m \\';;trrs" is an intiTcstin^^ little picture ot" a school ot'Sj)ani>h Ma( kcrel tVcilini;. whii h is worthv of cxaiuinalion. liolh I'.aiil and Stearns amve in tlie statement that this is a li -h \\hiih !i\es almost entirely ;it the surlacc. ( )n a (aim liri^lit (hi\- in summer, the -■urta( e ot" the ( "lu'saiieakc' or the (lult"ot" Me\i( o is sometimes broken uji tor miles liy the movements ot" larue s( liools ot' these fishes, whiii' the air i ' enlivened by the screaming;- llo( ks of terns, which foUow them, to Liather up the fragments of their feasts. Similar scenes mav occasionally be wit- nessed off the coast of New Jersey and the C'arolinas, but further to the southward their abuiKhmce is less. The schools are fre(iuently observed at a huig \ary spiiit. In the (lulf States, atconlin^j ti) Mr. Stiarns. tlic Spani^li Mackerel arr in ^reat demand, thouLjh Init {k:w are ( an^ht in the Ciiilf ot" Mexii o. dii a<< nunt ct" the al)sen< e (if jiroper nets. " In the C'iiesapeake re^Mon tlie < at( li has ini reaped r.ipiill\- tVoni \ear to year, nntil in 1X79 it amounted to fully 1,000.000 ]>onnriiil, see that it is jimjicrly clcani-"!, ;iiiil I't'^cr nil) it with vinegar, I ^r siin|)ly ilry it and ilrcilije it uith Ihnir, tlicu dip it into olivo oil, ur cj^i,' aiul lirc.il- cruinl) it, or roll it well in clioppcd lierbs, then pl.ice it iip.m a heateil griiliron well rublieil oser with fit. Mackerel may be stiilTcd, but their heads slionld be taken (.■tT. When the lUh is thick, scure it liere and there, or split down the back. I'roiled fish, according to its kind, may l)e either masked with a sance, or served ui)on a puree of sorrel, tomatoes, or haricots, or upon an oil or caper sance. So. iking fi>h in a marinade ]ire- \ iously to broiling it is a consiilerable improvement, as it eats shorter and better tl.ivonred ; the I'rench steep It in olive oil, made savoury w ith spices, Sic, "For the more delicate kinds of fish the gridiron maybe stewed with bunches of aromatic- herbs rtreshi, the lish well oiled being laid thereon ; do it very slowly, and oiilv turn it once while beingco..ked. Fish tir^t V rimped in boiling w.iter and then broiled is excellent. No tlxed rules cm be given as to uie time rcipiired to broil fish, so innch depending upon the slate of the fire and the si/o and sort of the li>h. Smoked salmcm should be merely made hot through." — ;(ji:i)U<;iana Hii.i,.) " Wipe the fish clern and dry, after taking out the gill and insiiles. Open the bark, and juit in a little jiep- pcr, salt, and oil ; broil it over a clear fire, turn it over on both sides, and aUo on the back. \\ hen liie llesh can he detached from the bone, which will be in about 15 minutes, it is done. Chop a little i)ar:.ley into thf butter, with pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Serve before the butter is iiuite melted, with a iitaitrt: iV hotel sauce." — (FisHiiKiES Exhimtion Cdok 13ook. i ! I — - — ■ ! li !l I UJ2 .tMF.R/C.l.V / fs/f/:s. sidiiillv taken (.;i tiDlliii;^' tai kli- in iwc in liliiL'-ri>liin!;. Imi i~, ui'mtm) far •^^ I aiM awari.', adfrmitc olijcrt of inir^iiit. (iriiio (". Scott wioti', in 1S75 : •• M\ (.•xiK-rifncf in tri)lling for Sp ini-.h Ma( kLTL'l off the inkts of I'iro iNland has < onvinci-'d nic tluit the fish is as ininKToMs as the lihie-fiJi, anoiiie of them (lid not hesitate t«) express the opinion that hr. Mitrhill hail l>een ileieivcil by a(< idental differeiKes of loli.f at dilTerelit si'asoiis of the viar, ami til, It tluTe were not so many varietii's of Mac kerel as he inia-iiud.'" In an i's-.ay on the fishes of New \'ork market, published in |N5.}. I'rot'. dill referred to tiie Spanish Markerel as a spei ies of slight importaiK e. 'I"he quantity taken with hi)ok and Une is quite insij^nitlc ant ; they are eaii^dit almost entirely in traps and weirs, and these contrivaiK es were not employed in Narragansett I?ay lietore 1.S45, and did not ronu> into general use elsewhere on the < oast until many years later. .Many e\peri- enc ed llslu-rmen are. however, of the o|)inion that they h.ue been rapidly increasing of late, ami this is strikingly conllrmed by the marketmen. I)eKay in his " New ^'ork Fauna," 1S42, mentioned that he haiiaratus be employed, the species could be taken at almost any pt)int along the outer shore where the menhaden are abundant." C". R. Moore, of Johnsontown. Va., wrote in 1S74: " S])anish Mack- erel come in September and October and stay until frost. Tiiey are most numerous about the mouth of the York River, where a large nuin!)er are caught in seines and salted. They bring about S40 a barrel." There is no reason to believe that the jn-esent fishery will affect the future abundance of the species; for the catch is necessarily insignificant when the immense number of individuals in our waters is taken into account. There is no doubt that there have been important lluctuations in abundance in the past, and natural causes are certain, cause a like variation in the future. It is jiarticularly imjjortant therefore, that the experiments whi( h the U. S. Fish Commission has already made upon the artificial propagation of this species shall be as soon as possible brought to some practical outcome. The Spanish Mackerel of New England was a fish with sjiotted sides. The people of New England found a s])otted mackerel and called it by the old familiar name ; the people of the Middle States did likewise with a different kind of spotted mackerel. In like manner the names herring, alewife, shad, salmon, trout, perch, chub, and bass are ajjplied to several different kinds of fish in different jiarts of the United States. There is only one clew to the manner in which the Spanish Mackerel of England was named. Rondeletius, who wrote in 1554. a book on marine fishes, "Libri de Piscibus Marinis," speaks of this fish as occasionally occurring on the coast of France, but j)articularly abundant in Spain. How did our Spanish Mackerel get its name ? ICnglish colonists, the world over, have always given to the native animals of the new continent, tile names of those with which thev were familiar in their ancestral home. I I i ■I 196 AMERICAN FISHES. The only other spotteil fish which has been known to fretiuent our coast is the " chub mackerel " or " thimble eye," a species closely allied to the common mackerel, but smaller, and distinguished by having larger eyes and less distinct dorsal markings, as well as by other characters. This was the " Spanish Mackerel " of New England fifty years ago. Its name must have come to it from the "Spanish Mackerel" of England, the SiOiiibcr colias, described by Gmelin, with which, indeed, some authori- ties believe it to be identical, and which also is very similar to the common mackerel, Scomber scoinbriis, though smaller, with fewer stripes upon its back, and with circular spots of grey or brown upon the white sides, which in the common mackerel are pearly and immaculate. The cpiestion of the identity of the Spanish ]\[ackerel of New England, with that of Old England, is not likely to be tlecided at present, for the former has entirely deserted our waters, though at one time extremely abundant. The origin of the name "Mackerel" is in itself a curious subject of inquiry. Certain authorities derive it from the Old Erench maqucrcaii, signifying a pander or go-between, from a popular tradition in France, that the Mackerel in spring follows the female shads which are called vicrgcs, and leads them to their mates. Skeat and other modern ety- mologists reject this idea, and decide that the name comes from the Latin macus or inaca, signifying a spot or stain. Still another theory is advocated by Dr. C. D. Badham, in his " Prose Halieutics." " The word Mackerel is one of very old standing in our own vocabulary, and has most probably a northern origin ; but whether this be so or not, both the usually assigned Greek and I>atin etymologies are equally inad- missible ; the Greek, which, either from the excellence of the flesh, its own personal happiness, or that which it confers on so many Mackerel- eaters, would conjure Mackerel from it(iis>cd at K-iiutli. The rDnijianocs of our Atlantic waters, liclonj^iuLC as they do to a small, strongly specialized i^-enus, are separated from each other liy ( haracters n;)t likeh' to he notii ( d liy casual ol)ser\ers. Jt is jirohaMe that the most unusu.al of tliem is mo-e adtundant than is now suiJposed. and that a more careful study of the Kam \ of the South Atlantic and (lulf States will show that they are frei|Ue;.' \isitors. I have myself sei'H the Carolina and the R()unano, Trachviiotits caroliiiiis. has the height of tlie body contained two to two and two-thirds times in th.e total length : the length of the hea.d five to fi\e and one-third times: one of the caudal lobis four times. it has twenty-four to t\venty-fi\e rays in the second dorsal, while the anterior ravs of the dorsal and anal fins, if laid bac kward. reach to the miildle of the fin. It occurs in both the Atlantic: and Pacific waters of the I'nited States. ( )n our eastern coast it ranges north to Cape Cod. south to J;;inaica, east lo the l)ermu(las, and west in the Culf of Mexico, at least as far as the mouth of the ]\Iississi])pi Ri\er. In the Pacific it is rare, and as vet known onlv from the Culf of California, where it has recently been obserxed by Mr. C. II. C.ilbert. Like the Spanish mackerel, the scjueteague, and the bliiefish, it is a sum- mer visitor, appearing in southern Massachusetts in June and Ju.ly, departing in Sejitember. It is em[)hatically a warm water species. Although it is at present impossible to ascertain the lower limit of its temperature ra.nge, it is j)rol)able that this corresponds very nearly to that iiidicated by a harbor temperature of 60° to 65° Fahr. The Pompano has never been known to pass the boundary tlefmed by the low, sandv barrier of Cape Cod and its submarine extension, the Ceorges Pank. Like the shoals of Hatteras, the broad, slightly submerged saii'ls of this reuion. with their swirling tides and lluctuations of tempera- ture. f(jrl)i(l the jiassage of many specie: ahuiK lant either to the North or li i ;oo AMKRICAX J'JSIIES. i f !/ ^* South. I')()lh of our conimoii I'onipanocs were dt'scrihcd by Linnivus from Sotitli C'arolina, l)Ut had never l)C'L'n observed north of C'aj)e Ilatteras until the summer of 1854, when I'rof. llaird. at that time carryiiiL,^ on the first of the i( lithyological investigations \vlii( Ii have since made his name fnnous all the world over, discovered it near Great I'^gg Harbor. Jn his Rejiort on the l'"ishes of New Jersey, he states that he had seen them taken ])y thousands in the sandy coves of the outer beach, near ]>eesley's Point. These, however, were all rather small, scarcely exceeding a i]uarter to half a iiotmd in weight. In 1S63 he obtained both species in Southern Massachusetts, wliere in subsecjuent years they ha\e fre(iuently been ca))ttu-ed. " My first ac(|uaintance with tlie rom])ano in New I'ingland," writes I'rof. Uaird, "was in i>S63, during a residence at Wood's Holl, where 1 not unfrecjuently caught young ones of a few inches in length. I was more fortunate in the summer of 1S71, which I also spent at Wood's Holl : then the Pompano was taken occasionally, especially in Capt. Spindle's i)oim(l, and I received at different times as many as twenty or thirty, weighing about one and one-half or two i)ounds each, (^uite a number were caught in P>'izzard's P)ay and Vineyard Sound in i(S72." It is a fair cjuestion whether the Pompano has recently found its way into northern waters, or whether its presence was unknown Ijecause nobody had found tlie way to capture it. When Mitchill wrote on the fishes of New York in 1S42 he had access to a single specimen which had been taken off Sandy Hook about the year 1S20. I i]Uote in full the observations of Mr. Stearns: "The common Pompano is abundant on the Oulf coast from the Mississi])pi River to Key West, and, so far as I can learn, is rare bevond this western limit until the Yucatan coast is reached, where it is common. It is considered the choicest fish of the (lulf of Mexico, and has great commercial demand, which is fully sujiplied but a few weeks in the vear, namely, when it arrives in spring. 'J'he Pompano is a migratory fish in the Pensacola region, but I think its habits on the South Florida coast are such that it cannot pro]ierly be so classed. " At Pensac;ola it comes in to the coast in spring and goes away from it in fall, while in South Florida it is found throughout the year. In the former section it ajipears on the coast in March in schools varying in num- bers of individuals from fifty to three or four thousand, wliich continue to ' run ' until the latter i)art of May, when it is supj^osed that they are all inside. Their movement is from the eastward, and thev swim as near to THE rO.MPANOES. 301 the shore as the state of the water will ])ermit, very seldom at the surface so as to rii)i)le or hreak the water, althoui^h scjiiietimes wliile ]ilaying in shoal water they will jiini]) into the air. '■ liefore any schools enter the havs certain ones will remain for days, or even weeks, in a neighhorhood, ( omiuL; to the beach during; the tlood tide to feed on the shell-fish that alumnil there and retiirnint,^ ayain to deeper water on the ehh-tide. 'I'he holes or uullies in the saml alonn' the beach are their faxorite feeding,' ^'rounds on these occasions. Sharks and l^orpoises pursue the l*onii)ano iiu essanilv, doubtless de^^troyini; many. The lar,i,fest lunnbers come in A|iril, and sometimes durini; that month the first schools are seen enterin.L; the inlets, others followiiiL; almost e\ery day, until about June i, when the sprinL,M'im is said to be over. I'.very year they ajjpear in this way at Pensacola and adjoininj; bays. althouL;h there are many more some years than others. As tlie abunchuK e is judged by the ([uantity cauijht 1 think that the difference may lie more in the number of fishini; da\s (])leasant ones) than in tlie real nundiers ^^{ ^\>\\ present. The sizes of I'ompano that make u]) these schools are lar,i,'e or adult fisli a\era,L;ing twelve or fourteen inc lies in leniith, and small fish (probably one year old) avera,L,Mn,Lf eight inc lus in length. The largest Pom])ano that 1 have seen measured nineteen and a half inc lies in length, and weighed six and a cpiarter ])oands, the extremely large I'lsh called Pompano of two or three times that si/e jirobably being another species. After entering the bays the S( hools of I'ompano break up ami the fish scatter to all i)arts where the water is salt and there are good feeding grounds. Ivxcept single individuals that are taken now and then, nothing is seen of Pomjjano until late in the fall, when they are bound seaward. In regard to its siiawning habits nothing very definite has been learned. It has spawn half developed when it arrives and has none when it leaves the l)ays. Large cjuantities of the fry are seen in the bays all summer, which is some jiroof of its spawning inside. In June, 1S7S, 1 caught specimens of the fry varying in si/e from three-quarters of an inch to three inches in length. Very many schools of these sizes were also observed in July and August of the same and following }ears of iay to Charlotte Harbor seems to be its favorite feeding- ground owing to the (juantity of shell-fish that occur there. It does not form in large schools as in the Pensacola region, and therefore is not taken in such large quantities by seine fishermen. " Smacks from Mobile and Pensacola sometimes go tci Tam])a Bay for them. I have been told that Pompano are caught at Key ^\'est in con- :l i-1 ,! I AMERICAN FISHES. siiliTalilc (|iiantitiL's 1>\- liook and line, and I liavc known of a few beini; taken in that manner at JV'nsacohi. It feeds entirely npon sinatl shell- fish. whi( h are crushed between the bones of its pharyngeal arch." The Round Tonipano, T. rhomho'ufcs, has the height of the body con- t.iiiied two to two and one-third times in the total length ; the length of the head fixe to l"i\e and one-fourth times; one of the caudal lobes three and adialf to four times. In the second dorsal are from eighteen to twent\-on(.' ra\s, in the second anal from sixteen to nineteen, while in the Carolina I'ompano there are twenty-one to twenty-two. In the south it is sometimes called the " Shore Pompano," and is known in the Bermudas by the name " Alewife." THE ROUND POMPAXO. The Round Pomjiano is cosmopolitan in its distribution, occurring in the North and South Atlantic, and in various jiarts of the Indian Ocean. The young have been obtained in the harbor of Vineyard Haven, Mass., and at Ileaufort, S. C". It is i)robable that the species is far more abund- ant in our -waters than we now suiijiose it to be. The only well authentiiated instance of the capture of the Pompano with hook and line are those recorded by S. C. Clarke. During ten win- ters of Florida angling he writes : " I have only once seen this fish taken (vith the hook. My fish was taken on a rod with clam-bait, while fishing for sheepshead in April, 1875, in the Hillsboro River, near New Smyrna." B. C. Pacetti, a veteran fishermen, assured Mr. Clarke that during forty years'experience, he had only known of two similar instances. The African Pompano, T. gorcensis, originally described from the THE POMPANOES. -o.? Ishnid of (loixM, oil the wijst coast of Africa, ivscmhks in general form tiic Round Ponipano, thoui;!! somewhat more elongate, while the head is larLrer. lieini,^ contained four and a half times in the total length. The anterior rays of the dorsal and anal extend bevond the middle of the fin. if laid liackward. in the number of the fin ravs it corrt'sponils most closely with the Round Pompano. I first became familiar with the s])e( ies through examining a small specimen in the collection of my friend, j. Matthew Jones, Es([., of •• The Hermitage." Smith's Parish. liermuda. in 1S76, has since been repeatedh- observed on our own coast. It is tlu' largest of the Pomjianoes. I )r. J. W. Wlie obtained two large specimens in West l''lori(la, and in iSjg, Mr. lUackford sent to the National Museum a giant of the same spet ies, taken at Jupiter Inlet, about two feet long, and weighing twenty-three pounds. It has sine e become evident that the species figured by (lirard in the ichthyology of the United States and Mexican boundary, under the name Dolioilon iaroliinis, is really Tracliy- iiotus j^ori'ciisis, and that its occurrence in the (lulf of Mexico is woi unusual. In the (rulf of Mexico it is not unusual, being known at Key West as the •• Permit. " Stearns informs us that this fish is rather common along the lower end of the the Florida Peninsula, and is often taken in seines at Cellar Keys, and at the mullet fisheries of Sarasota and Charlotte Harbor, as well as about Key West. The Banner Pompano, T. _i^/a//(-us, has a somewhat elongate body and a small head. It is much thinner than either of the other species. Its sil- \ erv sides are marke<;, (lie Timiiies luiip, I'loiiticu nil the striaiii, iuul toss the niaiitliiij; deep, Ride o'or the foamy seas, witli torture rave, Dotiiid into air, and dash the smoking wave. < )i'i'iAN, T>;insl,iti\i I'v J,>)U-s, ' I "TIE Donito, Sart/ii mcditcrranca, is one of those fislieswliii h appe;)' to live cliiefiy in the open ocean, wandering; hitlier and thithei in large schools, preying upon other pelagic fishes, and ajiproaching land only when attracted by abundance of accejitable food. Several of the smaller species of the group of Tunnies, to which it belongs, are known to sailors by the same name. The common "lionito" of luigland. Orcynus pi'lamys, two or three specimens of which have been detected in our waters since 1876, is what is here called the "Striped Bonito," but the fish which most frecjuently and in greatest numbers approaches our shores is the one which is named at the head of this section. Almost nothing is known of its habits, and it is even impossible to define its geographical range with any degree of certainty, its distribution being very unlike that of any other fish with which we are acquainted. It maybe said, howe\c. that it is found only in the Atlantic basin. On our coast it occurs in summer between Cape May and Cape Sable, though rarely north of Cape Ann ; occasionally off Cape Hatteras and the mouth of the Chesapeake and in the Gulf of Mexico. Specimens have been taken about the Can- aries and Madeira, at the Cape of Good Hope and in the Mediterranean. It has not been observed on the coast of Europe north of Ciibraltar, no' at the Bermudas. iwxrroi'.s ,l\'d tcxxies. 207 Tlif l!iiiiit() does not aiipcar to h;ni' licin almnMant in fDrniiT yoar-; ; it atii:i( ti'il lnit little altc'iuion in mir watrrs ln'turi.' iSOo, alth()iiL;li v. was aiiiuli'd ti) ill 1S15 by Mit( hill, in iS.p by ht-'Kay. ami in iS^^ by (lill : none (if tlu^^L- authors, howcvir, ri'^^ardifl it as a < iininioii tniui, or < itt.il any < (in^idrrablc ntindur of in>tan( cs ot' its |in.'M,'n( 0. A niitr from i'rot". J. Ilaniinoiid 'I'riiinbtdl states: " 'I'his I'ish ii^rd to l)c' ([uitc coiiunon, in sonic years, in the StoninL,'ton market. I \\.\\<' a note of a considerable number in market July 22, 1N4J, tlu'ir fir^t appear- ancc for the season." Storer remarkt'd in 1.S46: '''I'liis species, called b\- the fishernuii in Boston market the 'Skipjack.' and by those at the extrmiitv ot' Caiie Cod the * Honito,' is very rarel\inei with in Ma^sai husetts l'.a\. It is occasionally taken at I'rovincetown, and e\en at l.ynn. .\t some seasons it is frecjuently canijht at Martha's \'ineyard with trailing: bait." One of these fishes is a mar\el of beauty and streni,ah. luerv line in its I'ontour is suggestive of swift motion. The head is shajied like a minic bullet, tiie jaws fit togetlier so tightly that a knife-edge (ould scarcely pass between, the eyes are hard, smooth, their surt";vces on a per- fect level with the adjoining surfaces. The slioulders are hea\y and strong, the contours of the powert'ul m.i^->es of muscle gently and evenly merging into the straighter lines in whicli the contour of the body sIojjcs back to the tail. The dorsal fin is ])laced in a groove into Mhi( h it is received, like the blade of a clasp knife in its handle. The pectoral and ventral fins also fit into dejiressions in th'. siiles of the fish. Above and below, on the posterior third of the body, are 1 laced the little finlets, each a little rudder with indejiendent motions oi its own, by whi\\ seems, liowever, (hirini; some years to ha\e l)een almost \-erified. The dealers, by the chan^^e of name in the market above referred to, are able to obtain a high price for a I'lsh which, under its own nanv, would be looked upon with suspicion. An absurd report that the Honitowas poison- ous was current in i^'^y.;, probably owing to the fact that similar fish taken in warm climates are sometimes deleterious. In i'S75 the ordinary jirice in Xew \'ork was one <'ent apiece, though in the wholesale markets they commanded the same ]>rice as bluefish, and manv were sold, as has Ijeen stated, at the high rates of Sjianish NEackerel. The market was so glutted that many of the vessels could not ilispose of their cargoes. According to Stearns, our lionito occurs also in the (lulfof Mexico, v.here it is e\erywhere abundant, and is found in the bays on the Florida coast. It usually moves, according to the same authority, at the surt'ace of the water in small schools. At sea it is found throughout the year, and along the shcjre only in the summer. Small schools are sometimes taken in drag-seines in shallow water. Its market value at Tcnsacola is not great, although it has become an article of food. A writer in the P r or iiic 11 tc Journal \\\\\\, 1S71, remarked: '' T>ast night I had a fish on my table which they said was a kind of Spanish Mackerel; the moment I tasted it I said it was a IJonito, having eaten it thirty years since, on my first voyage to India, and the taste had never been forgotten. It is the salmon of the sea. Mark its solidity of flesh, its great weight, its purity of taste, entire absence of the slightly decayed taste all fish has during warn; weather. It is as nourishing as beef, and Bonito is the worthy rival of the Spanish mackerel and the sheepshead." They seem first to have attractetl the attention of New England authori- ties about 1865. (ienio ('. Scott, writing in 1875, remarks: "Mis first arrival along our beaches and in our bays was about eight years ago, and his shoals have increased remarkably fast ever since his ailvent. As a table luxury it ranks, with epicures, below the striped bass and bluefish, but because of its comparative rarity it commands a price rather al)ove either. The numbers of this fish annually taken about the approaches to our harbors with the troll and in nets has increased so much that it bids fair to become nearly as numerous as the bluefish." M li''t 210 AMERICAN FISHES. ^ ■ Each summer the schools now range the ocean between Ca])e Cod and Cape Hattcras. and al)oiit Bkxk Island and the eastern end of Long Island fabulous quantities are often captured. The habits of the Bonito are similar to those of the bluefish, though it is, if ])ossil)le, even more activo and more an embodiment of perpetual and insatiable hunger. 'J'hey come at the same time, they leave the coast simultaneously, they prey in company upon menhaden and mackerel, and together they are often caught in the fisherman's gill-net or are detained in the labyrinths of tlie ])0und-net. The two kinds of fish do not, it is supposed, mingle, but the regiments rush to battle side by side. Sometimes two lines in one boat will fasten at the same time a bluefish and a Bonito. The Bonito, like the bluefish, appear to be attracted to our waters by the great schools of mackerel and menhaden, upon which they feed. Schools of Bonitoes cause more commotion than those of bluefish ; they spring out of the water, and are visible at long distances. They are attended by the same schools of screaming gulls and terns, and leave in their track similar " slicks " of oil and blood. The Bonito is an alien m our seas. It comes here only for food, and in winter disappears entirely. It docs not, like the bluefish, follow the trend of the coast to the south, to jiass the cold months off the shoals of Hattcras. No very young individuals of this kind have ever been obtained in the western Atlantic, although young bluefish, from two to eight inches long, may be caught in summer by tens of thousands on any sand beach south of Monomoy. Genio C. Scott records the capture of one in Jamaica Bay in 1874 weighing less than a pound, and which he believes to have been hatched the previous year. The Fish Commission also has one of the same size taken off Southern New England. Charles Potter, of Norwalk, Conn., states that small specimens, six inches in length, were from 1870 to 1874 frequently taken late in the fall in the weirs at Fisher's Island. A fish weighing ten i)ounds measures twenty-eight to twenty-nine inches; eight pounds, twenty-seven to twenty-eight inches ; seven pounds, twenty-six to twenty-seven inches ; six pounds, twenty-five to twenty-six inches ; four pounds, twenty-two to twenty-three inches. There have not yet been found in the adults any traces of mature spawn, though one taken off Norwalk July 23, 1S74, had the eggs well formed though not nearly t jiox/Tor.s jxn 7r.vx//:s. 2\ I mature. Tlie hrcfding groiimls of the P.onito. like those of the s\vonlfisli. are (h)ubtless in some remote (luarler of tlie L,dol)e. The swonlfisli sjiawns in tlie Mediterranean, if nowliere else. The sjiet ies is cosmopolitar, and oecurs in nearly every ([iiarter of the t;lol)e, though j)erha])s nowhere in greater abundanc e than aloni,^ our own shores. On the California coast occurs a closely related s])ecies. the Tacific Bonito, Stjn/a chilctisis, \\\\'\(\\ is thus des( rihed by J'rof. Jordan : *'' This fish is everywhere known as the ISonito. The names ' Sjianish Mai'kcrel,' ' Skijijack ' and 'Tuna' are also sometimes applied to it. It reaches an average weight of about twelve jiounds. but the bodv is con- siderably longer and more slender than that of an Albicore of the same ■weight. It ranges from San Franc isco southward to C'.iili, being abund- ant in Monterey 15ay and about the Santa I'arbara Islands in the summer and fall. It approaches to within half a mile of the shore, where, in company with the barracuda, it is taken in great numl)ers by trolling. It spawns in August or September. Its arrival is in early sMinuier and its departure in the fall, at which season the young are said to be found abundantly in the kelp. It feeds chielly on anclio\ies and s(iuiils. As a food-fish it is not held in high esteem, the llsh being coarse, dreat numbers are salted and dried, and are in that state considered far inferior to the barracuda and yellow-tail." The Striped Uonito, Orcyims ptiaiiiys, already mentioned, is dis- tinguished from other species by the presence of four dark lines, which begin at the pectoral fin and run along the side of the belly to the tail, the sides of tlie common Bonito l)eing of a silvery white. This species, is occasionally taken on the European coast, but has rarely been known to enter the [Mediterranean. It is found in the Pacific on the coast of China and Japan, and is the species most commonly known to mariners as the Bonito, or Albicore, of the activity and voracity of which, as observed from the dec ks of Aessels at sea, so many descriptions ha\e been written. The first individual on our coast was that seen by Mr. liarnet Phillips in 1876. Another was taken by Mr. J. IT. Blake at Pro\ince- town in July, 1S77. Others have since been observed at AVoods I loll and in the New York markets. The ca])turc of the Stri])ed Bonito is a favorite subject with Japanese artists. I have seen many drawings and ])rints in Jajjanesc books, in which the characteristic forni a;id markings of this fish are faithfully delineated. The Japanese appear to catch it in ^•re;it cjuantities, with rod, line, and hook. I \ ' 21: AMERICAN FISHES. One of the American men-of-war of Revolutionary times was named " Bonetta," after the fishes of this group. In addition to the Striped Bonito, which is, properly, a Tunny, we have in American Avaters two other small Tunnies — the Long-finned Tunny, OrcyiiKS alaloiiga, and the Silver-spotted Tunny, Orcynits argr/i- tivittatus — which have since 1877 been added to the fauna of the United States. The former of these two occurs in considerable abundance on the coast of California, and is there also known as the Albicore. Concerning it Frof. Jordan writes : " This fish reaches a weight of about twelve pounds. and is much shorter and deeper than the Bonito of the Pacific. It is found from San Francisco southward, but is abundant only in the chan- nels about the Santa Barbara Islands. It seldom comes within six miles of the shore, and it is taken by trolling. It spawns about the middle of August, its arrival on the coast being determined by the spawning season. It usually is present in June and July and disappears in the fall. It feeds chiefly on anchovies and scjuids, and various deep-water fishes [Mcrliicius, Siidis, Myctophuin) are found in its stomach. As a food-fish it is even less valued than the Bonito, rarely selling for more than twenty to twenty- five cents. It is abundant, but of little economic importance, being usually fished for by sportsmen." The Albicore, Orcynus allitcratiis, known in the Gulf of Mexico, where it is confounded by the fishermen with other similar species, as the " Bonito," and in the Mediterranean by the names " Tonnina " (Trieste), " Carcane " (Venice), and " Tauna " (Nice), has a geographical range very similar to that of the Bonito, except that it is found in the Pacific on the east coast of Japan, and in the Malay Archipelago. It has also been recorded from Cuba, Brazil and the Bermudas. This active species, which attains the weight of from thirty to forty pounds, first made its appearance in our waters in 1871, when several large schools were observed by the Fish Commission in Buzzard's Bay and the Vineyard Sound. Nearly every year since they have been seen in greater or less numbers ; but, as they are of little value for food, no effort has been made to capture them, nor are they often brought to the markets. This species, known at the Bermudas as the "Mackerel," is frequently seen in the markets at Hamilton and St. Georges. In the Mediterranean its flesh is considered to be very excellent. ^ly BONJTOES AM) 7 iWXJJlS. jwn experiments with it arc hardly c ont'irniatory of this statcnient, Imt in Southern ICurope all the fishes of this family are very hii;hly esteemed, and that it is not appreciated with ns is jierhajis due to tiie fact that we do not know how to cook them. 1 find tlie followint^ note bv I'rof. lUiird: " Flesh, -when cooked, dark brown all around the backbone, elsewhere (piite dark, jjrecisely like horse-mackerel. Mesh \ery firm. comi)act and sweet." Stearns records its freipient occurrence in the (lidf of Mexico, where he has observed individual sjiecimens at Pensacola and Key West. The habits of this fish ha\e not been s])ecially studied, but there is no reason to doubt that they correspond closely with those of others of the same family. The Frigate Mackerel, ^h/x/s thazaiui, is a species which has lately made its ajipearance in our waters, none having been observed before i.SSo, wlien they came in almost countless numbers. Jt is yet to be determined whether it is to be a ])ermanent accession to our fauna. The United States Fish Commission obtained numerous specimens, twenty-eight bar- rels having been taken in a mackerel seine ten miles cast of IJlock Island on August 3, i88o, by the schooner "American F^agle," Cajit. J(.)shua Chase, of Provincctown, Mass. The Irrigate Mackerel resembles, in some j^articulars, the common ^Mackerel ; in others, the I5onito, the genus Aiixis being intermediate in its cluiracter between the Scomber and the related genera Pclamys and Orcy litis. It has the two dorsal fins remote from each other as in Scomber, and the general form of the body is slender, like that of the Mackerel. Tl.. body is, however, somewhat stouter, and, instead of being covered with small scales of uniform size, has a corselet of larger scales under and behind the jicctoral fins. Instead of the two small keels upon each side of the tail, which are so noticeable in the Mackerel, it has the single, more prominent keel of the Bonito and the Tunny. Its color is greyish- blue, something like that of the pollock, the belly being ligh.ter than the back. Under the posterior part of the body, above the lateral line, are a few cloudings or maculations resembling those of the Mackerel. The occurrence of a large school of this beautiful species in our waters is very noteworthy, for the fish now for the first time observed are very jjossibly the precursors of numerous schools yet to follow. The Frigate Mackerel has been observed in the West Indies, and other :l it\ h 'r. ! ■ I 214 AMERICAy FISHES. l)arts of the trojiical Atlantic, as well as on the coast of Europe. In (ireat Britain it is called the " Plain Bonito." It is not unusual in the Bermu- das, where it is called the " Frigate Mackerel," a name not inai)propriate for adoi)tion in this country, since its general appearance is more like that of the Mackerel than the bonito, while in swiftness and strength it is more like the larger members of this family. It is the " Timberello" of the Adriatic fisher-folk. In the Mediterranean there is a regular fishery for this species, which is prosecuted from May until Sei^tember, and they are also taken in great numbeis in the Tunny nets. Since the first appearance of this fish many new observations of its abundance have been received. These fish appeared to have come in immense schools into the waters between Montauk Point and George's l»ank ; and from Mr. Clarke's statements it appears that they have been observed in small numbers by fishermen in previous years. Several vessels have come into Newport recently reporting their presence in immense numbers in the vicinity of Block Island. It will interest the " ichthyo- phagists " to know that several persons in Newport have tested the fish, and pronounce it inferior to the bonito. Part of the flesh, that on the posterior part of the body, is white, but behind the gills it is black and rank, while the meat near the backbone is said to be of disagreeable, sour flavor. It is hard to predict what its influence will be upon other fishes already occupying our waters. Its mouth is small and its teeth feeble, so that it is hardly likely to become a ravager, like the bonito and the bluefish. There is little probability, on the other hand, that its advent will be of any special importance from an economical point of view, for its oil does not seem to be very abundant, and it will hardly pay at present to capture it solely for the purpose of using its flesh in the manufacture of fertilizers. It is very important that any observation made upon this species in years to come should be reported to the United States Fish Commission. The length of those I have seen ranges from twelve to sixteen inches, and their weight from three-quarters of a pound to a pound and a half or more. Those sent to New York market were part of the lot taken by the schooner " American Eagle " and brought into Newport, whence they were shipped by Mr. Thompson, a fish dealer of that ])lace. It would require from eighty to one hundred of them to fill a barrel ; so the estimate of Capt. BOX! TOES AX J) TiXX/ES. 215 Riggs, that there arc a thousand barrels in one of the st:liools, shows how exceedingly abundant they must be. Capt. N. IC. Atwood, of Provincetown, Mass., the veteran fisherniaii- ichthyologist, has examined the specimens, and is satist'ied that they belong to the same species with a fish whic h he found abundant in the Azores in 1840, when, led by the reports of Cape Coil whalers, he went to these islands in search of the Mackerel, the mackerel fishing being poor at home. No Afackerel were found except the Frigate Mackerel. Reports in 18S7, concerning this occurrence of Mackerel in the ICastern Atlantic are very probably inspired by the presence of this fish. The Horse Mackerel, so-called, Orcyinis tliyiiniis, is the most important of the Tunnies, the " 'Jon " or " Tuna" of the Meiliterranean, and the '• Tunny" of English-speaking people. The distribution of this fish corresponds more closely with that of the ordinary species of the Atlantic, since it occurs not only in the Mediter- ranean and the Western Atlantic north to the Culf of St. Lawrence, but also on the coast of Europe to the Loffoden Islands, latitude 69°. Of this fish, as found in American waters, our naturalists have not much to say, the species, although abundant at certain seasons of the year off particular parts of the coast, being not a very familiar one to our writers. They seem to be rather a northern fish, and are said by Storer to make their first ajjpearance on our shores about Provincetown early in June, remaining until October. Of late years they seem to be increasing in abundance northward, becoming more and more common during the summer season at Newfoundland. In 1878 Capt. Henry Webb, of Milk Island, near Gloucester, harpooned and killed thirty of these monsters, weighing in the aggregate at least thirty thousand pounds. They had entered his pound in pursuit of small fish, cutting without difficulty through the netting. One had his stomach full of small mackerel. According to Capt. Atwood, on their first appearance in Massachusetts Bay they are very poor, but by the beginning of September become quite fat and are very much hunted for the oil, the head and belly especially furnishing sometimes as many as twenty gallons. They are harpooned on the surface of the water, much like the Sword-fish. The early traditions of this fish in Massachusetts Bay speak of them as being sometimes so tame as to take food from the hand ; but they have i\G AMKRICAX J'ISJfES. "W \ loiiLf since' yi\ en np tliis engaging luibit. 'i'his s])C(ics attains a very great size. One spei inien, taken in 1838 off Caj)e Ann, measured, aic'ortling t(j Dr. Storer, fit'teen feet in length, and weighed one thousand pounds, while still larger individuals tlian this are known to ha\e heen captured. 'I'iieir food while in our waters consists, it is said, mainly of menhaden, of which they destroy a vast number. 'J'iieir inclosure in the fishermen's nets is not much desired, as they are apt to become entangled in them ;ind to do much injury in their efforts to escape. 'I'hey are i)ursued by the killer whales, before which they llee in great terror. A graphic descrip- tion of this i)ursuit is given below in the words of Capt. Atwood. Strange to say, although highly jjrized in the Old World from the time of the ancient Romans to the i)resent da)', they are seldom, if ever, used for food in the United States, where their llesh is not esteemed, being rarely, if ever eaten, although much used for mackerel bait. It is, how- c\er, more in favor in the Provinces. Although occurring in large numbers and of remarkable size, no effort is made toward their capture ; and though not unfrecjuently taken in weirs and pounds along the coast, they are always allowed to rot on the shore. Occasionally a portion of the flesh may be used as food for chickens, but seldom, if ever, for human consumjjtion. In the Mediterranean the Tunny is taken in large nets, known as " madragues," similar in many res])ects to the so-called " traps ' ' of Secon- net River in Rhode Island. The fish are used jjartly fresh and i)artly salted, and they are put up in oil to a considerable extent and largely consumed in all the Latin countries of luirope. Considerable quantities are salted and canned, and canned Tunny of European manufacture is ini])orted to New York in small cpiantities. 'J'he flesh is dark and not usually attrac- tive, although wholesome. They appear to attain a greater size in America than in Europe, one of five hundred jjounds in the Mediterra- nean being considered rather a monster, while in America their weight is not unfretpiently given at from twelve to fifteen hundred i)ounds. Nothing definite is known in regard to their mode of reproduction. The eggs are said to be deposited early in June, and the young at hatch- ing, according to Yarrell, weigh an ounce and a half, reaching a weight of four ounces by August, and thirty ounces by October. Mr. Matthew Jones, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, writes: "The Tunny is very common on the eastern coast of Nova Scotia in summer, and is Imown to fishermen and others as the 'Albicore.' The Rev. J. Ambrose BONiroKs Axn rixxiEs. -'7 informs mc tliat it iv.milariy \isits St. Mar^^iivt's I'.ay I'xcry summer, several s|)ecimens Wwvj^ taken and rendereil down tor oil. They were particidarly abimdant in 1S76. Thev are not seen in the IJasin of Minas." Accordinif to Dr. lortin the Horse Mackerel is ijuite almiidant in the Ciulf of St. Lawrence, especially in the Days of Chaleur and of (laspe, and also in the Straits of Helle Isle and lUancs SaMon Day. it is taken in increasint,^ nmnbers in the ,unlt', jiartl)- by spearini,^ and partlv by baiting. l''or this latter i)urpose strong- steel hooks are used tied to solid lines and baited with herrinl,^ 'J'his tishinj,^ is prosecuted more i)articidarly in the liay of Chaleitr and off Caracpiette, where in 1X65 over one himdred were captiireil. The fishing is (juitc exciting, although tiresome and recpiiring a good deal of skill, as in the efforts of the fishes to escape they pull with such violence as to endanger tlie lives of the fishermen by dragging them overboard.* Capt. Atwood contributes the following note on Horse Mackerel in Cai)e Cod Hay : " They don't come till the weather gets warm. AVe don't see them at first when we begin setting mackerel nets. l)Ut about June they are li;d)le to appear, and we find holes in the nets. Sometimes in September they gill them for the sake of their oil. My brother had forty-seven holes through one eighty-yard nei in one night, ^^'hen they strike a net they go right through it, and when they go through it the hole immediately becomes round. It looks as if you could i)Ut a half bushel through it. I said in my Lowell Institute lei tures that a shark in going through a net would roll himself up in it, but the Horse Mackerel get right through, and the hole they cut could be mended in five minutes. Tlie fishermen don't dread them much because they do the nets so little injury. They remain with us through the summer and early autumn, when they are killed for the oil. When they are here they feed U])on any small fish, and when menhaden were here I have seen them drive the harbor full of them. I have seen the Horse Mackerel swallow dogfish whole weighing eight ])ounds. As fast as we got out the livers of the dogfish they would catch them and eat them. There was a great deal of whiting here at that time. They have almost totally disappeared. The Horse Mackerel seems to be the enemy of all kinds of fish. There is nothing to trouble the Horse * Canadian Fishery Report for 1862-63. J Ms '< Mr ■■ •■ ! 2lS A.UERICAN JJSJ/ES. Markcril until the killer (oincs, ;ui(l then they know it, 1 tell yon. Thrn the H()r>e Mac kerel will run ! Sonic fishermen say that they have seen a killiT jioke his lu'ad out of the water with a Horse Mackerel in his nioiith. 1 have known a Horse Ma< kerel to yield twenty-three gallons of oil. The averaj,'e si/.e is about eight feet in length." This is a book devoted to American Fishes, but the Tunny, thoi'.gh an .\merican fish, is not the foundation of an American fishery. In time we shall no doubt have a tunny fishery of our own, and as a step toward the consummation of that result, I ([uotc a description of madrague fishing in Sicily, from the e\er-delightful pen of Dr. 15adham : " It was early in the morning of a lovely August day — never since we had been in Sicily had the water looked more blue, nor the cactus-crowned heights of Monte Pelegrino more inviting — that we put ol'f in a boat from the l>ay off Palermo, and ordered our barcaroles to jnill for the tonnaro, or i)lace where the madrague lay, about a mile from shore ; to seaward all was smooth ; not a ripple broke the oleaginous expanse stretched before us, mapped with floating corks, and indicating, as accurately as on a ground-plan, the whole extent and figure of the mighty decoy — a town in- deed in si/.e ; having pulled from one end to the other of the long faubourg, to the first submarine barrier, and then glided over it, we rowed with increased speed between battlements of cork and motionless buoys, and soon came to the spot, towards which some boats a little in advance of our own had been driving a shoal of thunnies, like a flock of timid sheep. ' I'ACo la camera della morte ; siamo giuntil' exclaimed both rowers at once, shipping their oars, and staring down into the depths to see what might be there : we did the same ; but not discovering anything, the men resumed the oars, and in a few seconds laid us alongside an an- chored barge, — one or two, which were placed as guards over each end of the 'chamber of death.' The first served as the point iV appui for the nets, which were being worked up from the near side of the opposite vessel. A crowd of fishermen were busy tugging away at what seemed to our impatience an endless-, cordage ; by the shortening of which, however, as the boat duly received it, layer after layer, coil upon coil, and fold \\\^o\\ fold, they were slowly bringing up the reticuled wall from the bottom. Whilst waiting the result we had time to notice the fine propor- tions of the men, who, leaning over the sides of the boat, or standing on its benches, exhibited their athletic and agile forms picturesqu^V grouped and engaged in all those varieties of muscular action which each man's share in the labors severally demanded. A fine figure is, according to Oppian, a prime qualification in a fisherman ; First be the fisher's limbs compact and sound, With solid flesh and well-braced sinews bound : jiox/ /()/:s AX/) ri wxies. 319 Let due porportion evtry part coinnuiul, Nor k-aiuiL'ss sliriiik tou iiuu.li, iiur f.it (listeml.* And nioif jifrffct fi^'iirfs than tlicirs pot'try coiild not (K'scribc, nor the (lassie ( hisfl of (ircc( c portray; every man was an At adeiny model ; to perte(t symmetry of liml) wore adw the line, throw — Vn, heave hoi IIl-HMAV Mi:niVALi:, Thi.' Fislu-riiiuii' s Si'iif,'. npHIO Ru(UIer-l'"ish family, StromatcidiC, is represented on tiic coast by three species, two of wliich are important food-fislies, and in onr Pa- cific waters by one species, the so-called "California Pompano." The family is a small one, and is widely distributed throughout warm seas. The "Butter-fish" of Massachusetts and New York, Stromatcus triacan- f/iiis, sometimes known in New Jersey as the 'Harvest-fish," in Maine as the " Dollar-fish," about Cape Cod as the " Sheepshead," and " Ski])- iack," in Connecticut as the " Pumpkin-seed," and at Norfolk as tiie " Star-fish," is common between Cape Cod and Cajjc Henry. It has been observed south to South Carolina and north to Maine. It has been found in some abundance along the north side of Cape Cod in nets with bass and mackerel. It is a summer visitor, appearing in our waters in company 222 AMERICAN FISHES. \\ t '.■( h I ^\ : I.! |i) ?: 1 3 with tlie niackercl and disaiipearint; about the same time. It appears to breed in the sounds and in the open ocean in June and July, and the young are found in great abundance in July, August, and September, swimming about in (■om])any with certain species of jelly-fishes. During these months several large species of jelly-fish, or sun-squalls, are found abundantly floating about in waters near the shore, and each one of these is almost invariably accompanied by ten or twelve, or more, young Butter-fishes, which seem to seek shelter under their disks, and which, ])erhaps, may obtain a supply of food from among the numerous soft- bodied invertebrates which are constantly becoming attached to the floating streamers of their ])rotecters. The young fish, thus j^rotected, range from two to two and a half inches in length. I have seen fifteen, and more, sheltered under an individual of Cxanea arctica not more than three inches in diameter. This refuge is not always safe for the little fishes, for they sometimes are destroyed by the tentacles of their jirotector, which are i)rovided, as every one knows, M'ith i)owerful lasso cells. The little fish seem to rise at the approach of danger and seek refuge among the lobes of the actinostome. They are thus ])rotectcd from the attacks of many kinds of larger fishes which prey upon them, though they themselves often fall victims to the stinging power of the jelly-fish and are devoured. The habit of thus seeking shelter is very much like that of the rudder-fish. The Butter-fisli attains an average size of seven or eight inches in length, and is very often taken in the pounds. The fishermen of Noank, Conn., tells me that a barrelful of them is often taken in one haul of a ]iound-net. They are much valued for food at New Bedford. When sent to New York they command a good price, and the ])oundmen at Lobsterville sometimes cat them and consider them better tlian scup. Their flavor is excellent, resembling that of the mackerel, though less oily ; they are very palatable when nicely boiled. At many places, for instance, Noank, and Wood's Holl, they are thrown away. vStorer stated that they were extensively used as manure in certain i)arts of jSIassachu- setts. No observations ha\-e been made upon their food, though, since their mouths are nearly toodiless, it seems jirobable that they subsist, fi)r the most jiart, upon minute vertebrates. These fishes are remarkable on account of their brilliant, iridescent colors, which, in freshly caught individuals, are as beautiful as those of a dolphin. The Harvest-fish, Stromatcus alcpidotus, has not been observed north of THE HARVEST FISHES. ^-'3 New York. jNIitchill referred to it in his work on the fishes of New \'()rk, published in 1815, saying that it derived its common name, "Harvest- fish." from the fact that it usually appeared during harvest time. DeKay, too, mentions having had several specimens in his possession. It is somewhat abundant at the mouth of the Chesapeake, and along the Southern coast. In the Gulf of Mexico it is rather rare ; occasionally it is taken in seines at Pensacola. Dr. (liinther, in his "Catalogue of tlie Fishes of the British Museum." makes the astonishing statement that he has seen specimens from Lake Champlain. The species ranges south to Bahia, Brazil. It is not commercially valuable excejit at Norfolk, \'a., where it is consumed for food in large quantities, its market name being " Whiting." The California Pompano, Stromatcns simii/iinus, is thus described by Prof. Jordan : '■ This species, known here as the Pompano, reaches a length of eight inches, and a weight of ^ather less than half a jtound. It occurs along the entire coast of California and Oregon, being most abundant about Santa Barbara and Soquel, and is not known from farther south than San Diego. It appears in schools chiefly in the summer and fall ; occasion- ally, also, during the winter, its times of arri\ al and departure being (piite variable. It is said that it was an extremely rare visitant till about 1S70, and that its abundance since then has steadily increased, it being now often found in greater quantities than can be readily sold. It feeds on worms, small Crustacea, &c. Nothing special is known of its breeding habits. As a food-fish it is held in the highest repute, the price of indi- vidual fish ranging from two to four for a ' quarter.' Its flesh is fat. ri( h, and excellent." The Black Rudder-fish, Lints pcrcifonnis, is also called by the fishermen "Log-fish" and "Barrel-fish." It has been noticed at various points along our coast from New Jersey to Nova Scotia, where schools of them were several times observed off Halifax in 1877. It has hitherto been considered very rare north of Cape Cod. I cannot doubt that it will be hereafter found at least as far south as Cape Hatteras, and probably along the whole length of our Atlantic coast. The habits of this fish are peculiar in the extreme. They are almost always found in the vicinity of floating barrels and spars, sometimes inside of the barrels : hence tlie fishermen often call them " Barrel-fish," though the most usual name is '• Rudder- "■ry^-^-'-t ^ ^T-. I :T^Bf-^:is»^«*S' Ji^"^ 224 AJf£/^/CAA' FISHES. \'h fish." They are occasionally taken in lobster-pots. When cruising in Fish Commission yacht "MoUie," off Noman's Land, July 13, 1875, we observed numerous specimens swimming under floating spars and planks. Sometimes as many as from fifty to seventy-five Avere obseryed under a single spar, a cloud of shadowy black forms being plainly visible from the deck. We went out to them in a row-boat and succeeded in taking thirteen of them in the course of a day. After the first thrusts of the dip- net they grew shy and sought refuge under the boat, under which they would sink far below our reach. A lull of a few moments woukl bring them back to the log under which they had clustered until disturbed again. When the boat was rowed away they followetl in a close-swimming school until we gained full speed, when they suddenly turned, as if by one im- pulse, and swam back to the log or spar. Once they followed us about two hundred yards from the spar, and then leaving us retreated to their old shelter, reaching it some time before we could turn the boat and row back to it. I had before this supposed them to be quite unusual, but on that one day we must have seen, at the lowest computation, two hundred or two hundred and fifty. They doubtless have been given the name of Rudder-fish by the sailors who have seen them swimming about the sterns of becalmed vessels. THE BLACK KUDDER-FISH. When the Fish Commission steamer has been dredging off Halifax, I have several times noticed schools of them hovering around her sides. They doubtless gather around the logs for the purpose of feeding upon the hydroids and minute crustaceans, and perhaps mollusca which accumulate THE HARVEST EISHES. 225 around them. Their stomachs were found to contain amphipod crusta- ceans, hydroids, and young s(iiiids. They are doubtless to some degree protected by the spars under which they congregate, in the same manner as their kindred, the Butter-fish, which swim under the disk of the jelly-fish. Their colors undergo considerable change from time to time, possibly at the will of the fish. The Rudder-fish attains the length of ten or twelve inches, and is excellent eating. DeKay states that the fishermen of New York, in 1842, called this species the "Snip-nosed Mullet," but this name does not appear to have become permanent. The Rudder-fish occasionally follows ships across the Atlantic. A sin- gle individual was taken at Pen/.ance, in Cornwall, in October, 1S79, and is now in the collection of Sir John St. Aubyn, at "Michaels Mount." 15 TUE CaVaLI.V. THE CAVALLY AND OTHER CARANGOIDS. Swift spued crevalli" ovci i'a.it watery ])l:uii, Swift over Indinn River's Ijroad expanse. Swift where the ripples boil with finny hosts, I3ri:.^ht glittcrini; they glance ; And when the angler's spoon is over them cast. How fierce, how vigorous the fight for life I Now in the deeps they plunge, now leap in air Till end's the unequal strife. Isaac McLellan. 'T'HE members of the family Ciiraiii^idcc, which is closely allied to the mackerel family, are distinguished chiefly by the form of the mouth, and by the fact that they have uniformly but twenty-four vertebra.% ten abdominal and fourteen caudal, while the mackerel have uniformly more, both abdominal and caudal. They are carnivorous fishes, abounding everywhere in temperate and trojjical seas. On our own eastern coast there are at least twenty-five species, all of them eatable, but none of them of much importance except Pompanoes. On the California coast there are two or three species of this family, of small commercial importance. Caranx hippos, the Cavally of the Ciulf of Mexico and Eastern Florida — the " Horse Crevalle " of South Carolina — occurs abundantly on our Southern coast, and has been recorded by Prof. Poey from Cuba and by Cojje from St. Christopher and St. Croix. It is generally dis- tributed throughout the West Indies, and is found along the Pacific coast the Gulf of California to Panama. The species was originally described THE CAVALLY AXD OTHER CARAXGOIDS. from specimens sent from South Carolina by Garden to Linna;us. The name of this fish is usually written anil printed " Crevalle," but the form in common use among the fishermen of the South, " Cavally." is nearer to the Spanish and Portuguese names, CavaUia and Cabalhi, meaning "horse." The name as used in South Carolina is a curious reduplication, being a combination of the English and Sjianish names for " horse." It should be carefully remembered that in South Carolina the name Crevalle is most generally aj^plied to (juite another fish, the Ponijiano. The Cavally, as it seems most approi)riate to call Caraiix /n'/'/'os, though in individual cases occurring as far north as Cajic Cod, and even, in one instance, at Lynn, Mass., is not commonly known in the United States north of Florida. Storer remarks : '-This fish is so seldom seen in the waters of South Carolina that we are unacciuainted with its habits." 1 observed a specimen in the Jacksonville market in A])ril, 1S74. Cim- terning the Cavally of Southern Florida, which is either this or a closely allied s])ecies, Mr. H. S. Williams writes : " In the Indian River this is one of the best of the larger varieties. Its season is from the ist of May to NovendK-r. It ranges in weight from three to twenty pounds, being larger and more numerous to the southward toward the Mosquito Inlet. The south end of Merritt's Island and the inlets opposite old Fort Capron seem to be a sort of headcpiarters for the Cavalli. When in ])ursuit of prey they are very ravenous and move with the rai)idity of lightning. They readily take a troll either with bait or rag. The favorite mode of capturing them, as well as all other large fish that feed in shallow water or near the shore, is with a ride. The liigh, rocky shores afford an excellent ojjportunity for this sport, though the rapid movements of the fish render them very difficult target." S. C. Clarke says : " It will take a spoon or other troll, and would no doubt rise to a fiy. When hooked it makes long and vigorous runs, and fights to the last." Mr. Stearns writes: "The Crevalle is common on the (iulf coast. In \\'est Florida it appears in May and remains until late in the fall, and is e(|ually abundant in the l)ays and at sea. In the bays it is notiieable from the manner in which it i)reys upon fish smaller than itself, the (lulf menhaden and mullet being the most common victims. On arrival it < ontains spawn which it j^robably deposits in the salt-water bavous. for in the fall schools of young are seen coming out uf those places on their way 228 AMERICAN FISHES. to the sua. These young are then of al)oiit one ])oun(l weight, ap]iearing to the casual observer like pompano, and I am told that they e(iual it for edible purjioses. They arc cauglit accidently by seines and trolling-lines. Large ones arc not considered choice food, the tlesh being dark and almost tasteless. The average weight is twelve pounds ; occasionally they attain the size of twenty jjounds." Prof. Jordan found this species abundant in Lake Pontchartrain. Ciiranx cnimciiophtlialmus, called in the Bermudas, where it is of some importance as a food-fish, the " Goggler," or " Cioggle-eyed Jack," and in (-uba the " Cicharra," occurs in the West Indies and along the Atlan- tic coast of the United States north to Vineyard Sound. It is also found at Panama and in the Gulf of California, and in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and off tlie coast of Guinea, while, as has been remarked, it is abundant in the Bermudas. Its large, protruding eyes are very noticeable features, and the Bermuda name seems appropriate for adoption, since the fish has with us never received a distinctive name. In form it somewhat resembles the species last discussed, with which it is probably often confused. Stearns speaks of a fish, common at Key West, which is known as the " Horse-eyed Jack," and this may prove to be the same species. TIIR JURKL OR IIAHD-TAIL, Caranx pistjuctus, known about Pensacola as the " Jurel." " Cojinua," and " Hard-tail "; along the Florida coast as "Jack-fish" and "Skip- jack"; in the Bermudas as the "Jack" or "Buffalo Jack"; in South Carolina as the "Horse Crevalie"; at Fort Macon as the "Horse Mackerel "; about New York and on the coast of New Jersey as the " Yel- low Mackerel," is found in the Western Atlantic from Brazil, Cuba, and THE CA VAL L Y A ND O TJfE R C. I A' A A 'C O IDS. 22() Havti to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where specimens were secured the United States Fish Commission in 1877. It is one of the (ommoiiest summer visitants of the A\'est Indian fauna ah)ng the whole coast of Southern New England and the Middle States, being especially ahundant in the (lulf of Mexico, and one of the (ommonest fishes in the llermnclas. 'I'his fish is occasionally brought to the New N'ork market, but is of no special importance as an article of food north id' the (iiilf of .Me\i( o. Concerning its habits in those waters, Mr. Stearns lias < ontributed a \ery interesting series of notes. They are esiiecially instru(ti\e, since nothing has ])reviously been known of its lifediistor\-. It isextremelv abundant e\er\\vher' e on theC.ulf ast of lorida. .\la- bama, and Mississippi. At I'ensacola it is one of the iin]^ortanl fillies of trade, and is highly ])ri/.ed for fooil. it is one of the (lass of migratory fishes of this coast, like the ])ompano, mullet. Spanish ma< kerel. and red- fish, having certain seasons for ajjpcaring and disapiiearing on the (dast, and also has habits during these seasons that are peculiar to themselves or their class. It appears on the coast in .Xjiril. in large sc hools that swim in shoal water near the beach during ])leasant weather, when there is little or no surf, in eight or ten feet of water, and in stormv weather some little (listance from the breakers. Their movement is fr om tl le eastward to the westward. As they seldom swim at the surface, their movements can be vatched only when in shoal water. 'J"he schools 'running' in .Ajiril and first of May are usually smaller than those of a few weeks later, but the individuals of the first are st)mewhat larger, 'i'he mass, or largest 'run.' es in Mav, and it is on the arri\al of these that schcjols are first seen com coming in the inlets. "A noticeable jieculiarity of the Hard-tail cfimjared with some other common migratory fishes is that the first s( hoc Is do not stay a.bout the mouths of an inlet and along the beach weeks before coming inside as those of the latter do, but continue their westward mcnenient, without seeming to stop to feed or play, until the time has c ome for a general movement towards the bavs. In this wa\' thev must be distributed alcMig the coast, with no un ec]ual accumulation at any one point. A\'he n once inside, the numerous schools break up into smaller ones of a dozen or t'vo fish, which are found in all jiarts of the bay during the summer. On their arri\al the larger fish contain spawn, and become cpiite dull, in July and August ; after this none are seen but the \-oun U Us h of about ten 230 AMERICAN FISHES. inches in length, until there is a general movement towards the sea. It is believed that the adult tlsh spawn in the bays, but the only evidence to support that belief is that they come inside with spawn, go away with it, and that \ery young fish are found there. In October and Xovember small Hard-tails are CcJight in Santa Rosa Sound, measuring five and six iniinds Tin; AMi'.riMMsii. weight. It is also, according to jonhm. rather conmion on the Carolina coast, where it is known as the " jac k-l'l^>n." Tile •■ Rock Salmon " of Tensac ola, SrrioUi fiilcatii. is recorded I>y Stearns as occasionally oc( arring near I'ensacola in conipanv with the l)receeding species, which it resetnMes in hal>its. It is caught with hook and line and is eaten : in his oiiinion. it att;:ins a larger si/e than the Anilier-fish. There is a third sjiecies of Amber-fish of which the National Museum has received a single siiecimen from South i'"lorida. It is closely related to the fish described by C'u\ier tmder the name Srrio/a J.ahjihiii. The same sjiecies is some sent to the New Orleans market, where an ex- ani]ile was seen by I'rof. Jordan. Another closely allied s])ecies. Srrio/d (/i>rs(r//s, occurs on the coast of California, where, according to Jordan, it is known mider the names " Vellow-tail." " White Salmon." and "Cavasina." Of the "Vellow-tail," I'rof. Jordan says: '• It reaches a length of four to five feet, and a weight of thirty to forty ])oimds, and individuals of less than fifteen ])ounds weight are rarely seen. It ranges from Cape San I.ucas northward to the Santa IJarbara and Coronados Islands, where it is found in great abundance in the spawning season, arriving in July, and departing in early fall. It spawns about August iS. It is caught chiefly by trolling. It feeds on scpiid and such fish as the anchovy and sardine. As a fresh fish it ranks high, although large individuals are sometimes coarse and tough. When salted and dried it is inferior to none on the coast, ranking with the white-fish and barracuda." ii^ ll ''I > il \l 2. VI i.vER/atx F/srrr.s. The T?;inik-(1 Uiiddcr-flsli, Sfr/'o/a zo/ni/ti, has boon observed as far nortli as Salem .ind Meverly, Mass. Several specimens have been taken north of Cape Cod during the past forty years. It is a sm;dl fish, rarely exceeding six or eight inches in length, conspicuous by reason of its brilliant and beautiful colors, and good to eat, though rarely saved by the fishermen who ac( idently capture it. It is called in Southern New ICngland the '• Rudder-fish" on account (jf its resemblance to the Rudder-fish of the ocean, Niiiu-rafi's (hi c for. Svrio/ii fjsiiafa, called in Cuba the " Medregal " and in Bermuda the ••Bonita," has been observed in South Florida and along the ioasts of the Carolinas. It is apparently exceedingly rare in the waters of the United States. In Bermuda it attains a length of two feet or more, and is highly esteemed as a food-fish. The Leather-jacket, 0//\'-(>/>///ortant fish in the markets, being also exposed for sale at stands on the streets, cooked and ready for use. The dolphins, CorypJuvnidiC, are found usually in mid-ocean, where they feed upon other pelagic fishes, such as the flying-fish. They are strong, r.ipiil >\vhniiK'iN. aui\ aw widely distribtitotl throiighotit all ti-niin'ratc ami tropii al waters. 'Vhc name Dolphin is unfortunately applietl. this being vwm^ m^'^ ^ ^^ Tin: i)>ii,iMiiN. the iieculiar property of a L^roiip of small cetaceans. They are often caught li\' sailors at sea. anil are con>.iilereiI most excellent tooil. It is an almost uni\ersal custom hefore eating them to test the llesh by putting a jiiece of ^iher into the \ essel in which they ha\e been cooked, it being a common belief that if the llesh is jjoisonous the silver will turn dark. Narratives of ocean \-o\ages abound in descriptions of the beautifid colors of the ])olphin and the brilliant changes of hue exhibited by the dying fish, but none so elotpient as that in Montgomery's " Pelican Island." •' A siioal of doliiiiius, tumblint; in wild j;iee, Glowed with such «)rient tints, they might have been The rainliow's offspring, where it met tlie ocean." There are in the Atlantic two species of Doljjhins, though the num- ber was, until lately, supjtosed to be very much greater. IJut one of tliesc, Corxplui'ihi ]tippiinis, is definitely known from our shores. The vt)img, less than two t"eet in length, are beautifully marked with nmnerous small circular spots, and have, until lately, been considered by nianv writers to belong t«j a distinct genus and species. Dolphins are abundant also, it is said, in the (lulf of Me.xico. 'I'he Pilot-fish, Xaucratcs diictor, though of little or no economic im- ])ortance, deserves passing mention, since it is so frecpiently referreil to in literature. It is occasionally taken on our coast. Capt. Atwood mentions a specimen which was taken in a mackerel net in Provincetown Harbor, in October, 1S5S. A whale-ship had come in a few days before, and he sujjposes that the I'ilot-fish had followeil it into the harbor. ^ II m J -36 AMERICAN FISHES. The I'ilot-fish, ^A''. tfnctor, is a truly jiclai^Mc fish, known in all tropical and temperate seas. Its name is derived from its hnbit of keeping com- ])any with ships and large fish, especially sharks. It is the Tompilus of the ancients, who describe it as jjointing out the vay to dubious or embarrassed sailors, and as announcing the vicinity of land by its sudden disappearance. It was therefore regarded as a sacred fish, '''he connec- TIIK PILOT-FISH. tion between the shark and the Pilot-fish has received various inter])reta- tions, some observers having, pierhajjs, added more sentiment than is warranted by the actual facts. It was stated that the shark never seized the Pilot-fish ; that the latter was of great use to its big com])anion in conducting it and showing it the way to food. Dr. Meyer, in his " Reise rmi die Erde," states : " The Pilot swims constantly in front of the shark ; we ourselves have seen three instances in which the shark was led by the Pilot. When the shark neared the ship the Pilot swam close to the snout, or near one of the pectoral fins of the animal. Sometimes he darted rai)idly forwards or sidewards, as if looking for something, and constantly went back again to the shark. "When we threw overboard a ]>iece of l,)acon fastened on a great hook, the shark was about twenty ])aces from the shi]i. With the ipiickness of lightning the Pilot came up, smelt at the dainty, and instantly swam back again to the shark, swimming many times round his snoi!t and sjilashing as if to give him exact information as to the bacon. The shark now began to jiut himself in motion, the Pilot showing him the way, and in a moment he was fast upon the hook.''' Upon a later occasion we observed two Pilots in sedulous attendance on a blue shark, ■which we caught in the Chinese Sea. It seems probable that the Pilot feeds on the shark's excrements, keeps his company for that purpose, and *Iu this instance one may entertain reasonable doubts as to the usefulness of the I'ilot to the shark. directs his operations solely from this selfish view." I believe that Dr. Meyer's oi)inion, as e.\presse(l in his last worils, is perfectly correct. The Pilot obtains a great part of his food directly from the shark, in feeding on the parasite crustaceans with which sharks and other large fish are infested, and on the smaller pieces of flesh which are left unnoticed by the shark when it tears its prey. The Pilot, also, being a small fish, obtains greater security when in company of a shark, which would keep at a distance all other fishes of prey that would be likely to prove dangerous to the Pilot. Therefore, in accompanying the shark, the Pilot is led by the same instinct which makes it follow a ship. With regard to the statement that the Pilot itself is never attacked by the shark, all observers agree as to its truth ; but this may be accounted for in the saa^e way as the imi)unity of the swallow from the hawk, the Pilot-fish being to nimble for the unwieldy shark. I quote at length the remarks of my frientl, Dr. Francis Day: " This fish has long been celebrated as the companion and guide of sharks, as it was formerly said to be of whales, and also the friend, or at least close attendant, on shijjs while sailing over the ocean. Although some consider the pilot-fish to be the friend of the shark, others have thought such open to suspicion, while Cuvier has even suggested down- right enmity or rather treachery in its actions. M. Geoffrey tells how two of these fishes were observed to lead a shark up to a baited hook which by their im])ortunities they induced him to gorge. Or as Cuvier i)ithily \n\ts it, that this tale if true should occasion them to be termed "deceivers" rather than "pilots." Capt. Richards once observed upon a blue shark attended by four i)ilot-fishes following his vessel in the Mediterranean ; a l)ait was disi)laye(l, but the little jjilot-fishes pertinaciously came to the front and with their snouts thrust the bait hook away. All at last swam away together, but suddenly the shark changed its mind, turned and rushed forwards with all speed at the bait, leaving his faithfiil attendants far be- hind, and which only arrived as the body of their companion was being hauled up on board, to which one is said to have clung, until it was half above water, when it fell off leaving it doubtful if it was not a sucking fish. Why the shark does not jirey on its companions is a mystery. Lacepetle thought their agility saved them, and that their flesh is not worthy the eating. " In the Naturalists' Note-book (1869, p. 255), a writer (J. D. S. W.) mentions ' we fre([uently threw pieces of flesh into the water to them. The pilot-fish first came up and smelt the meat, antl then went away and leil the shark to it, who always swallowed the whole and left none for his little companions. On a dark night you can see the entire shape of the J II 238 AMERICAX FISHES. shark in the water l)elo\v, shining all over with phosphorescence. Now this i)hosphorescence is considered by most naturalists to be due to the ])resence of animalcules, and if so, it may reasonably be jircsumcd that the l)ilot-fishcs live on tliese animalcules, for they are frequently seen clinging to the sides of the shark." The Pilot-fish does not always leave the vessels on their approach to land. In summer, when the temperature of the sea-water is several degrees al)ove the average, Pilots will follow ships to the south coast of England into the harbor, where they are generally speedily caaglit. Pilot-fish attain a length of twelve inches only. When very young their ai)pearance differs so much from the mature fish that they have been described as a distinct genus. NoKch'nis. This fry is exceedingly common in the open ocean, and constantly obtained in the tow-net ; therefore the Pilot-fish retains its pelagic habits also during the spawning season, and some of the spawn found by voyagers floating on tlie surface is. without doubt, derived from this species.* The Pilot-fish has been observed in one or two instances about New York, and also has been recorded from South Carolina. It is, howe\er, rare in the Western Atlantic, and our museums have \ery few s]»ecimens. *Gunther ; Study of Fishes, p. 414. \ THE SWUltUKISU. SWORD-FISH, SPEAR-FISH, AND CUTLASS-FISH. 'I'lAvard tlie se;i turning my troubled eye I saw the fish, (if fish I may it cleepe) Tliat makes the sea before his face to flye Ami with Ills flaggio finnes dotli seeme to sweepe The foamie waves nut of the dreadful deep. The huge Leviathan, dame Nature's wonder, Making his sport, that manie makes to weepe ; A Sword-fish small, him from the rest did sunder. That, in his throat him prickingly softly under, His wide abysse him forced forth to spewe, That all the sea did roare like heavens thu ider. And all the waves were stained with filthie hewe. Hereby I learned have not to ,rn/" and " Epvc dc .}rcr;' are simi)ly variations of one theme, rei)etitions of the " G/ad/i/s" of an- cient Italy, and " X/p/ii//s,'^ the name by which Aristotle the father of zoology, called the same fish twenty-three hundred years ago. The French " E//ipcr<'//'-," and the " iMpcnidcr," and ''Ocean King-fish" of the Spanish and French West Indies, carry out the same idea, for the Roman emperor was always represented holding a drawn sword in his hand. The Portuguese names are " A^i,^u//ia," '' Agnl/uio,'' meaning "needle" or " needle-fish." This species has been particularly fortunate in escaping the numerous redescriptions to which almost all widely distributed forms have been sub- jected. By the writers of anticjuity, it was spoken of under its Aristotelian name, and in the tenth edition of his Systema Natural, at the very inception of binomial nomenclature, Linnoeus called it Xiphiiis xArd/us. By this name it has been known ever since, and only one additional name is included in its synonymy, Xiphias Roiidc/ctii o{ Leach. The sword-fish has been so long and so well known that its right to its ]K'culiar name has seldom been infringed upon. The various species of TctriTptunis have sometimes shared its title, and this is not to be wondered at, since they closely resemble Xipldas i^kuiiiis, and the appellative has frecjuently been applied to the family Xiphiidcc — the Sword-fish family — which includes them all. The name " Bill-fish," usually applied to the Tctraptiinis albidits, a fish of the Sword-fish family often taken on our coast, must be pronounced objectionable, since it is in many districts used for the various species of BclonidiC, the "gar-fishes" or "green-bones" [Bc/on'' U-uncata and others), which are members of the same faunas. " Spear-fish " is a much better name. The "Sail-fish," Histioplionis amcricaiuis, is called by sailors in the south the " Boohoo " or " Woohoo." This is evidently a corrupted form of " Guebucu," a name, apparently of Indian origin, given to the same fish in Brazil. It is possible that the Tctraptunis is also called " Boohoo," since the two genera are not sufficiently unlike to impress sailors with their differences. Bleeker states that in Sumatra the Malays call the re- lated species, //. g/adiiis, by the name " Joohoo " [Jii/iu), a curious coincidence. The names may have been carried from the Malay Archi- jjclago, to South America, or vice rcrsd, by mariners. SWORD-FISH, SPEAR-FISH AND CUTLASS-FISH. 241 In Cuba, the Spoar-fishes are called '* Ai^uja " and " Ai^i/Jd de Palada " ; the Sail-fish, '^ A^i^iija Pricta''' nr '' .Ij^i/Ja ] oladora'" \ Tciraptunis alhidus especially is known as the '■^ A^^iija Blaiica,''' T. alhidits as the '• Ai:;iijii de CilSfO.'' In the West Indies and Florida the scabbard-fish or silvery hair-tail, Triiliiunis Icpttinis, a form allied to the Xiphias, though not resembling it closely in external appearance, is ot'ten called "Sword-fish." The body of this fish is shaped like the blade of a saber, and its skin has a bright metallic lustre like that of polislied steel ; hence the name. Sword-fish are most abundant on the shoals near the shore and on tlie banks during the months of July and August ; that they make their api^earance on the freijuented cruising grounds between IMontauk Point and the eastern part of George's 15anks some time between the 25th of May and the 20th of June, and that they remain until the approach of cold weather in October and November. The dates of the capture of the first fish on the cruising ground referred to are recorded for three years, and are reasonably reliable; in 1S75, June 20; 1877, June 10; 1S78, June 14. South of the cruising ground tlie dates of arrival and departure are doubtless further ai)art ; the season being shorter north and east. There are no means of obtaining information, since the men engaged in this fishery are the only ones likely to remember the dates when the fish are seen. The Sword-fish comes into our waters in pursuit of its food. yVt least this is the most probable explanation of their movements, since the duties of reproduction appear to be performed elsewhere. Like the tunny, the blue-fish, the bonito, and the scjueteague, they pursue and j)rey upon the schools of menhaden and mackerel which are so abundant in the summer months. " When you see Sword-fish, you may know that mackerel are about," said an old fisherman to me. "Where you see the fin-back whale following fooil, there you may find Sword-fish," said another. The Sword-fish also feeds upon squid, which are at times abundant on our banks. To what extent this fish is amenable to the influences of temperature is an unsolved problem. We are met at the out.set by the fact that they are frequently taken on trawl-lines which are set at the depth of one hundred tathoms or more, on the off-Sihore banks. We know that the temperature 16 242 AMERICAN FISHES. of the water in those localities and at that depth is sure to be less than 40° Fahr. How is this fact to be reconciled with the known habits of tlie fish, that it jirefers the warmest weather of summer and swims at the sur- face in water of temperature ranging from 55° to 70°, sinking when cool winds blow below? The case seemed clear enough until the inconvenient discovery was made, that Sword-fish are taken on bottom trav,d-lines. In other respects their habits agree closely with those of the mackerel tribe, all the members of which seem sensitive to slight changes in temperature, and which, as a rule, prefer temperature in the neighborhood of 50° or more. The appearance of the fish at the surface dei)ends ai)])arently upon tem- perature. They are seen only upon (piiet summer days, in the morning before ten or eleven o'clock, and in the afternoon about four o'clock. Old fishermen say that they rise when the mackerel rise, and when the mackerel go down they go down also. Regarding the winter abode of the Sword-fish, conjecture is useless. I have already discussed this question at length with reference to the men- haden and mackerel. With the Sword-fish the conditions are verv different. Tlie former are known to spawn in our waters, and the schools of young ones follow the old ones in toward the shores. The latter do not spawn in our waters. We cannot well believe that they hibernate, nor is the hypothesis of a sojourn in the middle strata of mid-ocean exactly tenable. Perhai)s they migrate to some distant region, where they spawn. But then the spawning time of this s|)ecies in the Mediterranean, as is related in a subsequent paragraph, appears to occur in the summer months, at the very time when Sword-fish are most abundant in our own waters, apparently feeling no responsibility for the perpetuation of their species. The Sword-fish when swimming at the surface, usually allows its dorsal fin and the upper lobe of its caudal fin to be visible, projecting out of the water several inches. It is this habit which enables the fisherman to detect the presence of the fish. It swims slowly along, and the fishing schooner with a light breeze finds no difficulty in overtaking it. When e.xcited its motions are very rapid and nervous. Sword-fish are sometimes seen to leap entirely out of the water. Early writers aitributed this habit to the tormenting presence of parasites, Init this theory seems hardly necessary, knowing what we do of its violent exertions at other times. The pointed head, the fins of the back and abdomen snugly fitting into SU'ORD-J'ISn, SPRAR-I'ISII AND CV'I LASS-JlSIf. 243 grooves, the al)sence of ventrals, the long, lithe, muscular body, sloping slowly to the tail, fit it for the most rapid and forcible mo\ement through the water. Trof. Richard Owen, testifying in an England court in regard to its i)ower, said : " It strikes with the accumulated force of fifteen double-handed ham- mers. Its velocity is eijual to that of a swivel-shot, and is as dangerous in its effects as a heavy artillery projectile." Many very curious instances are on record of the encounters of this fish with other fishes, or of their attacks upon shijis. ^\'hat can be the inducement for it to attack objects so much larger than itself it is hard to surmise. We are all familiar with the couplet from Uppian : Nature lier bounty to his mouth confined, Gave liini a sword, l)ut left unarmed liis mind. It surely seems as if a temporary insanity sometimes takes jiossession of the fish. It is not strange that, when harpooned, it sliould retaliate b\- attacking its assailant. An old sword-fisli fisherman told Mr. ]]lackford that his vessel had been struck twenty times. There are, however, many instances of entirely unjjrovoked assault on \essels at sea. Many of these are recounted in a later portion of this memoir. 'I'heir movements when feeding are discussed below, as well as their alleged peculiarities of move- ment during the breeding season. It is the universal testimony of our fishermen that two are never seen swimming close together. Capt. Ashby says that they are always distant from each other at least thirty or forty feet. The pugnacity of the Sword-fish has bec:ome a by-word. Without any special effort on my jxirt numerous instances of their attacks upon vessels have in the last ten years found their way into die pigeon-hole labeled "Sword-fish." yEelian says (b. xxxii. c. 6) that the Sword-fish has a sharp-pointed snout, with which it is able to pierce the sides of a ship and send it to the bottom, instances of which have been known near a place in Mauritania known as Cotte, not far from the river Lixus, on the African side of the Mediterranean. He describes the sword as like the l)eak of the ship known as the trireme, which was rowed with three banks of oars. The "London Daily News" of December 11, 1868, contained the following paragraph, which emanated, I suspect, from the pen of Prof. R. A. Proctor : 244 AMERICAN FISHES. " Last Wednesday the court of common pleas — rather a strange place, l)y-tlie-])y, for in(iuiring into the natural history of fishes — was engaged for several hours in trying to determine under what circumstances a Sword-fish might be able to escape scot-free after thrusting his snout into the side of a ship. The gallant sliip ' Dreadnought,' thoroughly repaired and classed A-i at Lloyd's, had been insured for t'3,000 against all risks of the seas. She sailed on March 10, 1864, from Colombo, for London. Three days later the crew, while fishing, hooked a Sword-fish. Xi])hias, however, broke the line, and a few moments after leaped half out of the water, with the object, it should seem, of taking a look at his persecutor, the ' Dreadnought.' Probably he satisfied himself that the enemy was some al)normally large cetacean, which it was his natural duty to attack forthwith. Be this as it may, the attack was made, and at four o'clock the next morning the captain was awakened with the unwelcome intelli- gence that the shi]) had sj-'rung a leak. She was taken back to Colombo, and thence to Cochin, where she hove down. Near the keel was found a round hole, an inch in diameter, running completely through the copper sheathing and i)lanking. "As attacks ])y Sword-fish are included among sea-risks, the insurance company was willing to jxiy the damages claimed by the owners of the ship if only it could be ])roved that the hole had really been made by a Sword-fish. No instance had ever been recorded in which a Sword-fish had been able to withdraw his sword after attacking a ship. A defense was founded on the possibility that the hole had been made in some other way. Prof. Owen and Mr. Frank Buckland gave their evidence, but neither of them could state quite positively whether a Sword-fish which had passed its beak through three inches of stout planking could withdraw without the loss of its sword. Mr. Buckland said that fish have no power of ' backing,' and ex])ressed his belief that he could hold a Sword-fish by the beak ; but then he admitted that the fish had considerable lateral power, and might so ' wriggle its sword out of the hold.' And so the in- surance company will have to pay nearly .€600 because an ill-tempered fish objected to be hooked., and took its revenge by running full tilt against copper sheathing and oak planking." The food of the Sword-fish is of a very mixed nature. Dr. Fleming found the remains of Sepias in its stomach, and also small fishes. Oppian stated that it eagerly devours the Hippuris (probably CotyphcBna). A specimen taken off Seaconnet, July 22, 1875, had in its stomach the remains of small fish, perhaps Stromateus triacatithus, and jaws of a squid, perhaps Loligo Pealii. Their food in the Western Atlan- tic consists for the most part of the common schooling species of fishes. They feed on menhaden, mackerel, bonitoes, bluefish, and other species SWORD-FISH, SPEAR-FISH AND CUTLASS FISH. 245 St which swim in (lose schools. Their habits of feeding liiive often been described to me by old fishermen. 'I'hey are said to rise beneath tlie school of small fish, striking to the right and left with their swords until they have killed a number, whii h they then jjroceed to devour. Meidia- den have been seen floating at the surface which have been cut nearly in twain by a blow of a sword. Mr. John 11. 'rhompson remarks that he has seen them apparently throw the fish in the air, catching them on the fall. Capt. Benjamin Ashby says that they feed on mackerel, herring, whiting, and menhailen. He has found half a bucketful of small fish of these kinils in the stomach of one Sword-fish, lie has seen them in tiu' act of feed- ing. They rise perpendicular out of the water until tlie sword and two-thirds of the remainder of the body are exposed to view, lie has seen a school of herring crowding together at the surface on (leorge's Banks as closely as they could be jjacked. A Sword-fish came up through the dense mass and fell fiat on its side, striking many iish with the sides of its sword. He has at one time jiicked up as much as a bushel of her- rings thus killed by a Sword-fish on (leorge's Bunks. But little is known regarding their time and j^lace of breeding. They are said to deposit their eggs in large quantities on the coasts of Sicily, and European writers give their spawning time as occurring the latter part of spring and the beginning of summer. In the Mediterranean they occur of all sizes from four himdred pounds down, and the young are so plenti- ful as to become a common article of food. M. Ravmond, who brought to Cuvier a specimen of Histiophonis four inches long, taken in January, 1829, in the Atlantic, between the Cape of (lood Hope and France, reported that there were good numbers of young Sail-fish in the place where this was taken. Meunier, quoting S]:)allanzani, states that the Sword-fisli does not ai)proach the coast of Sicily excejjt in the season of reproduction ; the males are then seen jnirsuing the females. It is a good time to capture them, for when the female has been taken the male lingers near and is easily approached. The fish are abundant in the Straits of Messina from the middle of April to the middle of Sei)tember ; early in the season they hug the Calabrian shore, approaching from the north ; after the end of June they are most abundant on the Sicilian shore, approaching from the south. 24^ AMERICJX F/S/IES, I'l-oin otluT ( ir( unistances, it sccnis ((.■rtain tliat there are spawning i^n-oimds in the sea near Si(ily and (lenoa, for from NOxeinlier to the ist of Marc h )diinj,f ones are taken in the Straits of Messina, ranging in weight from half a jwumkI to twelve pounds. In the Mediterranean, as has heen already stated, the very young fish are found from \ovend)er to Mar< h. and here from July to the middle of Sejitember the male fish are seen i)ursuing the temale over the shoals, and at this time the males are easily taken. Old sword-fish fishermen, Cai)t. Ashhy and Capt. Kirby, assure me that on our coast, out of thousands of Bpeeimens they have taken, they have never seen one containing eggs. I have myself dissected several males, none of which were near breeding time. In the luiropean waters they are said ot'ten to be seen swimming in pairs, male and female. Many sentimental stories were current, especially among the old writers, concerning the conjugal affection and unselfish devotion of the Sword-fish, but these seem {o have originated in the imaginative brain of the naturalist rather than in his perceptive faculties. It is said that when the female fish is taken the male seems devoid of fear, approaches the boat, and allows himself easily to be taken ; init, if this be true, it ai^pears to be the case oi.iy in the height of the breeding season, and easily understood. I cannot learn that two Sword-fish have ever been seen associated together in our waters, though I have made frecpient and diligent incjuiry. There is no inherent improbability, however, in this story regarding the Sword-fish in Europe, for the same thing is stated by Prof. Poey as the result upon the habits of Tefraptiinis. The only individual of which we have the exact measurements was taken off Seaconnet, R. I., July 23, 1874. This was seven feet, seven inches long, weighing 113 pounds. Another, taken off Noman's Land, July 20, 1875, and cast in plaster for the collection of the National Museum, weighed 120 pounds, and measured about seven feet. Another, taken off Portland, August 15, 1878, was 3,999 millimeters long, and weighed about 600 ])ounds. Many of these fish doubtless attain the weight of 400 and 500 pounds, and some, perhaps, grow to 600 ; but after this limit is reached, I am inclined to believe larger fish are exceptional. Newspa^ ors are fond of recording the occurrence of giant fish, weighing 1,500 pounds and upwards, and old sailors will in good faith describe the enormous fish which they saw at sea, but could not capture ; but one well-authenticated. sji'0Ar/:>-/'7.s7f, sr/:.ik'./-7s/f jxn cc^T/Assj-is/r. 247 instance of accurate weii^'hinL,' is much more valuaMe, 'I"hc largest one ever taken liy C'ajjt. Uenjainin Asiil)\ . t'or twenty years a swonl-lish lislier- man, was killed on the shoals Ikk k ot' VldgartiJwn, Mass. When salted it weighed 639 pounds. Its li\e weight must iiave been as mu( h as 750 or 800. Its sword measured nearly six feet. This was an e\tra()rdiiuir\- fish among the tliree hundred or more taken l)y ("apt. Ashhy in his long experience. He considers the average size to he about 250 pounds dressed, or 525 alive. Capt. Martin, of Gloucester, estimates the average size at 300 to 400 pounds. The largest known to (.'apt. Michau\ weighed 625. The average anout Block Island he considers to be 200 pounds. The size of the smallest Sword-fishes taken on our coast is a subject of much deeper interest, for it throws light on the lime and place of breed- ing. There is some difference of testimcjny regarding the average size, but all fishermen with whom I ha\e talketl agree that ver}- small ones (h) not find their way into our shore waters. Numerous very small specimens have, however, been already taken by the i'"ish Commission at sea, off our middle and southern coast. Capt. John Rowe has seen one which did not weigh more than 75 pounds when taken out of the water. Capt. R. H. Hurlbert killed near r.loik Island, in July, 1877, one which weighed 50 pounds, and measured about two feet without its sword. Capt. Ashby's smallest weighed about 25 pnunils when dressed ; this he killed off Noman's Land. He never killed another which weighed less than 100. He tells me that a IJridgeport smack hail one weighing 16 pounds (or probably 24 when alive), and measuring eighteen inches with- out its sword. In August, 1S78, a small specimen of the mackerel-shark, Laiinia cor- nubica, was captured at the mouth of (lloucester Harbor. In its nostril was sticking the swortl, about three inches long, of a young Sword-fish. When this was pulled out the l)lootl flowed freely, indicating that the wound was recent. The fish to which this sword belonged cannot have exceeded ten or twelve inches in length. Whether the small Sword-fish met with its misfortune in our waters, or whether the shark brought this trophy from beyontl the sea, is an unsolved problem. Lutken speaks of a very young individual taken in the Atlantic, latitude 32° 50' N., longitude 74° 19' W. This must be about 150 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. 248 AMERICAN FISHES. Yox many years from three to six luindrcd of these fish have heeii taken annually on tlie New England coast. It is not unusual for twenty-five or more to be seen in the course of a single day's cruising, and sometimes as many as this are visible from the mast-head at one time. Capt. Ashby saw twenty at one time, in August, 1839, between (leorge's Hanks and the South shoals. One (lloucester schooner, the "Midnight," C"a])t. Alfred Wixoni, took fourteen in one day on (leorge's Hanks, in 1877. Ca])t. John Rowe obtained twenty barrels, or four thousand jjounds. of salt fish on one trip to (leorge's Ikinks ; this amount rei)resents twenty fish or more, Capt. Ashby has killed one hundred and eight Sword-fish in one year; Capt. M. C. Trijjp killed about ninety in 1S74. Such instances as these indicate in a general way the ai)undance of the Sword-fish. A vessel cruising within fifty miles of our coast, between Cape May and Cape Sable, during the months of June, July, August, and September, cannot fail, on a favorable day, to come in sight of several of them. Mr. Earll states that the fishermen of Portland ne\er knew them more abundant than in 1879. This is jirobably, in part, due to the fac t that the fishery there is of very recent origin. 'There is no evidence of any change in their abundance, eitlier increase or decrease. Fishermen agree that they are as i)lenty as ever, nor can any change be anticipated. The present mode of fishing does not destroy them in any considerable numbers, each individual fish being the object of special i)ursuit. The solitary habits of the species will always protect them from wholesale capture, so destructive to schooling fish. Even if this were not the case, the e\ idence proves that spawning Sword-fish do not frequent our waters. When a female shad is killed, thousands of pos- sible young die also. The Sword-fish taken by our fishermen carry no such precious burden. "The small Sword-fish is very good meat," remarked Josselyn, in writing of the fishes of New England in the seventeenth century. Since Josselyn jirobably never saw a young Sword-fish, unless at some time he had visited the Mediterranean, it is fair to supi)ose that his information was derived from some Italian writer. It is, however, a fact that the flesh of the Sword-fish, though somewhat oily, is a very acceptable article of food. Its texture is coarse ; the thick, fleshy, muscular layers cause it to resemble that of the halibut in consist- siroAW) J-7S//. s/'/:aa'/'Vs// JA7) ccir.Assj'/sjf. z^i) fiK'v. Its ll;i\(ir is by many consitk'ri.'il fiiu', ami is not imlikr that nt'tlu- lihiifish. Its color is gray. 'I'Ik- iiuat of the young fish is highly jiri/id on the Mt'ditirraiH'an. and is said to he pfrfcctly whiti', « ()ni|ia( t. and of delicate llavor. Sword-fish are usually cut up into steaks — thick slices across the liod)' — and may be broiled or boiled. The apparatus ordinarily employed tor the ( apture of the Sword-fish is simple in tin.' e\treuu'. It is a harpoon with detat hable 1h\u1. W hen the fish is struck, the head of the harpoon remains in the bod\ of tlu' fish, anil carries with it a light rope, wliic li is I'ither made fast or held by a man in a small boat, or is attaihed to some kind of a buoy, which is towi'd through the water by the struggling fish, and whi( h marks its whereabouts after death. The harpoon consists of a pole 15 or 1 6 feet in length, usuallv of hie kory or some other hard wood, upon which the bark has been left, so that the harpooner may have a firmer hand-gri]). This jtole is from an im h and a half to two inches in diameter, and at one end is i)rovided witli an iron rod, or "shank," about two feet long and fi\e-eighths of ;in nu h in diameter. This "shank" is fastened to the pole by means of a coni( al or elongated, cu])-like expansion at one end. whi( h fits o\er the shariieiied end of the \n)\v, to which it is secured by screws or spikes. A light line extends from one end of the |)ole to the point where it joins tlie " shank," and in this line is tied a loop, by which is made fast another short line which secures the jiole to the vessel or boat, so that when it is thrown at the fish it cannot be lost. Upon the end of the " shank " fits the head of the har]ioon. known bv the names S7C>t>n/-/Is/i iron, lily-iron, and fmiian-dart. The form of this weapon has undergone much \ariation. The fundamental idea may \ery possibly have l)een derived from the Indian fish-dart, numerous specimens of which are in the National Museum, i"rom various tribes of Indians of New Mngland, British America, and the Pacific. I lowever various the modilic a- tions may have been, the similarity of the different shapes is no less note- worthy from the fact that all are ])ecul,arly American, in the enormous col- lection of fishery implements of all lands in the late exhibition at ISerlin, nothing of the kind could be found. What is known to whalers as a toggle- harpoon is a modification of the lily-iron, but so greatly changed b\- tlie ad- dition of a pivot by which the head of the harjioon is tastened to tlie shank that it can hardly l>e regarded as the same weapon. The lily-iron is, in jirinci 250 AMERICAN FISHES. pic, exactly what a whalemen would describe by the word " toggle." It consists of a two-pointed piece of metal, having in the centre, at one side, a ring or socket, the axis of which is parallel with the long diameter of the implement. In this is inserted the end of the pole-shank, and to it or near it is also attached the harpoon-line. When the iron has once been thrust point first through some solid substance, such as the side of a fish, and is released ujxjn the other side by the withdrawal of the pole from the socket, it is free, and at once turns its long axis at right angles to the directi(-)n in which the harpoon-line is pulling, and thus is absolutely pre- vented from withdrawal. The principle of the whale-harpoon or toggle-iron is similar, except that the pole is not withdrawn, and the head, turning upon a pivot at its end, fastens the pole itself securely to the fish, the harpoon-line being attached to some part of the pole. The Sword-fish lily-iron head, as now ordinarily used, is about four inches in length, and consists of two lanceorate blades, each aliout an inch and a half long, connected by a central piece much thicker than they, in which, upon one side, and next to the Hat side of the blade, is the socket for the insertion of the poieplank. In this same central enlargement is forged an opening to which the harpoon-line is attached. The dart-head is usually made of steel ; sometimes of iron, which is generally galvanized ; sometimes of brass. The entire weight of the harpoon-pole, shank, and head, should not exceed \ S pounds. The harijoon-line is from 50 to 150 fathoms long, and is ordinarily what is known as '' fifteen- thread line." At the end is sometimes fast- ened a buoy, and an ordinary mackerel keg is generally used for this purpose. In addition to the harpoon, every Sword-fisherman carries a lance. Tb.is implement is precisely similar to a whaleman's lance, excejit that it is smaller, consisting of a lanceolate blade perhaps, one inch wide and two inches long, upon ihe end of a shank of five-eighths-inch iron, perhaps two or three feet in length, fastened in the ordinary way upon a jwle 15 to 18 feet in length. The Sword-fish r.re always harpooned frt)m the end of the bowsprit of a sailing-vessel. It is next to impossible to approach them in a small boat. All vessels reguarly engaged in thi^- fishery are supplied with a special apparatus, cr'.icd a " rest " or " pulpit," for the support of the harjiooner SWORD-FISH, SPEAR- FISH AND CUTLASS-FISIF. as he stands on the bowsprit, and this is almost essential to success, although it is ])ossil)le for an active man to harpoon a fish from this station without the aid of the ordinary frame-work. Not only the professional Swore' -fishermen, but many mackerel schooners and packets are supplied in this manner. The Sword-fish never comes to the surface except in moderate, smo(.)tIi weather. A vessel cruising in search of them, proceeds to the fishin,<( ground, and cruises hither and thither wherever the i'.bi.ndance of small fish indicates that they ought to be found. Vessels which are met are hailed and asked whether any Sv M-d-fish have been seen, and if tiding are thus obtained, the shijj's course is at once laid for the locality where they were last noticed. A man is always stationed at the masthead, where, ivith the keen eye which practice has given him, he can easily descry th.e tell-tale dorsal fins at a distance of two or three miles. \\'hen a fish lias once been sighted, the watcdi " sings out," and the vessel is steered directly towards it. The skipper takes his place in the " pulpit," holding the pole in both hands by the small end, and directing the man at the wheel by voice and gesture how to steer. There is no difficulty in approaching the fisli with a large vessel, although, as has already been remarked, they will not suffer a small boat to come near them. The \es- sel plows and swashes through the water, p>hmging its bowsprit into the waves, without exciting their fears. Noises frighten them and dri\e them down. Although there would be no difficulty in bringing the end of the bowsprit directly over the fish, a skilful harpooner never waits for this. When the fish is from 6 to lo feet in front of the vessel it is struck. The harpoon is never thrown, the pole being too long. The str(jng arm of tlie harpooner ])unches tlie dart into the back of the fish, right at the side of the high dorsal fin, and the pole is withdrawn and fastened again to its place When the dart has been fastened to the fish the line is allowed to run out as far as the fish will carry it, and is then passed in a small boat, which is towing at the stern. Two men jump into this, and pulling in upon the line until the fish is brought in alongside, it is then killed with a whale-lance or a whale-spade, which is stuck into the gilU. The fish having been killed, it is lifted upon the (le( k by a ])urchase- tackle 6f two double blocks rigged in the shrouds. The pursuit of the Sword-fish is much more exciting than ordinary fishing, for it resembles the hunting of large animals upon the land, and 1 252 AMERICAN FISHES. partakes more of the nature of the chase. There is no slow or careful baiting and i)atient waiting, and no disappointment caused l)y the acci- dental capture of worthless " bait-stealers." The game is sec:! and followed, and outwitted by wary tactics, and killed by strength of arm and skill. The Sword-fish is a i)owerful antagonist, sometimes, and sends his pursuers' vessel into harbor leaking, and almost sinking, from injuries which he has inflicted. I have known a vessel to be struck by wounded Sword-fish as many as twenty times in a season. There is even the spice of personal danger to give savor to the chase, for the men are occasionally injured by the infuriated fish. One of Capt. Ashby's crew was severely wounded by a Sword-fish which thrust his beak through the oak fioor of a boat on which he was standing, and penetrated about two inches in his naked heel. The strange fascination draws men to this pursuit when they have once learned its charms. An old Swords-fisherman, who had followed the pursuit for twenty years, told me that when he was on the cruising ground, he fished all night in his dreams, and that many a time he has bruised his hands and rubbed the skin off his knuckles by striking them against the ceiling of his bunk when he raised his arms to thrust the har- poon into visionary monster Sword-fishes. The Bill-fish or Spear-fish, Tctraptitnis iihiiciis (with various related forms, whi< Ii may or may not be specifically identical) occurs in the \\'estern Atlantic from the West Indies, latitude 10° to 20° X., to Southern Xe\v England, latitude 42° X.; in the Eastern Atlantic, from Gibralter, latitude 45° X., to the Ca])e of (lood Hope, latitude 30° S.: in the Indian Ocean, the ISIalay Archipelago. Xew Zealand, latitude 40" S.. and on the west coast of Chila and Peru. In a general way, the rang<- is between latitude 40° X., and latitude 40° S. The s})ecies of Tctrapfiinis which we have been accustomed to ( all T. alhidiis, abundant about Cuba, is not very unusual on the coast of Southern Xew b'ngland. Several are taken every year by tlie Sword-fish fishermen. J have not known of their capture along the Southern Atlantic coast of the United States. All I ha\ e known about were taken between Sandy Hook and the eastern j)art of Oeorge's IJanks. The Mediterranean Spear-fish, Tdraptunis hcloiic, ajipears to be a land- locked form, ne\er jiassing west of the Straits of (libraiter. The S])ear-fish in our waters is said by our fishermen to resemble the Sword-fish in its movements and manner of feedinL,^ I'rof. roe\' narrates \y\ SWORD-FISH, SPEAR-FISH AXD CUTLASS-FISH „'53 that both the Cuban species swim at a depth of one hundred fathoms, and they journey in ])airs, shaping their course toward the (lulf of Mexico, the females being full of eggs. Only adults are taken. It is not known whence they come, or where they breed, or how the young return. It is not e\en known whether the adult fishes return by the same route. Wlien the fish has swallowed the hook it rises to the surf;\ce, making prodigious leaps and plunges. At last it is dragged to the boat, secured with a boat- hook, and beaten to death before it is hauled on board. Such fishing is not without danger, for the Spear-fish sometimes rushes upon the boat, drowning the fisherman, or wounding him with its terrible weapon. The fish becomes furious at the appearance of sharks, which are its natural enemies. They engage in violent combats, and when the Spear-fish is attached to the fisherman's line it often received frightful wounds from these adversaries. The Sjiear-fish strikes vessels in the same manner as the Sword-fish. I am indebted to Capt. William Spicer, of Xoank, Conn., for this note: TIIR SPFAR-l'ISII. " Mr. William Taylor, of Mystic, a man seventy-six years old, who was in the smack * F^vergreen,' Capt. John Ap|)leman, tells me that they started from Mystic, October 3, 1832, on a fishing voyage to Key West, in company with the smack ' Morning Star,' Cajit. Rowland. On the 12th were off Cape Hatteras, the wind blowing heavily from the northeast, and the smack under double-reefed sails. At 10 o'clock in the evening they were struck by a ' Woho' (-<"/V), which shocked the vessel all over. The smack was leaking badly, and they made a signal to the ' Morning Star ' to keep close by them. The next morning they found the leak, and both smacks kept off to Charleston. On arrival they took out the i)allast, hove her out, and found that the sword had gone through the jjlanking, timber, and ceiling. The plank was two inches thick, the timber five inches, and 'km ii. li i M'^ i^: 254 AMERICAN FISHES. the ceiling one and a lialf inches white oak. The sword jjrojected two inches through the ceiling, on the inside of the ' after run.' It struck by a l)utt on the outside, which caused the leak. They took out and replaced a piece of the plank, and proceeded on their voyage." The Sail-fish, Histioplionis gladius (with H. amcncamis and //. orien- ialis, (piestionable species, and H. pulchcllus and H. imiiiaculatiis, young), occurs in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Malay Archipelago, and south at least as far as the Cape of Good Hope, latitude 35° S.; in the Atlantic on the coast of Brazil, latitude 30° S.. to the Eipiator, and north to Southern New ICngland, latitude 42° N.; in the Pacific to Southwestern Japan, latitude 30° to 10° N. In a general way the range may be said to be in tropical and temperate seas, between latitude 30° S. and 40° N.. and in the western jxxrts of those seas. The first allusion to this genus occurs in Piso's " Historia Naturalis P)rasilii\;," ])rinted at Amsterdam in 1648. In this book may be found an identifiable though rough figure of the American species, accompanied by a few lines of description, which, though good, Avhen the fact that they were written in the seventeenth century is brought to mind, are of no value for critical comparison. The name given to the Brazilian Sail-fish by Marcgrave, the talented young German who described the fishes in the book referred to, and who afterwards sacrificed his life in exj)loring the unknown fields of American zoology, was Gitcbiicii brasilicusilnis. The use of tlie name Gitcbucu is interesting, since it gives a clew to the derivation of the name " Boohoo," by which this fish, and ])rol)ably the Spear-fishes, are known to English- speaking sailors in the tropical Atlantic. Sail-fishes were observed in the East Indies by Renard and Valcntijn, explorers of that region from 1680 to 1720, and by other eastern voyagers. No species of the genus Avas, however, systematically described until 1786, when a stuffed specimen from the Indian Ocean, eight feet long, was taken to London, where it still remains in the collections of the British Museum. From this specimen M. Broussonet prepared a description, giving it the name Scomber gladius, rightly regarding it as a species allied to the mackerel. From the time of Marcgrave until 1872 it does not ajijjcar that any zoologist had any opportunity to study a Sail-fish from America, or even from the Atlantic ; yet in Gunther's Catalogue, the name //. amcricanus SWORD-FISH, SPEAR-FISH AND CUTLASS-FISH. ■33 is discarded and the species of America is assumed to lie identical with that of the Indian Ocean. The materials in the National Museum consist of a skeleton and a painted plaster cast of the specimen taken near New])ort, R. I., in 1872, and a drawing made from the same, while fresh, by Mr. J. H. IJlake. The occurrence of the Sail-fish is, as has been already stated, very unusual. Marcgrave saw it in Brazil as early as 1648. Sagra and Toev mention that it has been seen about Cuba, and Schomburgk includes it in his Barbadoes list. The s])ecimen in the United States National Museum was taken off Newport. R. 1., in August. 1872, and given to I'rof. Baird by Mr. Samuel Powell, of Newport. No others were obserxed in our waters until March, 1878, wlien, according to Mr. Neyle Habersham, of Savannah, Ga., two were taken by a vessel between Savannah and Indian River, Fla., and were brought to Savannah, where they attracted much attention in the market. In 1873, according to Mr. ]•'.. (1. Blackford, a sjK'cimen in a very mutilated condition was brought from Key West to New York City. No observations have been made in this country, and recourse must be had to the statements of observers in the other hemis|)liere. In the life of Sir Stamford Raffles, is ])rinted a letter from Singapore, under date of November 30, 1S22, with the following statement : '* The only amusing discovery we have recently made is that of a sailing fish, called by the natives, Ikan layer, of about ten or twelve feet long, which hoists a mainsail, and often sails in the manner of a native boat, and with considerable swiftness. I have sent a set of the sails home, as they are beautifully cut and form a model for a fast-sailing boat. AVhen a school of these are under sail together they are frec[uently mistaken for a fleet of native boats." The fish referred to is in all likelihood Histiopliorus }i/iidii/s, a species very closely related to, if not identical, with our own. The Cutlass-fish, Triiliiurus Icptiiriis, unfortunately known in T'-astern Florida and at I'ensacola as the '' Sword-lish " ; at New Orleans, in tli;- St. John's River, and at Brunswick, Ga.. it is known as the '• Siher Kel," on the coast of Texas as " Sabre-fish." while in the Indian River region it is called the " Skipjack." No one of these names is ]xirticularly ai)pli- cable, and the latter being pre-occupied. it would seem advantageous to use in this country the name " Cutlass-fish," which is c urrent for the same species ii- the British West Indies. *l n 256 AMERICAN FISHES. Sj 1 ill- i^i''!'; 3 u . ,; Its appearance is very remarkable on account of its long, compressed form and its glistening, silvery color. The name " Scabbard-fish," which has l)een given to an allied species in Europe, would be very proper also for this species, for in general shape and appearance it looks very like the metallic scabbard of the sword. It attains the length of four or five feet, though ordinarily not exceeding twenty-five or thirty inches. This species is found in the tropical Atlantic, on the coast of Brazil, in the (lulf of ('alifornia, the West Indies, the (iulf of Mexico, and north to AVood's HoU, Mass., where, during the past ten years, specimens have occasionally been taken. In 1845 one was found at Wellfleet, Mass.; and in the Essex Institute is a specimen which is said to have been fountl in Salem Harbor. The species occurs also on the coast of Europe, two specimens having been found on the shores of the Moray Frith many years ago, and during the l)ast decade it has become somewhat abundant in Southern England. It does not, however, enter the Mediterranean. Some writers believed the allied species, TricJiiurus liaiimcla, found in the Indian Ocean and Archi- pelago and in various parts of the Pacific, to be specifically the same. The Cutlass-fish is abundant in the St. John's River, Fla., in the Indian River region, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Several instances were related to me in which these fish had thrown themselves from the water into row- boats, a feat which might be very easily performed by a lithe, active species like the TricJiiurus. A small one fell into a boat crossing the mouth of the Arlington River, where the water is nearly fresh. Many individuals of the same species are taken every year at the mouth of the St. John's River, at Mayport. Stearns states that they are caught in the deep waters of the bays about Pensacola, swimming nearly at the surface, but chiefiy with hooks and lines from the wharves. He has known them to strike at the oars of the boat and at the end of the ropes that trailed in the water. At Pensacola they reach a length of twenty to thirty inches, and are considered good food-fish. Richard Hill states that in Jamaica this s])ecies is much esteemed, and is fished for assiduously in a "hole," as it is called, that is, a deep portion of the waters off Fort Augusta. This is the best fishing place for the Cutlass-fish, TricJiiurus. The fishing takes place before day ; all lines are pulled in as fast as they are thrown out, with the certainty that the Cutlass has been hooked. As many as ninety boats have been counted on this fishing ground at day- break during the season. : Ji., V//y.. THK ItOSEKISH. THE ROSE-FISH AND ITS ALLIES. And tlicre wjro cryst^il iiduIs, i)er>plcil wilh fi-.h, Argent aiul j^M ; and Sdiiic cif 'I'yrian skin, Sumc crinison-iiarrcd. And cvi:r at a wisli They rose oliseiiuinus, till the wave yrew tliin As i;lass upon their hacks, ;inil tlieii dived in, (Quenching their ardent scales in watery ^Inom, Whilst Dthers with fresh hues rowed forth to win My changeable regard. Thomas Hood. /\ LTHOUOPI upon the west coast of Xortli America the fislies of tlie family Scor/'crnii/a' are among the most important, there are only four species on the Atlantic coast of our continent ; (>f these, two have be ■■ discovered within the jiast decade, and the others, though weM known avd widely distributed, are not of great importance. The Rf)se- "ish, ^'i-/>asU\s inariniis, is conspicuous among cold-water fishes by its brilliant scarlet color; it is known as " Red Perch,"* "Norway Haddock," '•Ilemdur- gan," and "Snapper," as "Bream" in (lloucester, Mass., and "John Dory" at Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is found also in Northern Europe, wliere it has been recorded as far south as Newcastle, in Northern Mngtand, latitude 55".! ^'^^^ it has been observed in Aberdeen and Berwick, and in Zetland, where it is called " Bergylt " and " Norway Haddock." * In distinction from the " lilue perch " or " ciinner " (Ctowlaln-us iiJjJ>i:rsus), w liich it resembles in form, thoni;h not in color. tGiNDiKu; Cat. F'ishes lirit. Mus. 2, p. 26. 25S AMERICAX F J SUES. m. On the eastern side of tlie North sea tlie species Iku. not lieen scm soiitli of (lothenborg. latitude 5.^°, but is said to be abunchint aloiiLf tlic entire western coast of Norway to Xorili Cajie and \'aranyer l''jord in l'.a->t I'in- niark, while Malmj^nvn records it from Itaren Island, and ScorLsl>y t'roni Sjiitzbergen, in latituile So°. In Iceland it is abundant, antl in 1 >.i\ is" Straits, at least as far north as Disco, where it is t'onnd assoi iated with the halibut, and is said to constitute a liberal share of its I'ocul. In Eastern Labrador, about Newfoundland, and in the (iulf of St. Lawrence, it is abunilant. and also along the shores of Nova Scotia and in the liax' ot Fundy. In these northern regions the Rose-fi^h jirt'ters shallow water, and may be taken in the greatest abundance in the bays and around the wharves in company with the sculjjins ami the cunners or blue jieri h. ( )n the coast of the United States, south of the Bay of l-'undy, they are rarely seen near the shore, but have been found in deep water in all parts of the (iulf of Maine and Massachusetts i'.ay, and also abundantly south of Cape Cod. In the fall of 1880 the United States Fish Commission obtained great (quantities of them, young and old. HeKay included this fish in his New York list, stating, however, that it was very rare in those waters. He remarks that '• the coast of New \'ork is i)robably its extreme southern litiiit." Of late years none have been taken south of the locality already men- tioned, which was in water from one to three luuulred fathoms in depth, at the inner edge of the Culf stream, from I'd'ty to (jni,' hundred miles southwest of Newport, and about the same distance east of Sandy Hook. A hundred or two hundred miles farther south it is replaced by a fish resembling it somewhat in form and color, Scorpicna dactyloptcra, I )e la Roche, discovered by the Fish Commission during the past year, anil by Scorpivna Stcanisi, detected at Pensacola by Silas Stearns, and at Charles- ton by C. H. C.ilbert. It may fairly be said that the Rose-fish, as a shore species, is not known south of parallel 42'^. whi( h is 13° south of its transatlantic limit. \\'hen the dcej) waters of Southern Kurojie have been as carefully e.\])lored as those of the United States, it is probable that the range of this fish will be extended considerably further to the south. The temperature range of the Rose-tish corres]ionds cdosely to that of the halibut, and its limits will, on more ( areful study, probably be found included between 32° ami 50°. It is touiid everywhere on the shallow TJIE ROSEl'lSH AXn ITS Al.l.ll-S. -59 off-shore l)anks north of C.iin.' Cod. whciv it attains it> j;riatt.>t ^^i/^.. A s|iL'( inicn, liroUL,'lit in hy oik' of tliC (Ihmt rsttr halihtit si hoomrs, was about two fcL't in IciiLith and wcii^lii'd ahout foiirtri'ii iioinuU. .\h)ni; tlu Maine (\)a.st they are nine li smaller than this, rarely exieedin- ei_-ht or ten ineiies and the weii^ht of twehe ounces, thouuh occ asionalh' j,M-owinL; to the weight of one and a half pounds. In Scandinavia there ha\e hten recognized two spec ies : one. a large, orange-colored form, inhabiting ilee]> water, known to the Norwegi.ms as the '• Ked-t"ish " (R(ed-ri>k). and considered to be V. iihjriu/is (.V. //,'/;,',•- ^^/t'f/s) ; the other, a smaller species of nun h deeper < olor. ( alK'd the "Lysanger," and des-ribed by Kroyer under the name ".V. I'iri/'iviis." and by Mkstrcim as " .V. yv,;'7c///.\-. " Ai'ter the mo>t careful stud\ of all tiie s])ecimens in the National Museum, we lune been unable to recogni/e more than one species on our coast, and recent Norwegi.m i( htin cilo-i-^ls. anu)ng them especially Mr. Robert C'ollett. bi'lieve that the two Noiwcui.m forms are not actually distinct species, but that the smaller one is sim]il\- a pigmy race which is esjiecially adapted to li\e in the huig. shallow fidrds of that legion. Dr. laitkeii. alwa\s conserN ati\ e. i;> inclined to belie\e the two forms distinct, regarding the large fish of the dee]i water as the jirimitive type from which the smaller littoral form ha> been deri\ed b\- tlevelopment. According to the last mentioned authoritv. the two forms ha\ e very dilTerent geographical distribution. .V. riri/'iij-ns inh;diiting the shallows in the \icinity of the Faroe Islands. Southern Sweden. Norwaw and New I'jigland, but unknown to Cireat liritain. Denmark. I'inmark. Iceland, and Cireenland ; while S. marimis is found in (Ireenland and Iceland and all the length of the Norwegian coast, in Spit/bergen. liaren Island, on the coasts of Denmark, and occasionally in the north of England and Ireland. Possibly, he suggests, it inhabits the deep waters at a distance from shore, off the Faroe Islands and North Americ a. but that IS not yet certainly known. .V. riiipanis, then, he dec hires. i> a form less arctic as well as more littoral. This subject is here reterred to in the hope that additional obser\ations may be drawn out tending to settle the ipiestion whether or not there are two forms of Srbastcs on the American coast. It seems, howexer. improbable, since the physic al conditions are so different from tho^e under which they occiu" t)n the other side of the Atlantic. The food of the Rose-fish consists, like that of its cousins, the >( tilpins, S 1 I I i 26o AMERICAN FISJIES. of small fish, cnista( cans, and, to some extent, of uu)lliisks, aUhoii.uh its teeth an; formed for crushing the thick-shelled species. In (Ireenland tliey are said to feed upon the pole-lloiinder. A specimen taken off llastern Point, (iloiicester, in July, iSyS, had its throat full of shrimp-like crusta- ceans {^Mysis, sp.), and others, taken at l'^ast])ort, were feeding extensively on a larger crustacean {'J'/iysaiiopoi/a, sp.), wiiich is also a favorite food of the maiimiih/i\ .]fii///si\ S( ()t( h Salmon. ;;rille(l Severn troiit, eels iVied in the inanmr (lesi^nated as a /' /r/iiih/iiisr. wwX White l)ait constituted the IinIi depart nuiit. as set down in print, hut the i^reatest sik < ess was a well prepared impromptu, not on the ( ard. it so happened that in the fi^li marki't was a < iinsi^nnient from lluU. of the Norwegian ' l'er_Lj\ It,' little known in London, but (|ui< kly identilied by the I'larl of 1 )u( ie. a leading atithoritv on the subject of Norway lishing. ]>eing a rather dry lish, though the llakiness and the tlav'or arc not unworthy of (omparison with the re prey uiioii the >nuillcr. '\'\\v ha,i;-l'iNli [Polisfrohi iiur) (le^troys ((jn^idcrahlc mimlicr^. I'hcy arc iMially xcry tree t'roiu iineriial l)arasites. All the ineinbers dl' tliis family rank luLjh as fooil-llshes. 'I'hc tle^h is t'lrin and white, and. altiidui^h nut \er\- deliiatc. is of a fair (piality. That oi S(-(>rffiCiia ,\;ufttthi is prohahly I»e^t : that ui Si'/>tjsfii/itliys iii\sfi;iiis\)y\\vj^<. the lowest price in market, but iIk' prejudice against the latter spet ies l)erhaps rests on its tolor. The S(()rpene, Si-or/<(Ciia ■^nffiifii, is known also by the names •'Scorpiim" and *• S( iilpin." -'Scorpene" (Scolpina), in ( (immon unc among tiie Italian fishermen, is of course the name of .S'lvv/r, //i/ /•^viv/y. .S". scro/ti, and other Mediterranean fishes, transferred to this very similar North American tlsh. The wouml made by the dorvil spines of tiii^ fiMh is c.\cessi\ely [lainful, far more so than the sting of a bee, as though the spines had some venomous se< retion. The name Sritr/'fiiti is evidently derived t'rom this. This spe( ies reaches a length of something o\er a foot and a weight t)f about two pounds. It is t'ound only frt)in Point (,'on( ep- tion southward to A^< ension Inland, li\ ing about rocks and kelp, but ot'ten entering the bays. It is generally common, and takes the hook freely. It feeds upon crustacea and small llshes, and sjiawns m spring. Nothing distinctive is known of its breeding habits. Asa t'ood-fish it ranks with the best, being superior to the species oi Sti>astic/i(/iys, ami it always is in gt)od deUiand where known. The Blackd)anded Kocktl>h, St-Z'tisfit/if/iys mix'roiiiicfits, has, so far as wc know, received no distint tive name from the fishermen. It reaches a weight of about four pounds and a length of eighteen to twenty inches. It ranges from Monterey northward, being found only in deej) water (ten to twenty fathoms). About San Francisco it is exceedingly rare, not half a dozen usually coming into the market in a year. In the Straits of Imh a and outside in the open ocean it is tolerably abundant. 'I'he food and the breeding habits, as far as known, differ little in this family, and the general remarks on the group api)ly to all the species of St'l>(istic/it/iys. As a food-fish this species sells readily on account of its brilliant and at- tractive colors, second only in brilliancy to those of the " Spanish Flag." St-/>its/ic/i//iys srrn'it'ps, wherever this species receives a distinctive name, is ki^.own as the "Tree-fish," an appellation originating with the Portuguese at Monterey, and without obvious application. i I; 264 AMERICAN FISHES. Southward it is confoiiiKiL-il with other s]ic( ics as a (larrupa. Its si/c is rather less than tliat of S. )ii\^roi-iin-tiis. \\lii( h it nuu h resembles. It ranges from San Martin Island to San I'ranc isco beinj,' foinid in rather deep water among roc ks. It is most common about the Santa Uarbara Islands, and is rare in the markets of San Fran( isco. It is a handsomely colored species, and therefore sells well in the markets. TIIK TltKK KISII. The Speckled Garruta, Sr/>asfi(-/ifJiys iichi/osiis, is known as " Garrupa " and "Rock-cod," rarely receiving any distinctive name. It reaches a weight of three and one-half ])ounds. It ranges from Monterey to Piiget Sound, being generally common at all points, and most abundant north- ward. It lives in water of moderate dei)th. It ft)rms about two percent, of the total rockfish catch, anil is always readily salal)le. It is the most attractive in color of any of the tlark-colored species. The Black and Yellow Garrui)a. Scinistii/if/iys chry some/as, is also con- founded imder the names " Garrui)a " and " Codfish." It is one of the smaller species, reaching a weight of about two pounds. It ranges from San Nicolas Island to San Francisco, and is generally common in water of moderate depth, although not one of the most abundant species. It is an attractive fish in color and therefore readily salable. The Flesh-colored Garrujia, Sii>asficlif/iys cannitiis, reaches a somewhat larger size than the last, and ranges from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. About San Francisco it is considerably more abundant, forming nearly seven per cent, of the total rockfish catch. 'I'lu- \'(.'ll(i\\-l);i( kt'il Ri)( kfish. S,/'trs//r/'////y.\- nitr/i:;rr. sciins to liavu no (li>tin( t naiiK' in (omnKiii ii>c. It i;uil;i.-s tVdiii MuntciTv to I'nui't Soiir.d. in rather (IcL'ii w.itcr. It i> not \u\\ (oinnion almut San I'raiK i^( o. Imt inan\- arc caiiiiht in the Straits of" I'li: a. It i> one of the larL;e>t of' the spec ies. rea* hin:4 a wei.yht of" six or eight ikhiikIs. As a luod-t'isli it is not so ;;oo(l as some of the others. The \Wi\ (larrupa. Sr/utsf/\-h/Ii\s cauriinn and siili-siiei ies :i\i//in-is, is knouii as "(iarru|ia."' •• l\o( kl'i^h" ami •• lh. St/uis/ii-Ji/Iiys ri7s/r(///xt7s//V/i///ys aiiriiiilaiiis, seldom rec eives a dis- tinc ti\e name from the fishermen. It reaches a weight of three cu- four jioimds, although, as usually seen in the markets, it is smaller than any other of the species. This is owing to the fait that its yoimg are caught in seines in the bav. while those of other species are less frecpiently taken, and then onlv in the open ocean. It ranges from San Martin Island to Puuet Soimd. living in shallow water and entering all the bays, ancl being taken with a hook f'rom all the wharves. It is thus ajiparently more abundant than any other species, although in ac tual numbers probably many of the deep-water forms {S. jhtriiiiis, f>iiitn\i^fr, losiufiis) far exceed it. As a food-fish it is held in lower esteem than most of the others. The lVsce-\'ermiglia. S(/u!s//\-/i///vi i/i/orosfiitiix. is called •• IVsc e- Vermiglia." or "Vermilion-fish." by the Portuguese fishermen at Monte- rev. It is known only fVom Monterey Pay and the Parallones. oc c urring about the rocks in considerable depths of water and being taken only with the hook. In its native hatnits it is not a rare species. It reaches a weight of three or tour iioimds. and is excellent food. ( 266 AMERICAX FISHES. i ill ill Tlic iiK'.vplicahk' name of •• I-'ly-fish " is i,Mvt.'ii to one spec ies. Sii>tis/i\/i- th\s iluuiochloris. \\\ tlic fisliLTnien at Monterey. Like the preceding, it is known only from \ery deep water about Monterey and tiie l-'arallones. It is one of tlie smallest species, rarely \vei;,diinj; more tiian a pound. The ("orsair, Srhasticlitliys rosaccus, is known to the Portuguese fisher- men at Monterey liy the name "Corsair." a name of uncertain apjilication transplanted from the A/ores. It is one of the smallest species, rarely weigiung more than a pound and a half. It ranges from Santa llarliara to San I'raiK isco. in deep water, and where found, it is the most abund- ant of the red spet ies. When the weather permits t)Utside fishing with trawl-lines this is one of the most abundant species in the San Francisco markets. It ranks high as a t'ood-fish. The Spotted C\)rsair. Sclnistichthys coiistcllatiis, in si/e, distribution, habits and value agrees with the '• Corsair." It is. howe\er. lonsider- ablv less abundant, although not a rare fish in the markets of San Fran< isco. Two s]ie( imens oidy of the Yellow Rockfish, SebastiiliiJtys uiiibrosiis. are known, both of which are from Santa Barbara. At Monterey, the Spanish-I-'lag, ScbasticlitJiys nibriciuitiis, is known by the very appropriate name of *' Sjjanish Flag," from its broatl bands of red, white, and red. It reaches a weight of about six i)oimds. It is found in very deep water on rocky reefs about Santa Barbara and Monterey. It is perhaps the least common in the markets of all the species, except >V. itni- Itosiis. In coloration it is the most brilliant fish on the coast. The Red Rockfish, Schastichtliys rii/ur, is usually the " Red Rockfish " />iir (\yi(//iiiii\ At Monterey it e\idently attains a weight of twehe or more poimils, and is called by the I'ortuguese "'iambor." It ranges from Santa Barbara to Puget Sound, its abundance increasing to the northward. Jt lives in water of consideral)le depth. In the markets of San Francisc o it is one of the most common species. Large specimens about ^'ictoria, in the Straits of Fuca. had the skull above the brain infected by an encysted i)arasite worm. (Ireat numbers of them were seen in the Straits of Fuca, according to Mr. Swan, swinnning stupidly near the surface, so torpid that the Indians killed them with clubs. According to the Indians, they hail been struck by the Thunder-bird, which, with its comi)anion, the Lightning-fish, causes many of the phe- nomena in that region. The smaller specimens of this species rank well as food-fishes ; the larger ones are likely to be coarse or tou.idi. Tin-: Rosi:-j'isi[,Axn its mj.ies. zu- S(-/'tisfi\-/if/iys iniiiiiitns is known to tht' rortiiL^Micsc t'l^lHTint'ii at Moii- ttTt-'v as the ••Rasher." a nanu' of iiiiccitain origin .iiid otliograpliy. It raii^is tVoni Santa I>arl)ara to San I'raiK i^io. liviiii; in water ot" moderate depth. It is (oniparatixely < onunon. and is fre(|uentlv set'n in tlie markets. tli()iii,di in much less numbers tlian .S". rubir and S. pinni;^tr. In si/e and tinality it aijrees ( losely witli .S'. /"iiiiiii^rr. I'lie ( >rai\L;e Kockl'ish, Sr/his/ir/ifhys /"iu/i/'xir, is usuallv ( alleil simpix "Red R(j( k-( ()(1 " or '• Red Ro( kl'isii." and not distinguished tVom the two preiedin^. The l'ortUL;uese at Monterey know it liv the name *• l-'iiaum." a word of imknown orii^dn. It is one of thi' larnest species, reac iiing a weiL;ht of eight or ten pounds. It r.mges from Monterey to Puget Sound, being generally very abundant in deeji water, where it is t.iken on trawl-lines, 'i'his is probabl\- the mo^t abundant of tiie larger species. .\t San I'raiK is( o individuals are ot'ten toinid with bhu k 6S ami:k/c\l\' /■/sj/£s. ' f U S,/>iis/ii-hfli\s si///(t//ir/iis is very similar to tiic prct filinj,' in si/c and habits. I'liiis far it has been only found in dcci> water outside of .Nb)nte- rey May. St/iasfii/it/iys mystiiiits, is most generally called the " lihu k Rtx k- fish." but in Puget Sound is known, with its more abundant relatixe. Si/>its/i(-/if/iys mclaiiops, as the " HUu k IJass." 'i"he Portuguese at Montere\ (all it " Pesce Prctre," or Priest-fish, in allusion to its dark (olors. so different from those of most of the other mend)ers of the family. It reaches a weight of five jiounds, but as usually seen in tlie markets, \aries from two to three. It ranges from Santa IJarbara to X'ancouver's Inland, inhabiting waters of moay. In the markets of San l-'ran cisco it is fi)und. taking the year through, in greater munbers than any other species. It sells at a lower price than the others, its color causing a ])reju(Uce against it, although the tjuality of the fish doubtless differs little from that of the rest. Specimens of the Alaska Plack Rockfish, Si-bastiihlh\s ciliatiis, from the Islands arc in the National Museum. Nothing distinctive is known in regard to its habits, which jjrobably agree with those of .S'. iiulanops. The Spotted IMack Rockfish, Si'l'asticJithys uiclanops, is founded with S. inystiniis by the fisherivicn, imder the name of '• Hlack llass " in Puget Soimd, '* IJlack Rockfish" in San l-'rancisco, and " Pes( e Pretre " at Monterey. In si/e and value it agrees with .V. mstiiiiis. Its range is more northerly, from Monterey to Puget Sound, being not very ccMnmon at San Francisco, and one of the most abundant sjiecics in Puget Sound. The Yellow-Tail Rockfish, Sfinistii'/itliys Jlaridus, is occasionally called the "(Ireen Rockfish" or "Rock-cod" at San Francisco. At Monterey it is always known by the api)ropriate name of "Yellow-tail." the ( audal fin being always distinctively yellow. To distinguish it from the Yellow- tail of further south we may call it the Yellow-tail Rockfish. This spec ies reaches a weight of six and seven ])Oun(ls, but its usual weight is about two. It ranges from Santa Catalina Island to Ca])e Menilocino, and is taken both in deep water and near shore. About Monterey and San Francisco it is very abundant, and is one of the principal species in the markets. As a food-fish it is considered as one of the best in the group. About Monterey and San F>ancisco, the Boccacio, Siinistotics patu-ispim's , TlfE ROSE-1'ISIf. AXn ITS Al.I.ll.S. 2(h) i>> known as *• lioccatio" or •• I'xk < .u " [/wiui/ili) to iIk' Italians, and as •• MOrou " (iiiit)i>(>) to the I'oitu.LjuiM.'. AnuTic an ri^lKrini.n u-m' tlir name "jack," anil tlio^e who t'i>h tor tlir youn^ iVom thr uharws < all tluin •• Toni-t o(l." 'I'Ik' name •• I'.oi ( ario " (liin-montluil) is very aji] ro- jiriate ; ■•Merou" is transicrred tVom Atlantic sjicc ies ol" /•'/>///(/•//, 7// .v ; •• Ja( k " (omcs t'roni the siP(.'( ic's ot" A.w'.v anil S//:i>s/ii///////, whi( h in the Southern States are < alK'il liy that name. This species is one oi" the lariiest ot"the j,'roMii, rea( hiiiLj the weiuht of twelve to fit'tein iioiiiitls. ltsa\era,L;e si/e in the markets is gieater than that ot" any of the others. it ranj.;es tVom the Santa llarbara Islamls to Cape Memhx ino. It inhaliils reel's in deep water, only the young coming near the >hore. It is ratlur more ahimdant southward than about ^■an I'rani isco. It is, howewr, a lommon market-hsh, and its tlesh is considered excellent. It is probaMy the most voracious of the taniily. l''i\e species of the genus .SV/'(/.»7/V/////f.f. namely, S. ///lAr/zi'/'s, S, iiiiiriiii/s, S. ///(j/i^rr, A". prorii;ti\ and .V. ti7i\i/iis, attain to large si/e and consider- al>le commercial importance in Alaska, and are discussed by I )r. llean in his paper on the •' Shore fisheries of Alaska " in another se< tion of this work. S. mcliinops is called '• 151 ack liass" at Sitka. The Kock Trouts, Chirii/u', a family offish of considerable importance on our I'ac il'ic coast, is that of the Chiriilw, or Rock Trouts, no representa- tives of which are kni)wn in the Atlantic. One or two species of the ("aniily occur in the sea of Japan. The IJoregata, /ftwa^^raiiiiniis S/r//rr/, is known in I'uget Sound by the Italian name of " Uoregata " or " Uoregat." The name "Starling" is applied to some fish, supposed by us to be this sj)ecies, in the Straits of Kuca. It reaches a length of fifteen inches and a weight of three pouncls. It ranges from I'uget Sound to Kaintc hatka. In Puuet Sound it is com- parati\ely abundant, living about rocks. It sjjawns in July. It feeds on cTustaceans, worms, and fishes, and apparently gets its food on the bottom in deep water, as the animals taken from its stomach are often of a kinci not seen near shore. Its intestines are very often full of long tiunioid worms, supposed to be parasitic-. As a food-fish, it ranks with the other Rock-trout, being of fair cpiality, but inferior to Op^iioi/on aw\ Sc/>iis(it/i//iys. The name " Boregata," is applied to the (ireen Rock Trout, Jfrxti- i^rdini/iiis ihitii:;riiiiiiiiiis, by the Italians on I'uget Sound. The name " Rock Coil " is also ifiven to it. From San Francisco southward, the 3i , 2',o .i.]//:a'/c.lv /•/.S///..V. nanus •• Rnrk 'I'luut " .iiul '-Sim 'rnuit " .iii' < oiiiinnii. The I'mtiii^iu'sc at Miint(.rt.'\ 1 all it •■ r.iulii luii." It iwh lii's a Ifiiytli nf litui'ii iiu lus ami a wci.Liht ottwo nr thii-o ihhiikU. It raiiLri'> from Sai) l.ui^ ( »liis|iu to Alaska. iii>|n.( iis. ami lai'm- nuiiilurs aii.' liruu^'ht into tlir iiiarki't iit"Saii I'ram Jm o. It livi's in iiK k\' lilac is nt' tin y.n\\l (li'|ith. It l"i'i'ni,'-ir///s. is universally (alk'd •■ Cod -fi^h." where the trtie (>h tall it '• T.iiiL;." Anionj: the Americans the word "(dd" is nsrd with some distinctixe adjective, as Cultus Cod (•'cultus" in the Chinook jarj^dii. meaning of little t^'ort/i). " I'astard Cod." •• I'.utlalo Cod." rtc . The „...,,.. .. in.,., ^".wi " ;.. .,1.,. ,.; . , :» r i. i .. .- •. .1 1 -i.i m the sweep-nets ot the jiaranzelle. These weii;h less than a pound ; the average of the larL^e ones is from six to ten ])Otuids. It ranges from .*^anta I'arbara to Alaska, being \ery abundant everywhere north of Point Con- ception. It lives about rocky iilaccs, and sometimes in considerable depths, and spawns in summer. It feeds upon fishes and crustat ea and is cxccssivel\- Noracioiis. It often swallows a red rocktlsh when the latter is I III'. Kosi-Fisii .\.\n IIS .U.I.I i:s. -'TI (111 ihi hunk, and !•> tliii-> takv'ii. Like utlur l.iiiic ri>lu's. it i> Milijii I to tlu- alta( ks uf tlii' lia^ lisli ( /'('//V/z-iV/vwiii). As a ludd ri>>h it licilds a lii^li rank, being < onsidni'd r.itluT sii|piTi(>r to tlu- iix kl'i->li. I'ldni its great aliundanci', it is om- (il'llu- most ini|iort.int ri>lK's on the I'.u \\h (oast. /.uiiolrpis litfi/>iiiiii.< ranges from S.m I'raiu is( o northward in dei'|) water, it reaches a lengtli ot'aliont a foot, and is of no e<'on(>inic \aliie. The l)right-<'ohired little fi^h. (\\ I'/i /ounds. It ranges from Montere\- northward to Sitka, in r.uher deep water, and is generally coinmon, es|)ecially northward. .\t Seattle it is one of the most altuiidant fishes, but in the San iMaiicisco market it is seldom seen in large numbers. It feeds on crustaceans, worm^:, and small I'lshjs. In the Straits of Fuca it reaches a much larger si/e tluwi has been noticed elsewhere. It is here \ery highly \alued by the Indians, at ( ord- ing to Mr. Swan. It is (ailed by the Indians " IJeshow." and is the " lilack-i'od," of re(ent writers. Mr. James (1. Swan has gisen a full report upon its habits in a recent lUilletin of the Fish Commission.* and has forwarded some of the salted t'ish for examination, 'i'lie writer is not prepared to give to Anoplopoma a position as yet among the fmest of American llslies. although it is no doubt an excellent kiiul for local consumption. *V.)1. \ 1SS5, (ip. -'.'i-j^. I.\// /C/(:i.\ / /S///:S. In .\l;i>k.>. arciinliim In I 'r. IUmii, tlii' mn^t iiiiimi t.mt i luruiil i'isIks arc Ol'hiihli'ii iloir^itfus, .tiii\'^/i>f<,niut fiiiihi\t, /fi\<•(///(////.>•, //. i>rJiiiitfi/s, II. ,i.\/'i>\ Mu\ tlir •• Wllnw fi^h." •• S|iip*.i| I'isli." nr •• Alk.i M.K kinl," r',iiri\i,'riiiiiiiiiis iih'n.'/^fi'nxiiis (l'.ill.i>) (lill, wliiili i^ tlu' ( hii't" III" lluiii all. I'hi^ ri-.li i^ iiiust .iliiiiuLmt .ilmiit the AU'iiti.m t h.iiu iind iIk- Slniin.ij,'in>, it-. iinrilKri) limit a» imw imdiTstniul liL'iiiL; aliiiiit Koiliak, ami its \\i'>t(.'ni limit at .\ika. It i onuii'Liati^ in imim iiso s( hools, and < an Ik' taken in )iiirM'->(.ini>> liki' tin- mai kiTil. \vhi( !i it >tr(»ni;ly iv^cmbl-'s in tasti- alur In.'inj; salti'd in tlu'>ami' maniur. In tiiis ((iniu't titin. imt ln-'caiiM' nf /onlouii al altinitiis, Imt in mdi r that a majoritv ut' tlu- jiiim i]ial tood ri>.lK's ol ilu' I'ac il'ic sl(i|ii' ma\ \iv dis- (Ussi'd in (Hu- ( hapti-T. it si'cins a|i|>r<)|triat(.' to n Ut tn tlu' lanliinttK oids or Surf-tlslu's. I''ull descriptions ot" the varittus mcndnTs ot' this mtiltil'orni ^'onus arc given by President Jordan in his ••Synopsis" and in the i;reat I'isheries ipiarto. Here I can t)idy (juoic what the same authority has to say oi' the i,'ronp as a whole : ••This remarkaMc i,'roup of fislu's tonns the most ( hararteristic leatme of the tamia of otM" I'ai il'ic (na-^t. ()f the nineteen spe< ies now known, all but one [Pi/iiiiitf 7'i'V//w///("/(7' of jajian) o( < nr on the (nast of California, and most of them in very ,trreat ahiiniknu e. 'I'he species are most of them \iTV simil.ir in habits and economic \alue. and tlu- followinj^ j,^'nerai remarks are proffered bct'ore pro( eedinii; to the disc ii>>ion of the different species. •• The general name •• I'en h " is applied to these t'lshes CNcrvwhere alo!\L; the coast. 'I'his mifortunate misnomer < ame about from their re- semblance to the snn-tishes or •• perch " of the .Southern .States, and to the '•white pen h." h'oi-iiis tniirririViiis, of the l'!ast. ( )i\ the «-oast of OrcLfon the larger species (especially Ptiiiiii/it'/it/iys nrxyrosi'iiii/s) are (alk-il •• Porgv" (U- '• I'orgce." in allusion to their undoubted resemblam e to the scup or porgee of the Mast. The names •• Minny," '"Sparada" and *• Moharra," are also apjilied to the smaller species northward. About San KraiK isco, the name •• IVrc h " is gi\en to them all, as well as to Aiilto- ////(■.v ///Av/7//'///.v, and separate names for the dit'lcrcnt species arc seldom heard, l-'rom Monterey southward, the name •• Surf-fish " is in common n.se. although the name " I'crch " is still more common. •• The largest, Kluu-ochiliis toxotcs, reaches a weight of four jiounds ; the smallest. Ahroiia miiiiiihu :i length of four or live inches. .So far as wc arc able to judge, the growth of the young are (luite rapid, as the specimens arc about half grown the first winter, and probably reach full size in two ami a half to three winters — perhaps, in some lases, in the second vear. •'The center of distribution (jf this group is from Santa Barbara to /•///, A-O.S7 /vs// ./.\/) //.s' ./////;.v. 'r.'iii.iKs r,.iy. Norilnv.inl tlu- nimilur ..f ^pccii's (K-rriMsi-s. wIn'K- tl,r uuu\\>iv of iiidiviilii.il-, !>, iKili,i|.s. t'.|ii;illv K'v.it .IS f.ir .IS tlu' (iuir ,,r (iiurKi.i. S.Mitl.war.l l.otli iii.liM.lu.ils and spn iis r.ii.i.llv .limini.h m iimnlur. •• riu'ir r.iii.m' pn.lMlily I'stiiid-. lioin Ciric-, M.iii.l i<. Sitk.i : (iri.iinlv lu. liiilliiT. Mnst (.Itluiii li\r in >,li.illu\v w.ilrr. on a >,an.lv iM.it.mi. I...1I1 111 llu'oi.in MM an.l in shdUTid 1m\s, A sriiu- .lr,i«n in ilu' si,iV wMl oliiii Ih' hllf.l with till- Mlv,r\ s|K'. us (.////////■,y/,////.v.- /AvV, ■//,.///,»). ;,n.| a siMDi' drawn in .1 Lay inav hi' i'.|iially lull of /)//n>/hr Ar/.r.,/,-. /')/// vw,/ Jiirksoiii. I'tr. ( hu- sjnM ii's is < (Hiliiu'd lo tlu' lu>li w.nris, Nr.iilv .ill ot' tlii-ni Ci'i'd cliioily on . rii.sia.ra. tnyctliiT with siidi sm.ill iMi a-, iluv ^ m\ swallow. Till- spcrirs of AI,oihi arc t liii-lly hiTl.ivofoii.s. In.linu "H .scawrid. ••Tlu- I'anluotoK.ids aiv all o\i|,aroiis. Tlir voiin- an- litUin in 1 wi'iitv Ml niinil.ir. ami .in- l.roii.-lu loiili in siniiim r : wh.n' l.oin. tlu- iitiK- tisji an- tVoni tlini- fourtlis of an in. Ii to two and .1 lialt in. lu-s in U-n-tli. ac • onlm- lo till- s|.i-( ii-s. 'nK-y aiv . till' iniur sintad- of wlii.li lornis folds partly si|mi,ii in- tlu- \niiiiM tV. n'l r.u h ..tlu-r. 'I'lu- \ oiin- an- at liist i-\. i-ssi\ i-lv < ..iiii-nsM-.l. with thr s.il't parts of till- \i-rli.al liiis i-\( i-,si\ ily i-li\alnl. ' As tluir .U\ ilopnunt pn.- « i-i-ds tlii-y ivsniil.li- ni.iri- an.l nion- tlu- pan-nt. .md wlu-ii hoin thi'!,- forui is h. l-ittlr is known of tlu- plan- of sp.iwnin,-. hut I sii|,posi- th.it tlu- yonim an- simply i-\trii-, TllK MlSKKI.l.lMi PIKE, MUSKELLUXGE AND PICKEREL. I will give tliec for tliy food No lish tliat iisclli ill the nuid, I'lUt irout ami pike, that lovotoswiin WluMc llic mavcl from the liiim, 'riiruUi;!) tlic )iuic streams may he seen. l!i;Ai-.\i(iNr AND I'li-h iii;n, V'/ir /-'iii/^i/i// S/i,-/i/u-r(/,:is, if"!!!. The gooiUy well-srown trout, I with my angle strike, And witli my liearded wire, 1 take the ravenous I'ike Dhayton, y//,' J/ust-s l-:/ysiiiiii, Nymplial IV, /^NE of the most ancit-'iit among the families of fresh-water fishes, is ^"^that of the Tike — tlie hsocit/d — a group of physostomoiis fishes, closely relateil to the llying-fishes, and the cyprinodonts, and not very dis- tantly related to the Salmon tribe. This family contains only the genus J^sox, which embraces five species, all natives of North America, one. the rike, being a resident of the Old World, as well. Geologists tell us that remains of the Pike are found in abundance in the cpiartemary deposits of Europe, and that this, or closely relatetl species,occur in the diluvial marl of Silesia, and in the chalks of the (l-lningen region. The wide distril)u- tion of the Pike throughout the no.thern regions of ICurope, Asia and America, indicates that ihis species was in existence many centuries ago, before the three continents became so widely differentiated as they are at the present time. 'i'he rike being the oldest, the most widely distributed, and the best known member of its tribe, shall serve as the text for this chapter, and the tyi)e with which the related species shall be compared. So few. however, have bee.'i the obser\ations in this country, ami so much has I^sox liicius been confused with the other species of the genus, tiiat it TJfE PIKK. MCSKELLUXGK AND riCKEREL. -/3 seems impracticable' to compile from American authorities a sati^l'at tor\- aecotmt ot'its life history, and in tlefault thereof. lYeiiuent relerenees must be uuide to the studies of European observers. Till-: I'IKK. In Eastern America, the Pike is abundant as far south as Ohio ; its northward range has not been determined, but since its eNistence on the Island of Kodiak, in Alaska, has been demonstrated by Dr. liean. there is every reason to believe that it will be found pretty generally dis- tributed throughout British America. It h.as not been recorded from Greenland, or the islands of the Polar Sea. Its ICuropean range extends from Britain to Silesia, and doubtless cast to Kamtchatka, throughout the Scandinavian peninsida, and north in Lapland, even beyond the limits of the birch-tree. It inhabits most of the rivers and lakes of European 176 AMERICAX FrSTFES. Russia and Siberia, Imt docs not enter tliose of the Trans-Caucasus, and the Crimea. On the south it enters Rouniania, and has been found in the Lake of St. Stefanos, near Constantinople, in the hiyoons of \'enire. w Swit/erhmd and l-'rance, but not in the Iberian jjeninsula. It is found in all i)arts of Clermany, not only in the hiL;h nioinitain region, but alont; the sea-roast of Northern Cermany. and even close to the shores of the IJattic. The highest vertical distribution on the northern side of the Alps, is in the 'i'yrolean Lake of llahlen, 3.61S feet. On the south, it occurs in certain lakes of the Tyrol, and in the Lake of Reschen, 4,6157 feet, which is ap])arently the loftiest jjoint of its distribution. In Switzerland, a( cording to Tsciiudi, it ranges to 3,39s feet. Tlie ( liniate of Ilngland and Cermany seems suited to its best de\elop- ment, and its persistence in low latitudes will probably be found to be due to a sjjecial adaptability for hybernati(jn. The Muskellunge, Jisox nohilioi\ is the ri\al of the I'ike in si/e and vigor, but is very limited in its gecjgraphical range, occurring onlv in the Creat Lake region of America, and in the St. Lawrence River.* It is very like the Pike, but has a head pro] ortionally somewhat larger, and its color is markedly different. In general hue, it is dark grey, with silvery lustre, belly white, sides dotted with round, blackish and brownish blotches, and the fins fleeted with black. The I'ike on the otiier hand has • its markings white or yellowish, upon a darker background of green, dark grey or brown ; in European examples the lighter markings are often con- fluent and band-like. Till-; CHAIN I'icKKitr.i., The " Pickerels," of .American nomenclature, are three in number, and * It h;is frciiuciitly beons.iiil in i)iint tliat .\Iiiskclliin:;c were intr.nliieeil into a pinul near liellnw's I'alN, Mass., in 1838, ami that tiiey have since escaped into the Coiniecticnt, where tliey have licconie ahnmlant. 'I'his is a .creat mistake. 1 have examined several cf tliese woiild-he .Muskeliinii;e from tlie Connecticut, Imt all of them proved to Ijc overgrown I'ike. This species prob.ilily does not occur in the Connecticut. PIKE, ML'SKEI.I.rXGK AXD PICKERI-I . an.' nuich smaller. Eso.\ rrticiiliitiis. is tisuallv known in llic North Ii\- the nanu' •• Pi( kcrcl "; in the Sduthc/n States it i-> thr ••jack." It is found < hiilly in tiic streams alonij the Atlantic ( oast, from Maine to Alahama. and is generally ahundant, esjet ially in (dear, urassy < niks and jiond--. It is not t'oimd in the Lake region, nor west of the AlUghanies. It some- times, though rarelv,attains the wvight of se\en or eight pounds, and the length of three or four feet, and is much more slender in form, and gra( e- tut in motion than the IMke. It is yellow-green or brown in color, with an interlacing network of hrown lines. co\ering the hodw Its pciiiliar markings have given it the name of ••Chaiti Pickerel." and iiatrioti< Americans of early Federal days tailed it the *• l''ederation I'ike." an allusion to the ( hain of thirteen linked ra\s, s\nil>oli( al of the I'edi'r.d union, which was stamped upon certain copper coins used during the last century. TlIK r.UOOK PICKriiKI.. ' Esox amcriiamis, the '-Brook Pickerel," or " Pianded Pickerel," sometimes also called the '* Long Island Pickerel," " Trout PickerL;l." and " l\)nd I'ike." is comparatively small, rarely exceeding a foot in length, though occasionally reaching the weight of five to eight pounds. Itscolor is dark green, with about twenty blackish, lateral, transverse bands, usually curved, often obscure, but never net-like. There is a bla< k line below the eye, and another through the eye and snout. The fins, espe- cially in the breeding season, are bright red. This species occiu's in the brooks on the Atlantic side of the Alleghanies, from Florida north to Massachusetts. Another diminutive Pike, similar in form and color to the last, is Esox vcrmictilatits (Esox n///*') whii|)]ii valley, esjiecially in the small streams and l)a\-ous in the South and A\'est. This si)ecies is also green, with numerous darker transverse bands or stripes, but 278 AMERICAN FJSIIES. \r they are usually arraycil in net-work, or in such manner as to prodiue a " marbled " effect.* It has been called the ■• llump-back I'lckerel," and is of little ^alue for food. The common names of this grouj) of fishes offer an opportunity for nnu h curious research. The oldest name in literature is the Latin " Lucius." by which it was doubtless known to the gourmets of classic times. which was mentioned by the poet Ausonius, in the fourth centin-y,t and which lingered in the old Lrench "T,us" and the names " Luecio " or '*Lugg(j" by which Italians still know tlie species. Although it is customarily stated that the I'ike was unknown to tlie ancient (Ireeks, I see no reason to doubt that this is the iish which Athen- ;v;us, sixteen centuries ago, called Lyiiis, just as the Ciermans of to-day name it in familiar phrases the "' Wasserwolf " (Water Wolf). Another vestige of this name, is the Knglish "Luce," commonly applied to large individuals in the days of Chaucer. J and not unfamiliar in later days, because of the e.xtensivc use of the fishes under tiiis name as one of tlie symbols of heraldry. Shakespeare has immortalized the arms as well as the name of the name of the country s(|uire, whom he hated, in his allusion to the escutcheon of the Lucys, and the blood-thirsty Sir Lucius O'Trigger in Sheridan's " Rivals," doubtless owed his pra;nomen to the savage Ksox. The name Pike, the philologist says, has been given to this fish, either from the likeness of its nose to a pike or spear, or because it moves itself * Since it is l)y no means a simple matter to discriminate between these species, especially when yunnjt;, I depart friiiii my usual custom, and present a key, in which sumo technical terms are used. This table is based upon Jordan's dia,i;nosis. vjheeks and opcrcula completely covered with scales. JJranchioste^jals, 12 in nnndier. Colors obscure. About 105 scales in lateral line. Diameter of eye contained 5 times in lcn;;th of head, and neaily twice in snout, its posterior marniii scarcely behind middle of head. J^.aiiu'ricanus. Diameter of eye Ci in length of head, and less than I! in that of snout, the eye being exactly in midille of head. /,". x't'riiihii/atiis. Uranchiosteijals 14-16. About us scales in lateral Diameter of eye, 8 in that of head, !'. in snout. Snout proldiiyed, nearly half the Ieiit;lh of the head. Colors bright, markings reticni.ile. /•,'. ri/i\ ii/a/iis. Cheeks scaly, lower half of operciila bare. Ihancliiostegals 14-16 Color ; — light spots on .1 dark ground. JC. /iniiis Lateral line 12^. Lower half of cheeks and opercula bare. Uranchiostegals 16-ig. Color ; — Black spots on lighter groiuid. /.'. iiobilior. Lateral line 150, f I.fcius obscurus idva ca;noque lacunas Obsidet: I lie nullos mens;'.rum lectus ad usas Fervet fumosis oliilo nidore jiopinis. MoseUc, 120-124. I Full many a f.it partricke had he in niewe. And many a Urenic and many a Luce in stewe. Canterbury Tales. ' PIKE, Ml ski: I.I A' XGE AXD PICK E RE L. -:') in tliL' water like a spear thrown : and ri( kcrel is regarded as another forni of the same word.* Jat k. >ays tlie same authority is •• perhaps t'rom Jaciihim. beeaiise like a Javelin, eitiier in shape or motion." The Trent h •• r.rochet." is of similar origin, and has refereiu e to the resend)lan( e ot" the llsh to a spit or long needle, and •' Lance" and " i.anieron." refer to its mode of motion. In I'lngland, in the early days, when transportation was slow, ami those w!io lived in castle and monasteries had the car]!, and the bream, and the pike grown in their own fish-ponds for a sole dejiendence. Iisox ///i///s were more highly esteemed than at ]iresent. and this one species was hon- ored with many names. The l"ish. we learn from 1 lalliwell's •• 1 )iciionarv of Arc haic Words," was •• first a Ja( k, tiien a Pickerel, thirdly a J'ike. ami last of all a l.uce." 'I'his statement agrees with the prevailing idea that in I'.ngl.Mid. •• Pickerel " is used as a diminnti\e of I'ike. \\'hether or not this was the usage in the fourteenth centiu\v seems a little doulitful. when we read what Chancer wrote : " P>et is," ciuote lie, " a pike than a ]iickerel, And i)et tiian old beef in tlie tei'der veal."f I am assured by good authority, tliat Jat k, rather than Pickerel, is at present the customary name in IJritain for young Pike. The word Pickerel is employed in America, to designate any small spei ies of Pike, anil since this name seems to have been almost abundant in England, this usage may perhaps be allowed to i>ass unchallenged. Confusion sometimes has arisen from the fact that in the West, the *' Pike per( h." Stizostcdiuin, is also by many called "pickerel." (See American Angler. Feb. 25, 1882.) Concerning the name ^[uskellunge, there haxebc.'n manv controversies. In a recent issue of " Forest and Stream." Mr. l-'red Mather has given a \ erv thorough history of the name in its various versions. The predacious nature cjf the Pike is proverbial. It eats nearly all other l;inds of fishes, sparing not e\en its own species, and also devours frogs, mice, rats, and even young ducks. Although it is voracious in its attacks upon its prey, it remains generally in ([uiet and seems to ])refer (piiet and sU)w-llowing waters rather than swift streams. ■■• skinner. t Marcluiiit's T;ile, verse ir-'73. !( R i I i 'i i ! mi I: I 280 AMERICAX FISHES. 'I'lie Pikes have been well described as mere machines for the assimi- lation of animal matter. They are the woh es of the ponds, the blue-fish of the fresh waters, and nothing comes amiss to their ravenous maws. The habits of the European spec ies are thus described by a recent writer: "Shrouded from observation in his solitary retreat, he follows with his e)e the motions of the shoals of fish that wander heedlessly along ; he marks the water-rat, swimming to his burrow, the ducklings jjaddling among the waterweeils, the dabchicks and moorhens leisurely swimming on the surface, he selects his victim, and like the tiger springing from the jungle, he rushes forth, seldom indeed missing his aim ; there is a sudden rush, circle after circle forms on the surface of the water, and all is still again in an instant." "No (juadruped, bird or fish that the Pike can cai)ture, seems tt) be secure from its voracity, and even the spiny perch is an acce])table ])rey to this water tyrant," wrote Richardson, speaking of its habits in Pritish America. The breeding habits of the Pike have been best tlescribed by mv friend Prof. Benecke, of Kcinigsberg, who writes: "The Pike inhabits all the waters of (lermany except shallow and rapid brooks. It i)refers clear, quiet water with clean bottom ; is nsually active at night and quiet in the daytime ; lurks among the plants in con- venient corners, whence it rushes forth with arrow-like velocity. It lives a hermit life, only consorting in pairs during the spawning season. The pair of fish then resort to shallow places upon meadows and l)anks which have been overflowed, and, rubbing violently upon each other, deposit their spawn in the midst of powerful blows of their tails. The female regenty in 1862. There is no inherent ini])robability in these stories, since the Muskel- lunge often attains the weight of eighty i)ounds or more, as is attested by numerous witnesses. No records of colossal Pike arc found in the annals of American anglers — j)erhai)s because the large Pike are usually pronounced by uncriti- cal anglers to be in Muskellunge. The western Pickerel, Esox vcnniculatus, said to have been known to the Indians by the name Piccanaii, has been known to attain the weight of twenty pounds,* but at the present day never exceeds seven or eight, and as usually seen, is not more than a foot in length. The eastern brook Pickerel is likewise diminutive. In his census investigation of the (ireat Lakes, Mr. Kumlien obtained the following notes upon the abundance of the Pike and Muskellunge : "On the western shore of Lake Michigan, Pike appear to be resident in those portions of the lake off Racine, and are very rarely taken in gill- nets. At the west end of Lake Erie, individuals are at rare intervals taken * Mississippi. PIKE, MUSKELLUXGE AXD PICKER El.. ■^S ill pound-iK'ts SL't in the deepest water. Aluiut Sanh of tliis kind weighing eighty pounds were far from rare." On the 9th of .\pril. a fish of this si)ecies four feet in length was taken at Ratine; head to operculum, ten inches ; to eye, four inches; greatest e very rare at (irand Haven. But little has been reported regarding the occurrence of the Miiskel- lunge upon the numerous fishing gromuls along the north shore of the southern jieninsuhi of Michigan, lietween Little Traverse Hay and Thunder Hay. It is generally rare through the Straits of Mackinaw, only about half a do/en being taken each season ; and most abundant of all at Les Cheneaux Islands. C'a])t. Coats caught one here, in 1S74, weighing sixty-two pounds. These fish are rarely taken in ]H)und-nets, and are chielly caught with hook and line about the Les Cheneaux ;ind Drummond Islands. Capt. Dingman has caught only one in his pound-net in the past fifteen years. All caught, of which he has heard, have been large. In Thunder Hay, about a tlozen, on an average, are taken in twelve months. In Saginaw Hay, they are taken in about the same numbers as in Tiiunder Hay. Here too they are always large fish. A few are taken in seines along the coast between Port aiix Hartpies and I'ort Huron. A tew also are taken annually in the St. Clair River ; iKMha])s a dozen or two alto- gether in this region during a year. Between Toledo and Detroit River, Lake I'.rie, a specimen of this fish is taken now and then in the jiound- nets. ^\■hen taken, it is always large. The same remark will apply to the vicinity of Toledo and Maumee Hay.* * Mr. I'rcU Alforil states tliat he procured a Muskellunge from Maumee Bay, in 1864, weighing eighty-five pounils. yvAv;, i/r.sAv;/./. r.\(//'; ./.\7> ricKi.Rii., jS: Alidiii |,(M ii>t Point a iVw ari' t.iki'ii in tlu- t'.ill. Twi'iitx vi.iis a^o. in this rryitiu. iiu liidiiii; tlio l"i>lu riis ol'i )lta\va. Port ("I in tun, 'l'(ll|•^^,lint. ami I,(uiist Point, MiKskclIuiif^e were taki'n vwiL^liiii^' sixty or srwntv iiotinds. In Sandusky l?ay, s|ic rejiorted that about one hundred and i'ltty l"ish of tliis spec ies wi're taktii in se\int\ live nets (hnini; the _\ear 1S79. They are liere generally large, and ari' .d\\a\s taken in pairs. Three or fotn- ri.'i>resent a year's < at( h ot' this li>h at Wr million, ()hio. Aln)iit Pilaek Kixfr. I.orain County. Ohio, .Xndier^t. anay, it is very scarce, lew being ( aught in nets ; all that ari' taken are large. ()t"this llsh, in (i)nne(tion with the ('Ie\ eland and |)o\er l>av llsheries, it may be said that it is \ery rat\', and is be( oming more >o eai h year. Mr. Sadler sa\s he took one weigiiing eighty pounds. The lishermen say they are always found in pairs. The Muskelhmge is taken at (.'oniieaut, at the rate of half a do/en in ten years. Only one specimen was taken in the Paines\ille pound-, in 1S79. .\t l-'airport and W'illoughby, ( )luo, no mention is made of its occurrence. Mrie r>ay, especially at Dunkirk and Parcflona, New N'ork, Mrie. Pennsylvania, and Mill's drove, Ohio, is famous for its .Muskellunge fishing; this i)ast season, over sixty were caught, weighing from tweiitv to t'orty-five pounds. They are caught by trawling. l-'ancy prices are paid for them : about twenty-five cents per pound retail in the city, and twehe and a half c-ents when shipped. More were caught during the season t)f 1X79 than ever before. The following notes relate to the llshery in Lake Ontario: .\t ( )swego, the fish is very rare on the American side ; at Port Ontario, one is o( ca- sionally caught ; at Cape \'incent. they are common, especially in the St. Lawrence. Nine have been brought in in one day, the smallest of whi( h weighed thirty-two ])ounds. Tliey are not now, however, so plentiful here as formerly. .\t Chaumont very few are caught. Seven years ago one was captured here weighing sixty-five pounds. At Sacket's Harbor, very few Muskellunge are caught. 'i'he Pike is in I'-urope considered one of the most im])ortant of game fishes. Isaac \\'alton devotes to it an entire chapter, and Mr. Cholmon- deley-Pennell. a well-known I'higlish writer on angling, has published a considerable work, entitled "The Hook of the I'ike." :■* .'So I ]//'AW(\IX //.S7//.V. Iliit Ixi.iiiil. in his '• Ilisldiy of l!ritisli l'"islus." di'v dIi-s m-vi'ImI |>;i;,'i's t(» liu- «'\|'lii|ts 111' \l I . All'lcd l.iniilU'. U lull- 111' (ll'sililH-S ;is " tlu' must SlK - ( I'ssl'iil ;iHL;U'r lor I'lkc in ninilnii linus." In this ((lUiiUN . llu' I'iki' ami llu- I'ii ktirls Ii.im' I'lw trirmis. allliduuli tJK- Miiskriliinm' is not without adnuiiTs, anions ihosi- who lish for sport. I'hr opposition partv is KmI ( hirlly l>y thi' anuh'f lisli ( iillin'ists, who havf Utiod rrason tor iluir spiti'. siiK i' thr hungry I'.sox is a sad tot.' to thi' pro- priiMor ol' a lish pri'si'rw, and initil it has lui'ii lianishi'd iVmn a poiiil. no otiur s|)i'( ii's ( an l>t' i-xpi'ilrd to tlirivr. In liir da\s ot* tlu- int'aiK \ ot' lisji ( ullnrr. I'dxi' and l'i( ki-ri'l wrrr tVripuiith transplanti'd into our w itris. and thi' rrsiilts of" this ill ad\ isrd i.'ntfr]irisi' arr li\ no uumiis satisl'ai torv to thosi- who drsiii' to propa^atr carp or trmit in thr satuf aiiM. (>idv a tVw ot' tlu'so l"ish (an \'\w in onr poml. and in tiu' rnd tin.' ( olonv t onsists ot" a tVw patrian hs. stroiiL;. larm' and \ora( ious. Tlu- I'iki- is not withntit its nsi's in t"ish ( nhuri' howcx (.r. < Mir or two. ki'pt in a iiond, aw ludii'vi'd bv (lonnan < arji Itri'i'dt'rs to liciU'lU tin.' ( arj). li\ •■ ki'i'ping thi'in lixily." and thinning out tlu' frrlik'. Tlu' i'!U'inii.'s ot' I'lsos in Amrrica dfUouiK o him \ ij,M'fouslv, and dci larc that lu- is liony. tlavorK'ss, and ot" trill ini,' \aiui.'. llo has his t"ri(.'nds how- I'wr. In t!u' roiun of" I'.dward I., tho \altK' ot" I'ikc was hijihor than that ot" t"ri'sh salmon, and more than ti.'n time's j^rt-'atcr than that of tlu- best Turbot or {{hI, and in tlu' tinu' of 1 k'liry \'1 1 1, a larut' one sold for iloulilc tin.' price of a lamb, and a Pickerel for more than a fat capon. 'roui,di old Pike, and those taken t'rom muddy, sluguish water, are of course not [o be desired, but as a rule, any one oi' the American speiies is to be ( hosen as a delicate morsel t"or the table. •• Roast him when he is caui,dit." saiil Isaac ^^'alton. " and he is choicely liood — too got)d for any but anglers and honest men." ■st «ll TIIK T.VITdli TAUTOG. CHOGSET AND PARROT-MSH. While l)l.i/iii.L; ItimsI df Imnimini^-biri! aiul lo's stifTeiiM win.; Arc liri^lit as wlioti tlicy first came fnrth iicw-paliituil in thi; spriiiK. Willie specklcil snake and spotted pard their markiiii;s still di-play, 'I'luMiuli lie who cmce enili.ilm'd them hoth himself, he tiirn'd to cl.iy, On lisli a diflVreiU fite atlciuls, nor re.uh tliej loii^' the shore Kre fide their hues like raiii-h.nv tints, and soon their hcaulv's o'er. 'I'he eye that late in I'lean's llood was lart;e and round and full, lleconies on lanil a sunken tirh, glaucomatous and dull ; The gills, like mushrooms, soon begin to turn from pink to hlatk, The blood congeals in stasis thick, the scales upturn and crack ; And those fiir forms, a Veronese, in art's meridian power, With every varied tint at hand, and in his happiest hour, Coiijil ne'er in equal beauty deck and bid the canvas live. Arc iiuw' su culourlcss und culd, a KcnibranUt's tuucluuight give. Uauham. ' I "TIE Wrasses and rarrot-fishcs, are among the most gorgeously ai)parelle(l of tlie inhabitants of the waters. Nature has not confL'rred on the Labri, said Lact!'pede, either strength or power, but they liave received instead, as their share of her fiivors, shapely i)roportions, and activity of fin, and are adorned with all the hues of the rainbow. " Le feu du dianiant, du rubis, de la toi)az, de I'emeraude, du saphir, de I'ami/thystes du grenat, scintille sur leurs ecailles polies, il brille sur leur surface en goutte, croissans, en raies, en bandes, en anneaux, en ceintures, en zones, en ondes ; il se mtJle i\ I'ljclat de Tor et de I'argent, (jui y res])lendit sur des grandes places, les teintes obscure, les aires pales, et pour ainsi docolorees. ' ' 288 AMERICAN FISHES. \\ Tlicsc fishes were held in the higliest esteem ;n classical days, for num- erous spec ies of the group fretpient the waters of Italy and (Ireeee. •• Atcording to tlie (Ireeks," writes Uadham, • to do justice to their llesh was not easy, to speak of their trail as it deserved was imjiossi- l)le. and to throw away even its excrement was a sin. The frugal Xunia would ncjt allow these expensive ' brains of Jove ' {^Ccrcbniiii Jovis Siiprcmi was a poetic name for the Scarus) to be imi)orted for public entertainments, intimating therel)y that parsimony was agreeable to the gods." Aristotle considered the Scarus to be the only fish which slept at night. '■Scarus aU)iie their folded eyelids close In grateful intervals of soft repose \\\ some seiiuestered cell, removed from sij^ht They doze away tlie dangers of the niglit." This ancient and aristocratic family is rather tropical in its tastes, but we ha\e two worthy though not very highly appreciateil representatives on our Eastern Atlantic coast, and others in our (lulf and Pacific waters. One of tiie best known shore species on our Atlantic coast, is the Tautog or I'lack-fish, TaittOi::;a oiiitis. This fish is now found in greater or less abundance about St. John. N. 13., to Charleston, S. C. Mast of jNew York it is usually called Tautog. a name of Indian origin, which first occurs in Roger William's " Key to American Language." jirinted in 1643. in which this tlsh is enumerated among the edible species of Soutiiern New I'higland. "Tautog" would consecpiently seem to be a word from the dialect of the Xarragansett Indians. On the coast of New York it is called •• lllack-fish " ; in >.'ew Jersey also " Ulack-fish " and "Smocth I'.lack-fish." " Tautog." or "("hub"; on tlie eastern shore of Virginia "Moll." or " Will-Oeorge ": at the moutii of the Chesapeake "Salt- water '^'hub." and in North Carolina the "Oyster-fish." Of all these names, Tautog is by tar the most desirable for general use. There are several other sj)ecies along our coast called Black-fish, esjjecially the sea- bass, which is often associated with the Tautog. The names Oyster-fish and Chub are also pre-engaged by other species. Tiiough the present geographical distribution of the Tautog is well understood, there is no reason to belie\e that its range has been very considerably extended in the present c:entury by the agency of man. That the species was known in Rhode Island two hundred and thirty years ago is reasonably certain tVom the reference by Rcjger Williams, TAUrOG, CHOGSKT AXD PARROT-FISIf. 289 already referred to, and in 1776 it was stated by SclKcpf tliat it was \ery al)undant in summer at New X'ork. It is in greatest almndant e between the southern anL,de of Cape Cod and the Capes of Delaware, whi< h would inilicate that within these limits, at least, the species has always existed. The waters of l.onij Island Sound and those immediately adjoiniui; seem especially well ada])ted tor its residence. Mitchill, writiuij^ in 1X14, remarked : •• 'i'he Tautoi,^ was not ori^jinallv known in Massachusetts Hay ; but within a few \ears he has been < arritd beyond Cai)e Cod. anil has multiplied so abundantly that the lioston mar- ket has now a full sup|)ly without the necessity of importin^,^ from Newport and i*ro\ iilcnce." This statement is contlrmed, in a wa\', by Mr. Isaac- Hinklev. of Philadelphia, who tells me that in 1S24, he saw se\eral indi viduals from Cohasset Rocks. Jerusalem Road. Mass., and that the fish was at that time said by the fishermen to be entirelv new to them. StcM'er. writin.!^ about 1S67. remarked: •'Althougli a few \ears onlv has ])assed sint e liiis species was broui;ht into Massac husetts I!ay, it is now taken aloni; a large |)ortion of the coast. At IMymouth, Xahant, and J,ynn, at some seasons, it is found in c(;nsiderable nund)ers, and is frequently caught from the bridges leading from Roston. The Roston market is for the most ]iart su])plied bv I'hniouth and Welltleet." As early as 1S51. tliev had spread northward to the Ikiy of Fundy, and in that \ear it is stated that many were sold in the fish market at St. John, the largest of which weiglu'd eight 'pounds : Mr. Ranman wrote that he obtained there in July and August specimens nineteen inches long, and weighing four pounds. The rockv shores of Cape Ann seen) particularly well adapted to its ]ieculiar habits, and large numbers are annually obtained from the Ro< ks. So long has it been acclimated, and so well known is it. that the local authorities of that regicjn are inclined to doubt that it is notnatixe. The •'Cdoucester Telegra[)h " of May 5. 1S60, challenged the statement that the Tautog was a new l"ish, declaring that many years ago they were very ])len!v. and that after a period of scarcity they reapjieared. So al)und"ant had they become in 1S36 in the harbor of \\'elllleet, Mass., that three Coi,inecticut smacks were accustomed summer after summer to devote their entire energies to their capture in this locality, and this fishery has continued up to the present day. In sandy localities, like the harbcjr of Provincetown. they have never secured a firm hold, though large specimens are sometimes taken under the wharves. 19 290 AMERICAN FISHES. i; i. r As to the extension of the range of this species southward, wo have the statement of Holl)rook, quoted by DeKay, writing in 1S42 : '• Attempts have l)een made to introduce this fish farther south, but with limited suc- cess. I am informed by my friend. Dr. Holbrook, tliat (len. Thomas Pinckney imported from Rhode Island a smack load of the Tautog and set them adrift in the harbor of Charleston, S. C, where they are to be found to this day. They are still occasionally caught, weighing from one to two pounds, but never in such quantities as to be brought to market." Mr. Karll obtained specimens at Charleston in January, 18.S0. Certain ich- thyologists, among whom is Prof. Jordan, express skepticism as to the ranse having been thus artificially extended southward. At Cape Lookout, S. C, Jordan records the species, under the name "Oyster-fish," as rather common, the young abuiKiant about the wliarves. About Norfolk and in the mouth of Chesapeake Bay they occur, and also on the coast of Southern Xew Jersey, where they are taken in the vicinity of Beasley's Point, in the c;hannel ways, and along the shores, and they are said to be somewhat common on the banks off Sandy Hook, ami in the southern bays of Long Island. These sandy regions, however, are not so much frequented by them as those abounding in rocky beaches and ledges. Although the Tautog apjiear to thrive in cool water, as has been shown by the rapid extension of the northern range, they take refuge from too great cold, by retreating in winter to somewhat deeper water than that preferred in summer. Here they appear to seek shelter under the stones and in crevices of the rocks, if we may judge from their habits as observed in aquaria, their smooth, slimy skins, with scales protected from abrasion by a thick epidermis, enabling them to move about among the sharp- pointed rocks unharmed. They are on this account, also, especially well suited for confinement in the walls of smacks and in '• live-cars." where it is customary to keep them living until retiuired for market. They a])pear to enter upon an actual state of hibernation, ceasing to feed, and the vital functions partially suspended. It is the opinion of fishermen that during the hibernating season, the vent becomes entirely closed up. as is known to be the case with hibernating mammals. It is certain that they do not retreat far from the shore in winter, and that very cold weather, especially in connection with a run of low titles, often causes very remarkable fatalities. There are instances of their death in immense numbers. In February, 1857, after a very cold season, hundreds of tons TAUTOG, ClIOGSET AXD PAKROT-FISII. 291 drifted upon the beach at IJUx k Island, and alonL,^ the southern shores of Massachusetts and Rhode Ishind, and a siniihir ( atastrophc took jihu e in 1841, M irc '/3 i.Stt, It IS stated that as niu( h as a ton was thrown en lloatiuL;- In- the 1 leii ashore in the drift ice at C"ult\hunk. 'I'hev were and Chickens light-sliip for three successi\e (hiys. In Southern New England they l)ecome torpid in November and December. It is stated that they arc sometimes caught as late as Christmas. It is prdbable iliat man y do not enter upon a state of complete torpidity, but r eUKnn in a iiar tially active state in deep holes not far from the shore, and that it is these. rather than the hibernating individuals, which are espe( iall\- liable to injury from the cold. A few are taken in Rhode Island in midwinter. both by line and in lol)ster-])Ots. Xo'lh of Cape Cod they are rarely taken except in summer.* while towartls the southern limit of their range they are apparently as abundant in winter as at any other time. Mr. Nathan King, a Rhode Island fisherman, states that when the sun i:^ \erv hot the I'autog leaves the clear spots for shelter among the weeds and rocks. As mav be inferred from its haunts and from the character of its strong. sharp teeth, the food of this consists of the hard-shelled molltisks and crustat:eans which are so abundant among the roc k In tl leir stomachs have been found, among other things, lobsters, crabs of ^•arious species. clams, mollusks, sipiids. scollojjs, barnacles, and sand-dollars. Man\- of the smaller mollusks they swallow, shells and all, ejecting the hard jiarts after the flesh has been digested. The comnn)n bait for Tautog in the spring is the clam, preferably the soft clam, for at this time the lishermen In the tall, crabs and lobsters are i ised say they have tender mouth:- the fiddler-crab and rock-crab being the favorites. They are sometimes taken with a bait of marine worms. In Narragansett l>ay and vicinity they spawn from the end of .\iiiil until August. The pound fishermen find them to be full of ripe eggs when they 1 HIJlh to a})proach the shore in early summer. Mr. Christopher V.. Dyer, of New Bedford, has witnessed the operation of spawning in Ru/./.aid's bay in the mil ](S6o, about two miles east of Seconnet l\)int. 'I'he numb'T of eggs has t yet been determined, nor is it known how long the period of iiu uba- Idleof June, in water alK)Ut two fathoms deep. This was in 1S59 or no *The first uf the season were taken at (jloucester, May 13, iSSi. 1 292 AMERICAN FISHES. H { !! tion continues, but yoinig fish are found abundantly in the eel-grass along the shore in August and September, and have been observed at various points from C!ape Lookout to Monomoy. There can be no (juestion, however, that there are breeding grounds near Charleston, S. C, and north to Cape Cod, since the sj)ecies is very local in its habits, and does not make long journeys to select spawning beds. Little is known of their rate of growth, though it is probably slow. Capt. Benjamin lOdwards, of Woods Holl, .\[ass., kept thousands of small Tautog confined in a pond for five years, and at the end of tluit time, when six years old, none •weighed more than two and onedialf pounds. A half-pounil fish which he confined in a lobster-car, with plenty of room and i)lenty of food, increased from one-half to three-cpiarters of a poimd in six months. The average Aveight of those sent to market does not exceed two or three pounds, though individuals weighing ten, twelve, and fourteen pounds arc bv no means unusual. The largest on record was obtained near New York in July, 1S76, and is preserved in the National Museum — its length thirty-six and one-half inches, its weiglit twenty-two and one-half ])ounds. The abundance of this species past and present has been actively dis- cussed and much interesting testimony on the subject may be found in the report of the United States Commissioner of fisheries. Tliis was one ai the fish regarding which the claim was made that it has been almost exter- minated in Rhode Island by overfishing ; upon this point, however, the opinions of fishermen and experts are much at variance. Tn 1S70, when, according to general opinion, Tautog had been almost exterminated in the waters of Narragansett Bay, the records of Newport fish-markets show that in one day, November 2, eleven men caught about 3,000 pounds of Tau- tog with hook and line, l)esides cod and other fish, while on the following day the catch of fifteen meen was 28.000 pounds, besides codfish caught to the amount of 600 ])ounds, being an average of over 2,600 pounds to each man. These catches compare very fa\oral)ly with that recorded at Fir Rock Ledge, Wareham, ten years previous, when, on the 9th of Octol)er, two men caught, in three hours, 271 poirnds of Tautog, a catch which was pronounced by local authorities the greatest ever made in those waters.* Col. Lyman, I\Lissachusetts commissioner, writing in 1872, remarked : " Great complaint is made of the scarcity of this valued species north and south of Ca])e Cod, but especially near the mouth of ; % ♦Barnstable Patriot, October 9, 1S60. t -I TA UTOG, CHOOSE T A AD J\IRR O T- FISH. '03 Narra.i^'ansL'tt Ikiy, where tlicy arc said tn be not niDrc than onc-t'ii,dith as mnnerous as tlicy were a score of vears a^o." Although niiuh testinionv lias been jjrinted in tlie reports ot" the I'ish Coinniissions of the United States and of Rhode Island, the i^eneral tendency of which is to show that old fishermen believe that 'I'auloL,^ and other fish are much less abundant than in the clays of their youth, noliiin^^ definite has yet been proved. The Tautog has always been a taxoritc table fish, especially in New York, its llesh beini^ white, dry, and of a tlelicate llavor. Storcr states that they are frecjuently jiickled, and may be kept in weak brine tor a long time, and in this state they are considered by epicures a delicacv. The capture of Tautog is chiellv accomplished by the line fishermen of Southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the weir fishermen of the same district. No one fishes for Tautog alone, and it is conse(]uently more difticult to estimate theciuantity taken. About 200,000 pounds were brought to the New York market last year. Local consumption is ton- siderable, and the total amount annually taken may be estimated at from 400,000 to 450,000 j)ounils. At least two hundred fishermen are entirely or partly cngageil in this business between ("ape Cod and New York. The catch of such fishermen in Narragansett IJay is estimated at 6,000 pounds each annually. This gives in round numbers 100,000 pounds taken by hook and line along this stretc h of coast. To this should be added 20,000 pounds estimated to be taken on the coast of New Jersey and southward, and 20,000 more north of Cape Ct)d. Tautog are also fre- quently taken in the weirs and pounds, and the catch of these for the year 1S76 was estimated as is shown in the following table : I'omuK. Weirs on north side of Cape Cod -'274 Weirs on south side of Cape Cod 561 Weirs in Vineyard Sound ::9,22o A\'eirs in Buzzard's Bay ,:;9.423 Weirs in Narragansett Bay 156,750 Weirs on Block Island ,i3>i53 Weirs in Fisher's Island Sound 14.000 \Veirs on eastern end of Long Island 36.000 3ii'3''^i At Noank, Conn., there is in the fall a season of "black-fishing" which continues from the middle of October until the snow begins to fall, 294 AMERICAN FISHES. W al)out tlic first of Dcceml)cr. Al)oiit twcnty-fivo men are engaged in this fishery lUiring the season specified, some of wliom begin a month or two earlier. Tliev fisli in Fisher's Ishind Sound at a depth of six to eight fatlioms, using crabs and k)bsters for l)ait. The average catch of each man for the season is estimated by Capt. Ashby at one thousand jjounds. The most nortlierly point where there is a regular fishery for them is, as has already been mentioned, in Wellfieet harbor. According to DeKay, three smacks were constantly emjjloyed from .\pril to November. These smacks doubtless, then as now, hailed from Connecticut. In 1879, these vessels were still upon the old ground, one of them hailing from West|)ort and one or two from New London. One of the skippers was said to have fished upon this ground every season for thirty years. I was told in Well- fleet that they ordinarily remained about three weeks to fill their wells, obtaining in that time from two to four thousand jiounds. Angling for Tautog from rocks is a favorite pursuit of amateur fishermen all along the coast, particularly about New York, where there are pre- cipitous shores, the anglers standing upon the rocks. July 12, 1879, Capt. S. J. Martin caught in this way, at Eastern Point, Gloucester, seven, two of which weighed twenty-one and a half pounds. In Long Island Sound and other protected waters they are usually fished for from boats anchored among the reefs or near wrecked vessels. Mitchill, writing in 1814, describes the methods of this fishery better than any other subsecjuent authority : " Rocky shores and bottoms are the haunts of Blackfish. Long experience is recpiired to find all these places of resort. Nice observations on the landmarks in different directions are requisite to enable a fishing party to anchor on the proper spot. For exanii)le, when a certain rock and tree range one way, with a barn window appearing over a headland the other way, the boat lying at the point where two such lines intersect each other, is exactly over some famous rendezvous. At some places lilackfish bite best upon the flood. In others they are voracious during the ebb. Thunder accompanying a shower is an indication that no more of them can be caught. The appearance of a porpoise infallibly puts an end to the sport. Dull weather with an easterly wind is ge icraiiy the omen of ill luck. Some persons who live contiguous to the shores where are situated the rocks which are freciuented by Tautog, invite the fish there by baiting. By this is meant the throwing overboard broken clams or crabs to induce the Blackfish to renew their visits ; and fine sport is procured." TAUTOG, CJIOGSKT AXD PARROT- F/sn, ^95 Mitchill also gives an interesting hit of folk k)re in the following account of the botanical mncnonicsof the fishermen in the vi( init)- of New- York : " The blossoming of the dogwood, Cormis jJorida. early in April is imderstood to denote tiie time of catching bla< k-fish. As soon as these llowers unfold, the fishermen pnx eed with their hooks and lines to the favorite places. If there is no ecimens from Newfoundland, but it abounds on the coast of Labrador. It is closely related to the " Clold- sinny," Ctcnolabnts rupcstris, and the "Connor" or "Gilt-head," Crciiilabrus iiiclops, of Great Britain and adjoining Europe. It has numerous conmon names. In Southern New England it is called " Chog- set," a name of Indian origin, sometimes pronounced Cachogset. This name appears to have been in occasional use as far west as New York, where, in Mitchill's time, it was also called " Bluefish." In Maine, the British Provinces, and in some parts of Massachusetts the name " Cunner " is in use, evidently having been brought over by the English colonists who remembered a very similar fish at home which has this name. In New York, the name " Burgall " has continued in use since the revo- J TA UTOG, CirOGSE T LVD P. I A' A' ( ) T- 1- 1 SIT. 297 lutionarv ti UK'S. Ills 11a mc also is of IjiLrlish origin, ((.'rtain siiccics of this family being calk'd '• IJcrgylt " in parts of I'.iiuland." This name apjK'ars to hold in Eastern Lonj; Island at the jircscnt time. At I'rinince- town they are called " Sea-pcrc h," an( 1 at the isk SI 10a Is and occasionally on the adjoinini,' mainland. •• lilue-pen h ' ' and •• I'erch," this also being a reminiscence of ]'".nglish usage. At Salem they are called Ni 1 liners. and occasionallv here and elsewhert ]!ait-stealen AI lOUt A\ here C'lmners are founil at all. thev are exceedingly abundant. and though performing a useful duty as scavengers, are a pest of fi>hermen. from their habit of nibbling the bait from their hooks. They are the especial detestation of those who fish for Tautog. since the twn species are ordinarilv found touether. Their food is verv similar to that of ne :ui- '1' tog, except that they cannot swallow large shells. 'J'liey feed also upon dead animal matter, and are among the most important s( avengers of our harbors. Numbers of them may be taken by lowering a net containing a ]iiece of meat or fish and cpiickly raising it to the surface. Like the 'I'au- togs, Cunners are local in their habits, only moving from the shoal water in extreme cold weather, and. though adajjted for living in cokler water. rarely retreat except in the se\erest weather. In winter, howe\er, they are rarely caught with the hook. The first of the season of 18S1 at Ciloucester, were caught May 8. A very cold season sometimes destroys them. It is recorded that in January, 1835, great cpiantities were frozen and thrown up on the shore between (llouce^ter and Marblehead.* In June and July they si)awn on their feeding grounds in ScMithern New Mngland, and in July and August fish three-cpiarters of an inc h. or more, in length are taken abundantly along the shores. They a])pear to become adult and to breed when three inches long. The largest I have ol)ser\ ed was taken at Woods Holl, in July, 1875 ; its weight was twelve ounces, its length ten and a half inches, and it was spawning freely. Storer claims to have seen them fourteen inches long, and I am assured that they sometimes attain a weight of two pounds. From Eastport, Maine, to the \ icinity of Boston, the Cunner is a favorite article of food. Elsewhere it is rarely eaten ancl is usually regarded with disgust — a foolish prejudice, for it is one of the most agreeably flavored among the small fishes on our coast. Immense cpiantities are taken with the hook from the rocks, bridges, and boats, especially in the ^•icinity of * Gloucester Telegraph, J;iiuiary 14, 1S35. !f)8 , IMERICAN FISJfKS. lit < itics like Boston and rortland. They arc also taken in immense (|uantities in nets. The Irish market-boats of Boston make a special business of catchin.i; them, using circular nets three or four feet in diameter whi(h are baited and set among the rocks. Dr. Storer records that on the occasion of his \isit to Labrador, in 1849, he found them so plentiful in the Out of C'anso, that by sinking a basket with a salt fish tied therein for bait, he continually caught them by the score, and by putting a few hun- dreds in the well of his sloop, kept tlie crew well supitlied with fish while at sea on the way to Labrador. The people of iS'oxa Scotia, like those south of Cape Cod, rarely if ever eat the Cunner. Mr. J. >hitthew Jones intorms me that in the summer of iiSG^, when tiie French fleet was anchored in LLdifax ILirbor, the sailors caught them for food in gp'-'t nunibiTs. About St. Margaret's Bay, according to Mr. Ambrose, they are gi\en as food to pigs ; since, however, the p(jrk of these fish-ted pigs abva\s tastes oily, they are generally fed on some other food for a short time before being killed, and well dosed Mith sulphur. It was formerly customary in Boston to keep these fish alive for market in large cars, de- scribed by Storer as three feet deep, twelve to fifteen feet long, closed beneath and latticed at the sides, and anchored in deep water. Storer states that sometimes as many as five thousand fish were kv . in a single car. and that these cars were replenished every week or fortniglu. It is impossible to estimate with any degree of accuracy the; (piantity of Cun- ners annually taken. The cat<;h of the Irish market-boats of Boston cannot fall much short of 300,000 pounds, and that of the other towns and States on the coast of New England is certain to be from 200,000 to 250,000 pounds. Several of the Parrot-fishes occur on the Florida coast, notably the Blue Barrot-fish, Plafyglossus radiatus (Linn.) (loode, sometimes, accord- ing to Jcjrdan, seen in Key West market, and P. bivattafiis, known in Bermuda as "Slippery Dick," recorded by Jordan from Charleston mar- ket. They are gorgeous in color, but the flesh is so dry that they are held in slight esteem for table use. The Red-fish, of California, Troiliocopiis piilcJicr, writes Jordan, is everywhere known as the "Red-fish": the name "Fat-head" is occa- sionally used, and it is very rarely called " Sheepshead." It reaches a weight of twelve to fifteen pounds. It is found from Point Conception southward to Cerros Island in enormous numbers, in the kelp. It is taken I'ld is a- a ■on TAUTOG. CHOGSET AND PARROTFISH. 299 ( hicdy with liook and line. It fcL-ds on crustaceans and nioUtisks. It is taken chielly by the Chinese, who salt and dry it. It forms iudf of the total catch of the CMiinese south of I'oint Coiueiition. It does not rank high as food-fish, its tlesh being coarse. Tlie fat forehead is said to make excellent chowder. The Senorita-fish, of Monterey, Psciuiojiiiis fnot/i's/us, is known as " Pescerey"; southward it is called "Senorita." It reaches a weight of less than half a pound. It is found in the kelp from Monterey southward to Cerros Island, and is generally common. It feeds chielly on crusta- ceans, and is used, as a rule, only for bait, although the llesh is said to be of excellent (piality. The Kelp-fish, of California, /Vir/yx/ossi/s sn/iiiinifus, bears in (ouij any with Ilcterosticlitis rostatiis, and perhaps others, the name of " Kelp-fish." It reaches a pound in weight, and a length of nearly a foot. It is found in the kelp about Santa Catalina Islanil and southward, and is not very abundant. It feeds on Crustacea, and spawns in July. Its flesh is said to be of good (pud ity. The Hog-fish, Lacliiiohcmus fa/cafiis, is, according to Mr. Stearns, abundant at Key West and along the Florida coral reefs, although he has not observed it north of the (lulf of Mexico. It there attains a consider- able size, and a weight of twelve or fifteen pounds, although the average fish is not more than one-fourth that size. In the Key West market it ajijiears almost daily, and is much esteemed for food. This species occurs throughout the West Indies, and is one of the favorite food-fishes of Cuba, although its sale is forbidden by law, on account of the supposed jioisonous nature of its flesh. In the Bermudas it is one of the most important of the food-fishes, attaining sometimes the weight of twenty pounds. It is caught by the line fishermen among the reefs, at a depth of five to forty fathoms. Like the other members of this family, it feeds ujion small fish, and upon bottom crustaceans and mollusks. Its brilliant red color render, it a con- spicuous object in the markets. During the different stages of growth its species undergoes many changes of form, and has been described under several different names. The large adult male is remarkable on account of a heavy black blotch over the forehead and over the eyes. The name "Hog-fish" refers to the swine-like appearance of the head, jaws, and teeth. At the entrance to the Cireat Sound, in Bermuda, is a reef called Hog-fish shoal, which is surmounted by a beacon bearing an enormous effigy of a Hog-fish in metal. 30O // M ERICA N F J SUES. ,1 ;' A raniily rclati'd to tlie- \\'rassL's is that of tlic I )cin()isi.llcs or Poinitiiii- Amon)^ tlic R'L'fs of I'Morida two or three species of this family are almnd- ant. Most prominent amon^' tiiemisthe "Sergeant Major," Glyf^hiJiuion .r(/.\(//'///.v (L.) C. iV \'., called in iJermiida the '• t!o\v-|)il()t," from an al- le.ned habit of lieini; always t'ound in the society of the" {^)\v lish," or Ostracion. 'I'his fish sometimes attains the length of ten in( lies and the weight of a pound or so, but is usually of a smaller size and is not highly esteemed for food. It is founil throughout the tropical waters of the world. There are several smaller species of this and of allied genera in the Oiilf of Mexico, and on the western side of the Isthmus of Panama and in the (lulf of California. On the California coast occurs a species. Poiiuwciitnts nihiciiiiJiis, conspicuous by reason of its uniformly deep crimson or orange coloration, which is usually known as the "Garibaldi" among the Italians. The i,.imes "Cold-fish" and " \\^(\ Perch" are also used, all of them referring to its brilliant orange colorations. It reaches a weight of three pounds, and a length of less than a foot. It is found about the Santa Barbara Islands and .-louthward to I,ower California. It lives about rocky places, and is generally abundant. Its food is chietly crustac cans. It is a food-fish of low grade, and has little economic importance. Another somewhat noteworthy species is known in California, on account of its dusky colors, as the "Blacksmith," C/iroinis pinic/i/>iiiiiis. Cooper. " This fish," writes Jordan, " is known as the 'Blacksmith' from its dusky colors. It reaches a weight of about two pounds. It ranges from the Santa Barbara Islands southward, living about reefs of rock, and is Iccally abundant. It feeds on shells and Crustacea. It is considered as indifferent food." The family Cichlidic is large, and is composed chiefly of fresh-water fishes occurring in the tropical parts of Africa and America. Among its members is a South American species, Gco^/iagiis stii-iiiaiiicnsis, which is often mentioned by writers on the instincts of animals on account of a ]K'culiar habit of the males wliich carry in their mouths the eggs until they are hatched, and which are even said to allow the young fish to seek refuge within their jaws. We have no representatives of this funnily on our Atlan- tic coast, though one or two species of the genus Jlcros occur in the brackish waters of Texas. m :r Its is a -y a- SCULPINS AND GURXARDS. N'liw the Sciilpiu is a little water licast wliicli prctemis to cniisider it^cll a iKIi.anil, uiulertliat prtte.vt.li :.n);H al)imt the piles on wliii :li \Vi-.t liii>tiiii I'riclne is built, swallnwiii); the hait ami liiink iiiteiiileil fur llmiinlrrs. ( )ii l)elll^; ilrawii frniii the water, it exposes an iniiiieiise head, a iliniinulivo hniiy eariass, and a >nrfaiesii Inll (if spines, ridijes, rn flies and frills lh.it I lie naturalists have not lieen able tmniint tlieni w itln.nt ipiarrelinvjahniit their niimlier ; and that the ii lured yiuilli, whose sport they spoil ilo not like to toin h them, and especially to tread on them unless tliey happen to have shoes on to cover the soles of their hroad black feet. IIin.Ml-s: '/'n- J'ri/,\K.uir ,1/ ///,■ /!>,a{/'.is/ '/',i/'/i\ /^N our Atlantic ctxist are found several species of this taniily. j,fenerally ^^^ known by the name " Sculpin." anspecies has been found on the coast of Ireland,* and the typical GV/z/i" j^w/zV/jt has been shown by Dr. IJean to occur in Maine. This is also, in addition to several insignifit ant species seldom seen excejU by naturalists, a large, brilliantly colored form, known ■"Annals of Natural History, 1844, p. 402. ■' M: !; ; I 302 AMERICAX FISHES. as the "Sea-raven," '• Rock 'J'oad fisli," or " Deep-water Sculpin," which is found as far soutli as tlie entrance to Chesa])eake Bay, is abundant throughout New I'lngland, and has been discovered off the coast of Nova Scotia. This fish, ///'//////v/Avv/jr ///,sy>/(//AT, or //. aiinriiantis, attains the length of two feet, and is consi)icuous by reason of its russet-orange or brick-red colors, its harkHjuin-like markings, its warted body, its gro- tesquely elongated fins, and above all, by its peculiar habit of swallowing air until its belly is intlated like a balloon. These fishes feed ujion all bottom animals, mollusks, crustaceans, sea- urchins, and worms, and may also be fiiund in tlie harbors devouring any refuse substances which may be lying upon the bottom. They breed fur the most part in summer, and certain species, like the Sea-raven and the Cireenlancl Sculpin, at that time assume very brilliant colors. They are not eaten by our pcoijle, although the Sea-raven is decidedly palatable. Those species which occur in (ireenland, are said to be eaten by the natives. As has been remarked, they are a source of annoyance to fisher- men, whose bait they steal and whose hooks, especially the hooks of their trawl-lines, they encumber. Boys delight to catch them and fix a piece of light wood between their teeth ; they are then unable to swim and struggle vigorously at the top of tlie water. About the fish-curing stations they are very abundant, and exceedingly useful as scavengers, gorging themselves with refuse thrown back into tlie sea; they care little for the ])resence of man, and can hardly be driven away, even when roughly punched with a boat-hook. In the lakes and streams of the Northern States are numerous species of Uranidca and allied genera, known in some localities by the ICnglish name of "Miller's Thumb," also called "Bull-heads," "Goblins," "Blobs," and "Muffle-jaws." They are small and of no importance except as the food for larger species. The Cottidai, according to Jordan, are represented on the Pacific coast by about eighteen separate species, known by such names as " Sculpin," "Drummer," " Salpa," "Johnny," " Biggy-head," and "Cabezon." Only one of these species, ScorpanichtJiys nianiioratiis, has any sort of economic importance ; the others may be considered collectively. The names applied to them may be briefly considered. 'I'he name Sculpin, of course, is derived from that in use for the Atlantic species of Cottus. " Drummer," comes from the quivering noise made by many species when SCULP/.VS AND GURNARDS. 303 taken alive out of the water. " Salpa " is a Spanish word for toad, and applied also to species of Batraehidcc. " Johnny " is applied only to very little Sculpins along the shore, notably OUgocotttis maculosus. The same name is given in the Ohio Valley to fishes of precisely similar habits, the EtJu'ostomatidce. '* Biggy-heud " and its Spanish cognate *' Cabezon " are used by the Italians and Spanish about Monterey, Santa Barbara, and elsewhere, for different Cottida;. Most of the Cottida; feed upon small fishes, and especially crustacea; one species, Z"//^'////M..f bison, being a vegetable feeder. All take the hook readily. The flesh is poor, tough, and dry, and tlie waste by was again on (JntTi'au I'ank, wluTc lie found a s( hool of small am! liig nialc anil feMnale fish, all, appari'iitl)', spawning, or ready to spawn, '•with milt and pt'cs soft"; in August he was on the outer part of Sahle Island, where lie found females full of s])awn. ('apt. Ashhy, speaking of the llalihut on (leorge's Hanks, states that roe is alwa\s found in them in May and June. 'I'he roes of a large Ilali- liut caught by him in 1.S4S on the southwest part of (leorge's. and which weighed 356 pounds, after it had been dressed and its head remo\ed, weighed 44 pounds, lie states that the Halibut in this region have spawn in them as long as Connecticut vessels continue to catch them, or until September. Me has seen eggs in Halibut of twenty jjounds' weight, and thinks that they begin to breed at that si/e. 'i'he spawn of the Halibut is a favorite food of the fishermen of Southern New l-^ngland, tiiough never eaten by those of Cajie Ann. Capt. Hurlbert, of (Gloucester, tells me that on the Crrand Danks of Newfoundland the Halibut school used to come up in shoal water, in forty or fifty fathoms, in summer and that the sjjawn was ripest about a fort- night later. In August, 1S7S, he found many with the spawn already run out. At that time several (Uoucester fishermen reported that the Halibut on I-e Have and (^uereau IJanks were full of sjjawn. Capt. Collins told me that in July and August, and up to the first of September, they are found here with the ovaries very large, and are often seen with the ova and milt exuding. The ovaries of a large fish are too heavy to be lifted by a man, without considerable exertion, being often two feet or more in length. At this time very little food is found in their stomachs. In September, 1878, the Fish Commission obtained from Capt. (Jollins the roes of a fish weighing from 190 to 200 ])ounds, taken by the schooner "Marion" on the 13th of the month on Quereau Bank. This fish was taken at the depth of 200 fathoms, and the temperature of the water was roughly re- corded at 36° F. These ovaries were put into a basket with ice and brought to the laboratory of the Fish Commission, where they were found to weigh seventeen pounils, two ounces. Part of the eggs were nearly ri])e, and separated readily, while others were immature and closely adherent to each other. A portion of the roe, representing a fair average of the size of the eggs, was weighed and was fount! to contain 2,185 t-'ggs; the weight of this portion was two drams. The total number of eggs was from this es- timated to be 2,182,773. It is not yet known whether the eggs float or ■ K i I 3M AMERICAN FISHES. rest upon tlu' liDttom. nor is it known how lonj,' is the period of incubation, nor wliat is the rate (){ growtli ot" tlie lisli. As has already been mentioned, voiMi;; t'l^li are \ery unusual : the smallest ever seen by Capt. Ashby in Southern New lln^land was taken on Nantucket Shoals, and weighed two anil a half pounds after it had been eviscerated. •• I, et't handed " Halibut are sometimes taken. Perhaps one out of five thousand i^ thus abnormal in its form, haviiiL; the eyes udou the left rather than upon the rij^dit hand side of the head. Halibut with dark spots or ])atches on the under side of the same dark color as the back are occasionally taken. 'I'hese are called by the fisher- men " Cin us Halibut." They are generally of medium size, and thick, well-fed fish. Tin; I'LAK'K. The Plaice, Summer Flounder, or Turbot Flounder, Paralichthys dcn- nitits, is, next to the Halibut, the most important flat fish on the eastern coast. It is a meml)er of a genus not existing in Europe, though repre- sented on our own I'acific coast, in China and Japan, and in the Indian Ocean. Its affinities are with the Halibut, which it much resembles in form, and to which it is more similar in flavor than to the Turbot and Brill, so well known in transatlantic fish markets. Our common species was first brought to notice in 1766, when Linnreus received specimens from South Carolina, sent him by Dr. Garden. It seems at that time to have been of recognized commercial importance, since it was one of the few received by Linnaeus from Garden which had a common name. In South Carolina at this time it was called Plaice, and this is a name which is now accepted HALIBUT, FLAT-FISH AND FLOUXDER, .?'5 in the Xl'w N'liik market and about Cape Cod, althouKli it lias mi'mt Ihtm reco},Mii/L'd !))■ those who have written l)ooks on Anierican t'lshes, 'I lu- fishermen of the St. |ohn's Kixeralso use the name IMaice, Imt whether f(.r th h .t h d. In ( tor tnis specu's nas not heen (leti'rmined. In l onni'( tn iit, .Norlh Laro- lina, and in Idorida, east and west, as well as on other pait^ of the coast, the names I'lotrnder and Common Flounder are current, in .New \'ork and Xew I'aiyland the name Summer Flounder is also freipientlv heanl. In Rhode Island the names •' I'lrail " and '• I'lickermouth " are used, th'- former doubtless a modification of the i'!n,L,dish name " IJrill." while on the bills of fare in Boston and Xew York hotels it is often caUed the •• 1 )eep-sea Flounder," especially sinte the I'ole Flounder has been brou,L;ht to notice by the Fish Commission, and has obtaineil a reputation as a delicious table fish. Fishermen sometimes mistake them for youni,' Halibut, and they doubtless at times are sold under the name of " Chic ken Halibut." Tur- boi: Mounder is another name which has been suggested, but, upon the whole, IMaice seems most desirable for general adoption. This fish is abundant ujion tiie eastern coast of the I'nited States from Cape Cod to Cape Florida, and according to Mr. Steam's report is also found along the entire Gulf coast. Southward, its range extends at least as far as Paraguay. To the northward it barely rounds Cape Cod. Cajit. Atwood remembers that in the first half of the jjresent century great cpiantities of Plaice were found inside the Point at Provincetown, They were so numerous that in one afternoon lie caught two thousand iiounds. They arc now only occasionally taken, and have not recently been seen north of Provincetown, though Storer has reccjrded their occurrence at Welllleet. Capt. Atwood attributes their disapiiearance, which was nearly simultaneous with the advent of the blue fish, to the fact that blue fish de- stroyed their favorite food, the sc[uid, and rendered it impossible for them to live longer in these waters. The Plaice has been much less al)undant in Cape Cod Bay within the last thirty years, but there is no evidence of considerable diminution in numbers elsewhere. On the eastern coast of Connecticut and Long Island, where the Plaice fishery is most extensively ])rosecuted, it is the opinion of experienced fishermen that no change in numbers has been perceptible within the last thirty years. The Connecti- cut fishermen say that they are frequently so abundant that they have only to throw out and pull in their lines, catching " all they choose,'" while the bottom seems to be carpeted with them. 31 6 AMERICAN FISHES. I ■! II a! Like ntliers of its tribe, the Plaice haliitually lie upon the bottom, where their peculiar shape and color protect them from observation and give them excellent oi)])ortunities to capture their prey. In the north they are usually f()unh are ordinarily ])acked in a barrel, weighing from 160 to 175 pounds. The largest e\er brought to Xoank weighed twenty-six jiounds. Others, of whose capture I have known, weighed twenty, sewnteen and a half, and fifteen ])ounds. In Florida and at l'ro\ incetown i have seen them three feet in length. A one-pound llsh measures about fifteen iiK lies ; a one antl aipiarter pound fish, sixteen or seventeen ; a two-pound fish, seven- teen or eighteen ; a three-pound fish, about twenty ; a four-pound fish, about twenty-two ; an eight-pound I'ish, about twenty-seven, and a ten- pound fish, about thirty inches. These jjroportions are taken from notes relating to a large number weighed and measured at Xoank, Conn. The \\'inter Idounder or Flat Fish spawns in late winter and early spring near the shore, and it is possible that the I'laice breeds at about the same [)eriod. The most extensive fishery for the I'laice is in the waters of Southern New Fngland. Ivnorite tlshing grounds are on sandy bottoms, at a de|ith often to twentv fathoms, along the Atlantic side of I>lo(k Island, Martha's \'ineyard. and Fastern Fong Island, where they are most plentiful. 'Hiey are obtained in smaller muubers in the harbors and bays along the south shore of New I'^ngland, on Skagwam and Middle (iround Reefs, in ]'"isher's Island Sound and Fong Jshuul Sound, and outside of Fisher's Island. They are also taken in considerable nmubers in the pounds of this region, occasionally five or six hundred at a time. The (piantity taken in the weirs of New England in 1876 was estimated as follows: I\ II !i B I 11 318 AMERICAN FISHES. Pounds. Weirs on north side of Cape Cod 436 Weirs on south side of Cape Cod 3,600 Weirs in Vineyard Sound 326,620 Weirs in Buzzard's Bay i5>749 Weirs on Block Island, (estimated) 94)5oo Weirs in Fisher's Island Sound, (estimated) 4,000 Weirs on eastern end of Long Island 14,000 Weirs on Rhode Island 172,250 663,55s From other localities 50,000 7i3>555 Estimated annual catch of Flat Fish 600,000 I. 313. 555 Value of the above, at four cents a pound, $52,542.00. These statistics of the catch in pound-nets include Plaice and Flat Fish, and in the statement of the total catch no distinction will be made between these two species. Immense numbers of them are sometimes taken in large seines hauled up on the beach. In 1876, E. Cleveland seined 128,000 pounds at Menemsha Bight, Mass. By far the greater quantity, however, is taken by small fishing smacks belonging to and hailing from Noank, A[ystic, and New London, which pursue this special business from May until October. These vessels are usually absent from port four or five days, and spend two days in fishing. The fish are shipped in ice from Noank and New London principally to New York, and also to inland cities in the vicinity. A single smack, with a crew of a man and two boys, usually will obtain and ship to New York, on an average, about 12 barrels a week, about 160 barrels a year, or 25,000 to 28,000 pounds. Capt. Palmer, of Noank, in 1873, caught on one trip of two days about 1,000 fish, weighing, perhaps, 2,000 pounds. On this trip he used four lines. A good fisherman is able to manage two lines, each carrying two hooks. Menhaden bait is always used by professional fishermen, though I have caught Plaice to good advan- tage with lobster bait. A vessel usually consumes one barrel of menhaden on each trip. The fish strike the hook sharply as soon as it ai^proaches HAL IB UT, FLA T- FISH AND FL O UNDER. 319 the bottom, giving little oi)portunity to the skates, which very seldom get a chance at a Plaice's hook. In this respect they are very different from the cod. When the fish have been hauled to the surfaie. they are quickly transferred, with as little injury as possible, to the well of the smack, which is amjjly large enough to hold the results of two or three days' fish- ing. They are thus brought alive to the place of shipment cmd reacli the markets in excellent condition, a fact which partially explains their l)opularity compared with that of other fish of the same family. In 1877 there were seven smacks engaged in this fishery — one from Mystic, one from New London, and five from Noank. It was estimated bv the owner of one of the vessels that each vessel made on an average fifteen trips during the summer, and that each trip averaged 800 fish, weighing i^ pounds each, making a total of 1,400 pounds to a trip, or 21,000 pounds to the season, thus giving an aggregate of 147.000 pounds as the result of this branch of the fishery. Capt. Atwood states that in 1846 he began catching Plaice for the P.os- ton market, in Provincetown Harbor, anchoring where the keel of the smack would just clear the bottom, and anywhere near Race Point he could catch them in great numbers, the largest weighing from ten to fifteen pounds each. In one afternoon he caught two thousand pounds. These he carried to Boston in the well of his smack and tried to sell, but was unsuccessfiil, though they were offered under the name of " Turbot," local prejudice lieing against them. In 1879 there were seven or eight boats engaged in the Plaice fishery during the month of June, this month being the best for Plaice fishing. In the latter part of July, when I made my observations, all of the winter boats had stopped fishing for the year. The method in use here is somewhat peculiar, and merits description. The fishermen call it " drailing for Plaice." The boat used is an ordinary cat-boat, managed by one person, and is allowed to drift with free slieet before the wind, while the fisherman stands in the stern dragging the line over the bottom, baited with a bit of sijuid or clam. The boat is kept as nearly as possible over the places where the flats are deepening most abruptly into the basin of the harbor, and where the water is from eight to eighteen fathoms deep. Only very large fish, weighing ten, fifteen, some- times even twenty pounds, are taken in this manner. The average catch is from eight to twenty a day. In one day one man reported eight, one fourteen, and one twenty-three. Some of these fish are sold in Province- X. ;20 AMERICAN FISHES. i\ town, I'Ut the i^Tcatcr portion is sent iced to New York, where a price of twelve cents a pound wholesale, is easily obtained. In Boston there is no market for them. On the coast of New Jersey Prof. Baird states that in 1854 they were taken in large numbers, by means of nets, in the deep slues along the beach. Along the southern coast they are occasionally taken by the line fishermen, and a considerable cjuantity is seined by the river fishermen. In the Gulf of Mexico they are rarely taken by hook and line, and are usually speared or jigged at niglit, by torchlight. The Plaice has always been the most popular of our in-shore llat fishes, being exempt in a certain degree from the prejudice attaching to the fishes of this family. It seems to have been a common food-fish in South Caro- lina as early as 1760, and Schoei)f mentions it as one of the food-fishes of New York in 1776. In 1856, according to Gill, it was found in the New York market in autumn, but seems to have been less in favor than tlie Flat Fish. At i)resent the Plaice is growing in favor in New York, and is upon the lists of all good restaurants, though perhaps not so generally consumed as the Flat Fish, which comes in the winter, when the market is less lavishly supplied. In Boston, and indeed throughout tlie greater part of New England, this, with all other Flounders, is considered unfit to eat, and it is by no means generally popular along the Southern coast, though in Florida its fiesh is highly prized. The Connecticut fishermen esteem it greatly, and when prei)aring it for their own use are accustomed to hang it in the open air for a day ox two " to dry," as they say. The wholesale price in New York varies from one and a half to six cents, but is usually three cents a pound. Another species of Flounder, closely related to the Plaice, is the common Ivnir-spotted Flounder, Paraliclithys ohloiigiis, which occasionally finds its way to market in company with the Plaice, and is doubtless sold under the same name. It is a small species, rarely attaining a greater length than twelve inches and a weight of one i)ound. It may be readily distinguislied by the invsence upon the back of four large, dark spots, elliptical in form, but these socjn fade out after death. Its distribution is much more restricted than that of the Plaice : it is most al)undant, at a depth often to twenty fathoms, off the southern coast of New England ; it rarely occurs north of Cape Cod, though one Its ul .'11 .'\V m Its Ul IS St le HALIBUT, I'LAT-FfSir AXI) FLOUXDER. individual was taken by the Fish Commission at tlie moml\ of Salem Hai- ocr, nor lias it been recorded soutli of New \'ork. 'i'here are two smaller species ii[)on the Southern coast — one, Paraliclithys qiuufroccllatiiSy l)roa(ler than raralichthys oluoii^us, also niarketl with four dorsal spots, and known in the South as the I'our-spotted Flounder. This species has been observeil as far north as C'harleston and Fort Macon, while its west- ern record of limit is I'ensacola. Stearns records it as comnion from Cedar Keys south to Key West, and pronounces it an excellent fo( d-li^li. It cannot at jiresent, however, be considered very important. The other species, Para/iclifliys stij^^ina/ias, occurs in deep water (seventy-five fathom^) off the coast of South Carolina, and may be distinLCuished by the presence of three conspicuous spots upon the upper side of tlie body. Till-; I'l.iT risM. Next in ini|)ortance to the Plaice, comes the Flat Fihh. PsiiiJopIciiro- vci'tcs aiiuTiianiis, or Common Flounder, sometimes called the '• Winter r'luunder." said to be known in Massachi'.setts Uay as the ••Mud-dab." and in \ew York as the "Flounder." New \'ork aiiL^ders call it the •• Xiir^er b'ish." This fish, like the l'lai<'e. belongs to a mentis unknown to l-airope, but is closel\' relatedi to the common I-'lounder, or I'luke, of the r.ritish coast. Its range is somewhat extensi\e. and in a certain degree it replaces the I'laice along our northern coast. It has not been observed south of Chesapeake 15ay, but northward its range extends to the ]'.ay of Fundy, to the eastern shores of Nova Scotia, the (iulf ot St. Lawrence, and even to the coast of Labrador. 3 " I H: t i f h- •J ■ I '■a i i 322 AMERICAN FISHES. Vlat Fisli art' always i:])(in tlic bottom, feeding chiefly upon minute shells, suth as Niiciila and Bulla, iijion young crabs, or whatever they can find among the stones in the mud. 'J'heir mouths are very small, and since they would l)e unal)le to seize and kill other fish, they never come to the surface in pursuit of ])rey, as do the large-mouthed Flounders. They prefer sheltered bays and harbors, and appear to be equally abundant on the bottoms of the sand, mud, or rock ; when at rest, they are usually ])artially embedded in the mud or sand at the bottom. I have ol)served that, when they come to a sto]), they always settle themselves by convul- sive motions of the fins antl ])ody, which has the effect of pushing lliem down into the soft bottom. This species is perhaps a more permanent resident of the localities which it inhabits than any other on our coast, unless it be the sculpins. There is very little evidence of a tendency to move to and from the shore with a change of season. 'Winter and summer, they appear to ])e ecpially almndant from New York to the Bay of Chaleur, where, in the tide-way of Miramichi River, they are cauglit in winter through holes in the ice. In Labrador they are described as exceedingly abundant in summer, l)ut nothing is known of their winter habits. Prof. Jjaird found them scarce in Southern New Jersey in summer, but learned that they were very abundant in the bays in winter. Small (quan- tities are brought to Washington in winter from the mouth of the Chesa- ])eake. The spawning season occurs early in spring, in February and March on the Connecticut coast, and is thought to be closed l)y the first part of April. Young fish of half an inch in length are found in July in the deep- er parts of the bays and sounds, and in August and September, having attained the length of one and one-half to five inches, occur in great abundance in the coves and along the sandy shores of the Southern New I'higland coast, in very shallow water. Their growth is probably rapid, though it would seem most likely that the five-inch specimens just referred to were eighteen months rather than six months old. The largest that have been discovered were fifteen inches long, and M'ould weigh from one to one and a half jxuinds. The flesh of the Flat Fish is solid, white, and of excellent flavor, and deserves a more general pojiularity than it has yet attained. It is, and has been for the last century, largely consumed in New York in winter. Schoepf, writing in 1776, mentions it as occurring in the market in spring ; HALIBUT, FLAT-FISH AND I'LOCXDFR. later, writing in 181.S, he states that small numbers were found in the stalls in January and February, taken with spears while searching lor eels. These were not very inviting, owing to their mangled appearance and frozen state, but, with the disappearance of ice and the approach of spring, their numbers increased, and in March the stalls were well fdled with them, cheap and fresh and good. They were only used as pan-fish. Ciill wrote, in 1S56: "This is the most common species of flounder that is brought to the city markets in the winter and spring months ; it is seldom sold at a higher price than eight to ten cents per pound. Flounders are chielly sold by the weight; occasionally they are strung through the bronchial a])ertures on twigs and nominally sold by the bunch." The Smooth Flounder, or Christmas Flounder, J^/diioiWifi's i:;/a/>ci\ is very similar in habits and appearance to the Flat Fish, and is still clo^^er to the Flounder of F^urope, being a member of the same genus. It may be distinguished from the former by its smooth skin, which has given to the species, in some localities, the name *' F^el-back." Its distribution is extremely limited, it having been recordt.'d as only found in Salem, Massa- chusetts, Portland and Belfast, Maine, or within the limits of two degrees of latitude. Its range may in the future be extended farther to the north, but it is certain that at present none occur south of Salem. In Casco 15ay they are very abundant in summer, and the Fish Commission secured great {|iiantities of them in water three or four fathoms tleep in ISluelight Cove. They have never elsewhere been observed, except in winter, about Christ- mas time, when they come into the harbors to spawn. At Salem they are, on this account, called the Christmas Fish. Considerable (piantities are caught every year by spearing them upon the sand. At this jilac e they are also called " F'ool F'ish," because, in their anxiety for food, they will bite at any kind of bait, even at a rag. The spawning season is short, and they soon retire into deeper water. At Portland, and in the vicinity, con- siderable numbers are taken in the winter fishery in comjjany with the Flat Fish, and with them are sent to New York and neigh1)oring markets. In one instance a quantity were offered for sale in the markets of Washington. The spawning season on the coast of Maine is slightly earlier than that of Massachusetts, beginning as early as the middle of December, while in Penobscot Bay they are taken at the very beginning of the month, full of spawn. In Penobscot Bay they are taken in traps, or '-fliers," as the fishermen call them, shaped something like lobster-traps and baited. The J-4 A.^fERICAN FISHES. i ! young Smootli Flounder may be taken in summer on the beaches. The largest females ubser\e(l weighed twenty-three ounces, the weight of the spawn being seven ounces. Too little attention has hitherto been i)aid to this fish, but it seems more tlian probable that in the future it will greatly in( rease in fa\()r. The (Irecnland Turbot, P/afysoinafic/it/iys /li-f'poi^/ossoiJrs, though never occurring in our inshore waters, is found on the off-shore banks, as far south as ("icorge's IJank. and a certain ([uantity of them is usually brought to New York in winter. It is emphatically an arctic sjiecies, being- abundant on the coast t)f (Ireenland, often found at Holsteinborg and beyond, and along this entire coast very eagerly sought by the natives. The Mskimo name is *" Kalleraglik," and the fish is also known as "Little Halibut." In Gunther's work on " The Fishes of the British Museum," he has confused this species with the true Halibut, making it appear that only the former is to be found on the coast of North America. In North- ern Cireenland the Turbot is found only at very great de])ths, and is fished for, in water of three hundred and fifty to three hundred and eighty fath- oms, through holes in the ice, over certain banks in Omenak Fiord and at the mouth of the Jacob's-Haven ice-fiord which is also packed with great ice-floes. It is said to be found only in the ice-fiords and between the great ice-fields, and there only in the coldest months of the year. In South (Ireenland they are taken on the oceanic banks at a depth of sixty to one hundred and eiglUy fathoms, though there considered to be not so abundant as in North Greenland. In Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, according to Captains G. Johnson and A. Leighton, of Gloucester, they are very abundant in sixty to three hundred fathoms, and are caught chielly in winter. They are also obtained by the Gloucester halibut fleet on the outer edge of the oceanic banks, in two hundred and fifty to three hundred fathoms of water. Their habits are not at all well understood, but it would appear from the statement of several experienced fisherman, whom I have (questioned, that they occur on the very edge of the continental slope in deeper water than the true Halibut, in fact in places where the slope is so nearly perpendi- cular that the Halibut can hardly hold their places on the bottom. This species is more symmetrical than any other of the family on our coast, and^ moreover, is colored upon both sides of the body — a fact which indicates that its movements are more like those of the ordinary symmetrical fishes caid that it can rest with the body in a vertical attitude. HALIB L 'T, FLA TFISII AXD FL O i 'XDER. "» ■» e It would sccni i)rol)alilc that its chosen haunts arc alonj^ tlic (IccIIn itics of the outer slope of the continental plateau, where abundance of food is known to occur, and where otlier fishes are not so well adapted to live. Many hundreds of pounds are caught, every year, on the halil)ut trawls, and the fish are frecpiently iced and brought to market with the Halibut, and frequently eaten by the fishermen themselves. The greater portion of those brought to New York in winter are, however, taken on trawl lines at the mouth of Fortune 15ay, and brought down by the vessels which go there to secure cargoes of frozen herring. It is impossible to obtain statistics of the (piantities thus brought in. because the market returns do not dis- criminate between the different species of tlounders and llat lishes. The (Ireenland Turbot is an exceedingly palatable fish, its tlesh being firm, white, and less dry antl more delicate in llavor than that of the Hal- ibut. The average weight is from ten to twenty-five pounds. In (Ireenland they are jjerhajjs more highly esteemed than any other fish. The (Ireen- landers begin fishing as soon as the fiords are frozen and the white whales, which prey greedily upon this fish, have left the entrances open. They fish through holes in the ice, and attach little threads at intervals to lines, so that they may better see the motion which the nibbling fish makes. Under favorable circumstances a man may take ten to eighteen of these fishes daily. The fishery continues from January to the middle of Main h, sometimes, however, only a week or two, and usually only about a month. The fish are cut into strips and dried for the consumption of the Danish colonists. It it said that a very fine oil can be made out of their fat. so that in hard times the fish serves to \.-arm and light the houses as well as feed their occupants. In South Cireenland they are not so numerous, but are constantly sought for, being taken in company with the sea perch, or red fish. Glvptoccphalns cyno\:^lossits, a fish often known as the Deep-sea Flounder, was first observed on this coast in 1S77, when numerous si)e( i- mens were obtained by the United States Fish Commission, in the deep- est part of Massachusetts Bay. Specimens have since been obtained south of Cape Cod, at a dei)th of one hundred fathoms or more, by the Fish Commission, and by Prof. Agassiz, off the entrance to Delaware Day, at a depth of three hundred anil ninety-five fathoms. The Pole Flounder appears to be a permanent resident, throughout the whole year, in the tleep basins of Massachusetts Bay and on the edge of the continental sloi)e, and :l! is found abundant in Bedford Basin, tlio inner cN]iansion of Halifax Harbor, at a dcptli of t!iirty-SL'\cn fathoms. It ran^^cs nearly to (Irceidand. and is also found on the coast of Northern Kurojie. where it is tound in the Trondhjem Fjord, in latitude 65", and soinh to the coast of Ireland. Its thernial rani;e ai>iiears to be confined by the limits ^^4" and 45". It breeds abundantlv in our watiTs in summer time, numerous indi\iduals, full of siiawn. and youn.L,^ from half an inch u|i\vard, haxini; been taken. tVom |ul\- to ( )ctober, in \arious localities. The Pole Mounder has been pronounced, by all who have tasted it. a most delicious foo'llish. resembliuLjmore ( losely than any other s])e<'ies on our coa>t the l".!iL;lish Sole. ha\-ing a L,M-eat ([uantity of peculiarly llaxored mu( ihiLjinous tissue about the base of the fms : it lias ne\er been taken by our fishermen, because, on accoimt of its e\ceedinL,dy small and weak mouth, it could not hold fast to an ordinary hook and line ; and. >iioul(l it e\er come intf) demand, it will be necessary for our fisherman tointro- du< e the Mn^lish trawl-net. The Turbot. or Steinbutt, Rliombits iiiaxiinus, and the llrill. or (llatt- liutt, do not occur in our waters, althongh many attempts ha\e been made to pro\e that they do. The nearest representative of the Turbot is the S])otted Sand I-'loimder, Lophof'sctta inacitldhu a spec ies found from lUicks- jiort, Maine, to lM)rt Macon, North Carolina, variously known along the coast as Water Flounder, ^Vindow-pane, and Daylight: the latter name refers to the remarkable thinness of the fish, its llesh being so transparent thai, when held to the light, the shadow of an object on the other side can be seen. Its llavor is good, but the amount of llesh is so small that it is of no conseiiuence as a food-fish. There are other smaller repr >e.i- tati\es of the family on the southern coast, and in dee]) \»atjr uom Cape Cod s(Mithward, belonging to the genus Citluiriclithys, which, although edible, are ne\er eaten. The Sand Dab, or rough Dab, Ilippoglossoiacs platcssoiih's, also some- times known as the Rusty Flounder, is taken in winter by the line fisher- men of New England, and small (piantities are doubtless brought to market and sold \yith other flat fishes without discrimination as to species. It of- ten attains the length of twenty to twenty-four inches, and the weight of two to five pounds, and is, in all respects, a desirable food-fish, being highly esteemed on the other side of the Atlantic. In summer, individ- uals of this species are to be found only in very deep water, thirty fathoms. i[.\r.iiH'i\ /■/..I /•-/'/sir .i.\7) /■7.(u:v /)/■:/,'. ;,J7 or more, on tin- New I'liitlaiid cDast. and, thon^di nrwr \cry alumdant in any one locality. nii,L;lit In' takt-ii in ( on^ideralik' (jiiantitics. in coiniianv wiili the Pole Moiuuler, liy the u^e ot" a trawl-nel, or e\en hy speci.illy devised trawMines. ■|'lie Koii^h I )a!i has not been ol)ser\ed >outli ot" \\'ciii(ls 1 !■ ill. Ma>sa( hu- setts, but raiiLjes north to (Ireeid.md. is aliimdant on the r,ii,uli>h coast, and is a \velMli ot' S( anilina\ ia. Its Iireedin^; habits in (Mir waters lia\e not been observed. bi;t in Soutl.ern Sweden the spawnin^j time is in April and Ma\-. It is a lari,'-e-moiithe(l spec ies. feedinLj upon I'lsh as well as upon lari^'e imertebvates, su( h as crusta( cans and annelids, atnl mention has been made of it more on account ot" its possible \ahic in the future than for its importance at the present time. Tin; AMKiacAV soi.k ur iiiif;rii(iKKU. Tlie much-])rizod Solo of Muroiie, So/ra rv/ /;,■•, 7 /-/..■. does not occur in the Western Atlantic, although attempts are being made to introduce it, and individuals have been set free in Massachusetts l>ay, at Woods Holl, and ot"f Coney Island. Its nearest representative, the American Sole, is found along our coast from Uoston and Xahant to the mouth cf the Mississijipi River. It occtu's in all of the rivers south of the Sus(iue- hanna, and is taken in great numbers in the shad seines. It rarely attain:; I !i I a greater kngth tlian six inches, and. tlioiij^H cdiMe, is never eaten, and it must be regarded as of extrenielv small imimrtance. There are also two or three other fishes belonging to tliis family in our Southern waters which are insignifu ant in si/e and of no imjiortanc e whatever. Aphoristia atriiwida \<, a very small species of Sole, the only genuine representative of the I'luropean Sole on our J'acific (oast. It reaches a length of six inc hes, and is occasionally taken in San l)iego Bay. It has no economic value. Ti'Kiior AND Soi.r, in A.mkuka. — .\ I'hiladelphia writer has lately tried in the newspapers to re\ ive the long-obsolete belief that tlie Turbot and Sole of I'lurope occur on our coast. Although he has never :een them himself, and fails to bring forward evidence that any one else has seen them, he insists that they occm- in the greatest abundance in New Jersey, ])articularly in the vicinity of Atlantic-, "and doubtless all along the At- lantic coast from Tortsmouth, N. 11.. to Wilmington, S. C." {sic) He iil)braids the American |iublic for their incredulity, though this does not surprise him so much when he calls to mind that "our (lovernment Fish Commissoner has actually contemplated sending a steamer to I'aiglisli waters to i)rocure turbot-seed to i)lant along our shores." He would not be surprised if incredulity were to continue longer " under such official indorsement." He accounts for the ignorance regarding them by the theory that the English trawl-net is unknown in America, and that our fishermen would not know how to catch such fish if they were aware of their presence, and have not become aware of their presence because they have no means of catching them. He intimates that he is prepiaring to form a comjiany for the purpose of developing a turbot fishery upon our coast ; an enterprise " in which but little will be risked, and the results will be a surprise to all." He closed one of his letters to a New York journal with tlie ajipeal : "I trust that )ou will not let this c^uestion suit- side, but jjcrsist in calling attention to it until we do away with the ex- traordinary anomaly of this enlightened nation being within reach of treasure that for more than a century they have been unaware of and have remained persistently blind to." All this is very entertaining, and furnishes a neat text for a few remarks on the history of this belief, as well as an opportunity for demonstrating to the public a fact which has for forty years or more been known to ich- thyologists, that the Turbot and the Sole never have been seen on the HAL IB L "J\ ILA Tl'/SIf AXD I- 1, i ) I XDER. y-') western side of the Atlantic, and nL\ei- will lie. unless tln') are introdiurd 1)\ artilH ial means. Frciin tlie liej^'inninj,' to the end we encounter the well-known sonn es of conlusion — the gi\ in^j of old-world nanies to spe* ies wlii( h n sendde in a Ueiieral way the old-world species which liear tiiein. and the Mn(|iiesti(in ini; a(( I'ptaiK e of these names as authoritative, by persons wiuj are not trained to (lose discrimination. When lloston was o( < iipied hy the Uritish i/i(r, to which belong the Turbot aud lirill of Kurojie. One of these Lopliopsctta maiii- laita, is sometimes called the Spotted Turbot, and in New Jersey is called Window-pane, or Daylight, because it is so thin that when held to the light the sun can be seen through its translucent flesh. The most important Flat Fish is the Halibut, which is identical with that of Europe. This species, and the Pole Flounder, whi(li has recently been brouglit to light in our waters by the Fish Commission, are the only two cf the number referred to that are found on both sides of the Atlan- tic. We have in our waters abundance of flat fishes, some of which, for instance, the common Flounder of the New York market, raraliclitl:\s ilciita/us, are probably fully ecpial to the turbot for food uses. In fact, it may be had in the New York restaurants and hotels under this nauK-. Another fish, Platysoiiiatichthys /lippoj^lossoidcs, resembling the Turbot in flavor, is sometimes l)rought to New York in winter. It is foiuid at great depths on the coast of Newfoundland, and is often called the American or the Newfoundland turbot. The Pole Flounder is very similar to the sole in flavor and in the textuie of its flesh, l)Ut it unfortunately inhabits somewhat inaccessible localities at great depths, and it is hardly to be ex- pected that, with the present supply of excellent food-fish to be obtained at so much smaller expense, our fishermen will take the pains to go in search of it. That the popular taste for flat fish is already cultivated is shown by the fact that, in 1S79, 1,796,000 pounds were sold in New York alone. It is needless to refer to the efforts of the United States Fish Commis- sion to introduce Sole; they are lamiliar to all who are interested in the subject. The introduction of the trawl-net has Deen for many years 33^ AMERICAN FISHES. under consideration, but this expensive mode of fishing does not seem to be required at j)resent, since the supply of fine-flavored food-fishes is more than e(iual to the demand. With an eye to the interest of the American fishermen, Prof. Baird some years ago detailed Capt. J. W. Collins, of the Fish Commission, one of the most experienced fishermen of Massachusetts, to stuily the trawl fishery of the (ierman Ocean, and his report which is in press, will soon be published. Finally, it may not be amiss to state that Mr. E. (}. Blackford, of Ful- ton Market, New York, has for some time been authorized by the Com- missioner of Fisheries to pay twenty-five dollars to any one who should present a true Turbot or a true Sole, caught on the coast. This offer is still standing. i i; THE COD Uli liACrAI.AO. COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AND HAKE. T'was merry, when ^"ou wager'il on your aiijjliiig ; wlicii ymir diver Did hang a salt fish on his liuuk, which lie With fervency drew up. .Intlioiiy ami Clcopatru, Act ii Scene v. Within ti-.is twenty ye.irs \\'eitward be found new lands, Fish they have so great plenty, That in havens take and slane they be With staves, withouten fail, Now Krenchmen and others have found the trade That yearly of fish there they lade Abo\ . ' hundred sail, ExPEKiENS, The Four Ell iiients, 1519. 'TPHE Codfish and its allies constitute, rrom an economical point of view, the most important of all the families of fishes, containing, as it tloes, a large number of species, most of them of considerable size, distributed throughout all jjarts of the northern hemisphere, usually found together in great numbers, readily captured, and easily preserved for future use. The codfish is usually found in the North Atlantic, in the North Pacific, and in the Polar Ocean, its range extending far beyond the Arctic Circle. It seems unnecessary to enumerate all the localities in which it has l>een observed, for its geograi)hical range may be defined with sufficient accu- racy by a much more comprehensive statement. In the Western Atlantic the species occurs in the winter in considerable abundance as far south as the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, lat. 37°, and stragglers 334 AMERICAN FISHES. have been observed about Ocracoke Inlet. The southern limit of this species may safely be considered to be Cape Hatteras, in lat. 35°, 10'. Along the coast of the Middle States, New England, and British North America, and upon all the off-shore banks of this region, Cod are found usually in great abundance during i)art of the year at least. They have been observed also in the Gulf of Boothia, lat. 70° to 75°, and in the southeastern part of Baffin's Land to the northward of Cumberland Sound, and it is more than probable that they occur in the waters, of the Arctic Sea to the north of the American continent, or away round to Bchring's Straits. The Cod has been observed on the Western coast of Greenland. In the North Atlantic the range of the species extends to Iceland and Spitzber- gen, lat. 80° ; along the arctic coast of Europe, as far as Eastern Fin- mark, and probably round to Siberia ; while southward it ranges at least to Brittany. Its southern limit is probably near the Bay of Biscay, lat. 40°, although Yarrell states that it is found south to Gibraltar. It does not enter the ISIediterranean, but penetrates into the Baltic to the coast of Western Russia. Its distribution in the North Pacific is not so well understood, though it appears to occur in the same abundance on all the off-shore banks of this region, and also close to the coasts to the north of the Straits of Fuca. According to Jordan, there is said to be a cod bank outside of the mouth of the Columbia, but the species at present is of no economic importance south of Alaska. The (^od, like most other species which migrate to and from the shore instead of northward and southward, is, doubtless, more dependent upon temperature conditions than fishes like the menhaden and the blue-fish, and, Mr. Earll has suggested, the abundance of food doubtless has much more influence upon its movements. We cannot doubt, however, that the Cod moves periodically to and from the shore as a direct result of the seasonal changes of temperature. The Cod prefers a temperature of from 35° to 42° Fahr. , approximately, and this it secures in a temperate climate, such as that of Southern New England, by remaining on the off- shore banks in fifteen to thirty fathoms of water, coming into the shallows in winter. On the coasts of Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Eastern Maine, moving to and from the shore from deeper to shallower water and vice versa to secure at different seasons of the year a tempera- ture environment best suited to their needs, they are near the shore in -summer and in deej) water in winter. COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AXD I TAKE. 5 I ha\c' before nie the statements of nearly a Inindred observers \vlii( li I hope to discuss more fully at some future time. Their oinnions confirm, in a very striking manner, the generalization just stated. The)- show that while on the coast of Maine the Cod leave the immediate shores in the autumn, not reappearing in any considerable numbers until late in the following spring, south of Cai)e Cod they approach the >lH)re only in the winter season, while during the summer they kee]) out in the cold Labra- bor current, which extends south to the inside of the current of tlie Culf stream. In Vineyard Sound, Buzzard's IJay, and off the shores of Connecticut, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and e\en in Eastern Virginia, there is excellent fishing during the winter season. •• .\. wise jirovision of nature," remarks Prof. Ijairil, '• in the absence of so many species that supply food during the smnmer." It will probably be found that fishing in deeper wate.- in tliese same regions in summer will bring to light an al)un(lance of Ctul. In Norway they are caught, to some extent, in the fiords in the summer season, though more are caught in winter, while in summer great numbers of them still remain on the off-shore banks. From Prof. Hind's pen the following paragraphs are taken : " When the coasts of Finmark are thronged with fisliermen catching their fares of the "Lodde," or summer Cod, the shores of Northeast New- foundland and the shore of the Culf of St. Lawrence are alive with fishermen successfully capturing the same variety of fish in Pritish American waters ; and when the Russian on the Murmanian coast is laying in his winter stock of Cod, and accumulating a large overplus for a foreign market, the New Foundlander and the I.abradorian are sec iiring their fares at the Moravian missionary stations. Okak and Nain. So. also, in the North Sea and on the coast of the British Isles, around the Faroe Islands, all along the Icelandic shores, on the south coast of Creenlar.d, off Arksut Fiord, away up north to Torske Banks, and clown the Atlantic coast of America to over the Crand Banks, and as far as. and even beyond, St. George's Shoal, the Cod is taken simultaneously and in great abundance. "Local variations of days, ancl even weeks, occur in a c-oast line or .stretch of shallow sea of not more than one hundred miles in length ; but these arise from the one great leading cause which guides the Cod in its ai)proach to known feeding grounds on the coast or known banks at sea. This leading cause is temperature, which determines the movement towards the coast of the various forms of marine life on which the Cod, inhabiting different waters, is accustomed to feed. • • • The Cod, caught on i 33^ AMERICAN FISHES. each stretch of coast line within variable but tolerably well-defined limits, are indigenous to the sea area adjacent to the sea-coast which tliey fre(iuent. "Thus the winter haunts of the Codfish on the Northern Labrador coast are sloi)es of the great range of outside banks on that coast. The summer haunts of the ' Winter Cod ' caught on the coast of Norway during the winter season, are on the slope of the ' Storegg ' and its con- tinuations which lie seawards from the Norwegian coast, following the etlge of the barrier separating the 'polar deejis ' from the shallower costal seas. The seasonal movements of the Cod are reversed in this case, ])uri)osely introduced, but have afforded a beautiful illustration (>f the principles adopted and confirmed by Prof. Baird and the influence of marine climate on fish-life." The depth at which Codfish are found varies greatly with the season and locality. It is stated by Mr. Earll that they secrn to prefer water less than seventy fathoms deep, and that by far the greater numbers are caught in from eight to forty fathoms. This generalization will doubtless hold true for the whole coast of North America. Many of our corre- spondents state that they are occasionally seen in the water two or three feet in depth. In tlie course of some recent explorations by Prof. Agassiz, Cod were found three hundred fathoms below the surface. In February, 1879, there was good fishing in three fathoms of water, within a few rods of the shore in Ipswich Bay, while in May of the same year large numbers were taken in one hundred and ten fathoms in the channel near Clarke's Bank. It woukl be extremely interesting to know the extent of the migrations of Codfish, from deep to shallow water and back again, on different parts of the coast. This, however, varies with local conditions. There have already been many observations made, the study of which will doubtless aid in the solution of this problem, but it is exceedingly important that there should be systematic exploration at a distance from the shore both in winter and summer. This is one of the tasks proposed for the Fish Commission schooner "Grampus," recently constructed. Mr. Marcus A. Hanna, of Bowery Beach, Me., states that he knows certain places on the coast of Maine where Cod are found in mid-summer not more than two miles from land, in water from forty to fifty fathoms deep, and upon soft bottom. A portion of the Gloucester George's Bank fleet continues fishing through the winter months, though at this season the vessels do not, as in spring and summer, fish upon the shallow parts of the bank. COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AXD IfAKE. 337 o ft :s o but rather seek tlie deep waters around its eli. split and stretched on a short stick, is known throughout the civili/ed world can all be traced to one common root, based upon the mode of preparation hu the market. " Among the Greeks the large Codfish were called BaccJil, from I5ac- chus, a rod. By the Latins the fish was named G(u/its, from a Sandst rit root cad or gad, a rod. We find this root in English in 'goad,' and perhaps, in ' cat-o' -nine-tail '; in Caelic gad and goda/i, signifying a small rod. By the Iberians the dried Cod were c-alled Bacalaos, from Baculeum, a small stick.* This points also to the root of the Fren( h Baguette, a rod, Bilboquet, the toy known as cup and ball, really a stick ♦The rod lield by Mercury was called a HacuUnm. V I 35ii AMERICA X FISHES. and l)all, and otlicr words. By the Anglo-Saxons it was called the Cod, from the \\oy{\ ^iri/ or ^i^odi/, a rod. By tht (lernians it was known as the Sfockfisi/i, from S/oi'k, a stick. " i'he Hollanders varied a little from this, and as far back as the year 1400 called it the Kabeljaamv, which seems to be from the Dutch gabcl, a fork. 'I'hey also called it the Bakkcljauuc. " The French Monte is not from the above root. It may be from the Celtic ^f<>r, the sea. The French, however, never pre])ared the Cod by drying it on a stick, but salted it as the Monic vcrtc, or green Cod. The French Moliic is merely a change in the liquid consonants. " When the Cod is dried on the downs it is called Dunfish, from the (iaelic root Dttiti, a. hill. If dried on the rocks it becomes the Rock Cod, or tile Klippfisk of the Norwegians. Among these last the Cod is called the Dorset, or Torsk, in I'lnglish Tusk, from the Gothic Durrcn, to dry. " Tlie I'Jiglish 'Aberdeen fish,' or French Labcrdaii, is from the Ciaelic (?/'(?;•, the mouth; dccn, a river, or fish caught near the river's mouth." These remarks are suggestive in the extreme, since they explain the origin of almost all of the names now applied to this species both in its fresh and cured condition."" The name by which this species was known among the Narragansett Indians is indicated by the following sentence from Roger William's " Key into the Languages of America"; " Panganaut, tamwock. Cod, which is the first that comes a little before the Spring." In tiie ^•icinity of Cape Ann the young Cod, too small to swallow a bait, are sometimes known to the fishermen as " Pickers," and through- out all Eastern Massachusetts the name *' Scrod," or "Scrode," is in common use. In its ])rimary meaning it seems to refer to these small fish slightly corned, in which condition they are a favorite article of food, but the name is also transferred to the young fish themselves. The fishermen recognize several varieties of Cod for which they have different names. Rock Cod are those which are found in shoal water among the reefs and ledges, and Avhich usually are of a dark color ; these fish are often brilliant red in color, owing to the fact that the small animals upon which they live feed upon the red algoe, abundant in those localities, and *Ske;it in liis Ktyniolii.i;ic;il Dictionary, recently juiblislicd, docs not coiilirni the views atlv.inccd by Mr. lircvuiMt, reni;irking; "1 suppose that tliis woril coil must lie tlie same as tlie Middle ]Mij;!isli Cixfifc or coi/, a husl<, bag, bolster; thouuli the reseniMance of the fisli to a bolster is but fanciful. It is obvious that Shakes- peare knew nothing of the Linna:an name gitUiis ((jreck ya.&orin( ipally of small Crustacea, though it often ))i( ks up niolhisks ami worms, and even enters the harbors in summer, where it remains about the wharves, jiii k- ing up bits of refuse thrown from tiie fishdiouses." Capt. R. H. Hurlbert tells me that sometimes a school of Codfish will bite at night ; these the fishermen < all •• Night ("od." In iS6o the schooner "C". C l)a\is" caught one entire tri|t of fi>h on (leorgc's Hank all in the niglu, aiul there are other iiistanc es on record, though, as a rule, these fish '(K:\:i.\ only in the daytime. The Cod is one of the most prolific of the ocean fishes, and wi' fiiicl not only thousands but millions of eggs in a single female. All members of this family contain large number of eggs, but the Cudlish is the most pro- lific of all. Mr. lOarll writes as fcdlows : '* The e.\act number of eggs in a female varies greatly with the individual, being dependent largely upon its size anil age. To ascertain the munbtr for the different sizes, a series of six fish, rei)rcsenting various stages of growth from twenty-one to seventy-five pounds, was taken, and the eggs were estimated. Care was exercised that the series should contain only immature females, so that no egg should have been lost, and that all might be of nearly ecpial size. The ovaries were taken from the fish and their weight accurately ascertained ; after which small ciuantities were taken from different parts of each and weighed on delicately adjusted scales, the eggs in these portions being carefully counted. The number contained in a given weight being known, it was easy to determine approximately the entire number for each fish." "The results obtained are given in a table, cjuoted below, showing a twenty-one pound fish to have 2,700,000. and a seventy-five ])ound one. 9, TOO, 000. The largest number of eggs found in the Pollock was 4,029- 200, and in the Haddock, 1,840,000. " When the eggs are first seen in the fish they are so small as to be hardly distinguishable, but they continue to increase in size until maturity, and, after impregnation, have a diameter, depending upon the size of the parent, varying from one-nineteenth to one-seventeenth of an inch. A f 344 AMERICAN FJSNES. M i five to eight jwund fish has e,n;gs of the smaller size, while a twenty-five 1)01111(1 one has them between ar eighteenth and a seventeenth. " From weighing and measuring known ([uantities it is found that one pound avoirdupois will contain 190,000 of the smaller size, or that 1 .000,000 eggs well drained will weigh about five pounds. Again, by assuming one-nineteenth of an inch as the standard, or by precipitating a known ciuantity in chronic acid and measuring, we find one quart, or fifty-seven cubic inches, and three-ipiarters to contain a little less than 400,000, or that 1,000,000 will measure between two and a half and three ([uarts." With these facts in mind, it will be an easy matter to estimate the cjuantity of eggs taken for hatching ])urposes during any given season. ".When the little fish breaks through the shell of the egg," says Earll, " the ftjctal curve or crook is still quite noticeable, but it soon straightens, and is then about five-sixteenths of an inch in length. At this time the yelk-sack, situated well forward, is quite large, but so transjjarent as to escape the notice of the ordinary observer. This is gradually absorbed, disap))earing wholly in about ten to fifteen days, and the little fish begins to move about with a peculiar serpentine motion, at times darting cjuite rai)idly, and then remaining motionless, as if resting from its evolutions. It now begins its independent existence, and moves about more frequently, a])parently in search of food. From this date it is impossible to follow the Cod, for none have been confined, and it is only by catching large numbers at different seasons and carefully recording their weights and measurements that one is enabled to judge of their growth. The habits of the species, that cause them to live near the shore for the first few years, furnish excellent o])portiinities for such observations, and many were examined during our stay at Cape Ann. " Evidence is not wanting to show that a Cod spawns every year, and that it deposits the entire number of eggs in the ovaries each season. \\'e have examined hundreds of specimens and have failed to find a single instance where the rondition of the ovaries did not clearly indicate that such was the case. During the first of the season no mature fish were found in which eggs were not present, though they often varied greatly in development fr'.m very small to nearly ripe Again, later in the season, no spent fish .vere seen with any eggs remaining in the ovaries ; and no fish were found during the spawning period in which the condition of the COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AND ILAKE 345 ovaries did not indicate that the eggs were gradually maturing, and would be dejjosited before the close of the season. " The schools of Cod move about but little during the spawning season, except when driven away by enemies or by violent storms. After they reach the waters of Cajje Ann, fishing continues best in the same localities, and even upon the same spots, muil they leave. The individuals, too, seem to move about but little among themselves. When the female becomes ripe she remains quietly nea, the bottom, while tie male, a little more active, often swims high up. This is indicated by the fact that greater numbers of spawning females are taken with the trawl, which lies directly on the bottom, than with the hand-line a little way above it, while the males are taken on one as readily as on the other. " It may not be impossible that the eggs are fertilized while floating about in the water some minutes after exclusion, and that tlie strong tides usually found on the spawning grounds play an important part in distributing the germs, thus making the chances of impregnation more favorable. Indeed it may be possible, and, if the spawning goes on gradually for several months, seems not improbable, that the immediate presence of the opjio- site sexes during the act of spawning is not necessary, but rather that the eggs are fertilized mainly by accidental contact. Observations would seem to strengthen the probabilities of this theory; for, if the fish went in pairs, they would often be taken on adjoining hooks of the trawl, or one on either hook of the hand-line. Such is not usually the case, how- ever ; but, on the contrary, several of the same sex are more frequently taken together. " The eggs have a specific gravity of 1.020 to T.025, as indicated by the fact that they float in salt water and sink rapidly in fresh. They may be found at the surface in common with eggs of the Pollock, Haddock, and probably other species of the cod family, when the sea is smooth ; but when the water becomes rough they are carried to a deptii of several fathoms by the current, though the tendency is to remain near the surface. ' ' There are many ways in which the eggs may be destroyed. The i)rinci- pal loss is probably the result of non-impregnation, for unless they conv> in contact with the milt of the male very soon after being thrown from the parent, they lose their vitality. Again, being drifted about by the winds and tides, they are often carried long distances from the spawning grounds into the little bays and coves, and are driven in immense num- ' n 34^> AMERICAN FISHES. ii 'i ^ h hers upon the shores, or are left dry by the tides, where they soon die from exposure to the atmosphere, or during the cold winter weather are in- stantly destroyed by freezing. Ipswich Hay, the most extensive spawning ground in the locality, is especially unfortunate in this particular, for the heavy storms from the north and east sweep with unbroken force across its surface, and each breaker as it rolls in ujjon the beach must carry with it many millions of eggs. " But such impregnated eggs as escape destruction upon the shores are subjected to the ravages of the myriads of hungry animals living about the rocks and coves. One day in January we placed a jelly-fish or medusid, having a diameter of but one and a half inches, into a tray of eggs in the hatching-room, and in less than five minutes it hatl fastened seventy eggs to its tentacles, loading some of them so heavily that they were severed from the body by the weight or resistance of the eggs as they were dragged through the water." In addition to his other observations, Mr. Earll computed the number of eggs in Codfish of different sizes. The results of his observations are shown in the following tables : Table showing the number of eggs in Codfish of different sizes : Number. 1 h '■' ■i ° ! Uh 'V, O f) o " S J= 4-1 X. -•c 6i bn .fcJD ^ ^ ^ i Ft. i„. IM. IJ'S.OZ. ! X. in «2 (,(i. 3- 4- 5- 4 ^>i 3 8 3 5 3 4H 3 3 70-75 70-75 51 30 27 22J 2t Oz 8 8 8 8 7 2 I 2 9% 1 2 2^^ 1 I 15K 6 f) 5 2.K 2j^ 2 A Lbs.oz. 8 2 82 8 13 26 2 6 2 0V3 I 14 I u u 1 x ! E ti c . 1' E = is "a" ,108 f lj2 .131 , 34t 1 ,680 ,368 ,249 -ifc 188.5 023.6 240 228 208.17 o S it O 'J H 9, 100,000 8,988,094 3.7«5.f'87 4,095,000 3,229.388 2,732,237 It is interesting to compare these with the observations made during the last century, references to which may be found in all the standard works on natural history. Leuwenhoek is said to ha\e found in a Cod of mid- dling size 384,000 eggs. Harmcr found, in one weighing eighteen or twenty pounds, l)etween 3,000,000 and 4,000,000 eggs. It was examined wr: COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AND HAKE. 347 1 )e(cml'.cr 23, and was estimated to luive 294eggs to the ij;rain, thv." ovaries weighing; 12,540 grains; the total number, according to this calculation, is 3,686, 760. The result of Mr. llarll's observatipns indicates that in June the fish hatched the previous winter, or about six months old, range from one and a half to three inches in length ; while those from nine to thirteen inches long, and weighing se\en or eight oiUK es, were eighteen months old : those seventeen to eighteen int lies long, and weighing two to two and a (juarter ))ounds, were suijposed to be two years and a half old ; those of about iwenty-two inches, wlii( li weiglied four to five pounds, were three years and a half old. He also concludes that the male reaches maturity at tiie age of three, and female at tlie age of four years, for the smallest ripe male noticed during tlie season of i.SyS-'yQ weighed three and one-half pounds, and the smallest rijie female five pounds.* 1 have befiire me memoranda relating to a large number of enornvous Codfish, taken along the New England coast at wirious times from 1830 to 1879. It seems unnecessary to refer to them, excepting the cases of a few which exceed one hundred pounds in weight. Capt. King Harding, of Swampscott, tells me that he once caught, on the eastern side of Ca])e Cod, a fish weighing 101 pounds as h came from the water. On the 22(1 of July, 1873, Miss Fannie Belis, of St. Louis, while on a fishing excu'sion off Ivastern Point, on board the yacht '' L'nited States," caught a Cod which weighed 130 pounds. Caj)!. (1. H. Martin caught, off Chatham, a Codfish which weighed, dressed, iii pounds. Capt. Stephen Mar, of Cloucester. saw a Codfish taken on (George's Banks in 1838, whicli, after having been eviscerated, weighed 136 pounds. Ca])t. Atwood sajs, ( n the coast of Cape Cod he has never seen a male Codfish, witli one exce])- tion, whicli weighed more than 60 pounds ; he once saw one, howe\er, which weighed 160 pounds. This fi.sh was not much larger than an ordinary fish weighing 75 pounds, but was very thick. Cajit. Atwood remarks : "In regard to size, the Cod differs very widely in different localities. A\'hen taken on the Cirand lianks it usuallv recpiires from thirty t(j forty to make a (piintal when dried. Those (aught in the (lulfof St. Lawrence with hand-lines are smaller, re(|uiring se\enty or * ( )n payes l^'i-T}.^ of Mr. I'^arll's rfiiort may lie foiiiul tliu measurements of a lart;e imniln-r uf CikIHsIi i.f (lilTiriMil ufiL^lils, ami u illi the dvavies and sjiermaries in ilifTerenl stayes of (le\'ij|i)|imeiit. 'rii(.-.(; measure- ments .ue inleiesting, since they show tlie relation between the length ,>ikI weight of imliviiUial lish. m irsi ■ I i'3 ..,4. 34« AMERICAN FISHES. \ iS % |i 5i eighty per quintal ; in the same locality, however, Cod caught on trawl lines recjuire only twenty to twenty-five per (quintal, while on the coast of Labrador they are small, and it requires about onv hundred to one hun- dred and ten to make a quintal. Writing in the summer of 1877, (^apt. Atwood expressed the opinion that the average weight of the fish taken about Cape Cod was in the neighbor- hood of ten pounds; but he informed me that in the winter of 1877, in two days, thirty thousand pounds of Codfish were landed from the boats, and that there was not a fish among them small enough to be classed as a market Cod, a market Cod weighing from six to ten or twelve jiounds. In conclusion, it may not be amiss to quote the remarks of Prof. Baird concerning the decrease of Codfish along our coast, and its probable causes : " Of all the various fisheries formerly prosecuted directly off the coast of New England, north of Ca]K' Cod, the depreciation in that of the Cod appears to be of the greatest economical importance. Formerly the waters abounded in this fish to such an extent that a large su])ply could be taken throughout almost the entire year along the banks, especially in the vicinity of the large rivers. At that time the tidal streams were almost choked up with the alewives, shad, and salmon that were struggling for entrance in the spring, and which filled the adjacent waters throughout a great part of the year. " As is well known, the erection of impassable dams across the streams, by preventing the ascent of the species just mentioned to their spawning grounds, i)roduced a very great diminution, and almost the extermination of their numbers; so that whereas in former years a large trade could be carried on during the proper season, now nothing would be gained by the effort. " Of late the attention of the legislatures of the New England States has been called to this fact, and to the importance of restoring their fisheries, and a great deal has been already accomplished toward that end. Unfor- tunately, however, the lumbering interest in Maine, and the manufactur- ing in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, are so jjowerful as to render it extremely difficult to carry out any measures which in any Avay interfere with their convenience or profits ; and notwithstanding the passage of laws reipiiring the construction of fishways through the dams, these have either been neglected altogether, or are of such a character as not to an- swer their purpose. The reform, therefore, however imperatively required, has been very slow in its progress, and many years will probably elapse before efficient measures will be taken to remedy the evil referred to. " It would, therefore, appear that while the river fisheries have been OS, ■for- ere of ;ive [in- Hi, )se ■en COJ), POLLOCK. HADDOCK AXD JIAKE 349 depreciated or destroyetl by means of dams or by exhaustive fisliing, the Codfish have disappeared in ecpial ratio. This is not, however, for the same reason, as they are taken only with the line, at a rate more than comi)ensated by the natural fecundity of the fish. I am well satisfied. however, that there is a relation of cause and effect between the ])resent and past condition of the two series of fish ; and in this I am supported by the ojjinion of Capt. U. S. Treat, of East])ort, by whom, indeed, the idea was first suggested to me. Capt. Treat is a successful fisherman and dealer in fish on a very large scale, and at the same time a gentleman of very great intelligence and knowledge of the many details connected with the natural history of our coast fishes, in this resi)ect worthily rei)resenting Capt. Atwood, of Provincetown. It is to Capt. Treat that we owe many experiments on the reproduction of alcwifes in jionds, and the possibility of keeping salmon in fresh waters fi)r a period of years. Tlie general conclusions which have been reached, as the result of repeated conversa- tions with Capt. Treat and other fishermen on the coast, incline me to believe that the reduction in the Cod and other fisheries, so as to become practically a failure, is due to the decrease off our coast in the (piantity, primarily, of alewives; and, secondarily, of shad and salmon, more than to any other cause. " It is well known to the old residents of Eastport that from thirty to fifty years ago Cod could be taken in abuntlance in Passamaijuoddy Bay, and off Kastport, where only stragglers are now to be caught. The same is the case at the mouth of the Tcnobscot River and at other ])oints along the coasts of Massachusetts, a much more weighty reason than that of merely enabling a few salmon t(j enter the streams in order to permit their capture while on tlicir way. " Whatever may be the im]iortance of increasing the su])])ly of salmon, it is trilling compared with the restoration of our exhaustecl Coil fisheries ; and should these be brought back to their original condition, we shall find, within a short time, an increase of wealth on our shores, the amount of which it wouUl be difficult to calculate. Not only would the general prosperity of the adjacent States be enhancetl, Imt in the increased num- i)er of vessels built, in the larger numl)er of men indiued to devote themselves to maritime ])ursuits, and in the general stimulus to e\ery- thing connected willi the business of the sea-faring professinn, we should be recovering, in a great measure, from that loss whii h has been the source of so mu(h lamentation to political economists and well-wishers of the country." The Atlantic Tom Cod, Microi:;adus to»iioJ, is found only in the Western Atlantic, ranging from New York at the south, tf) Cape Sable at the north. It is ordinarily known as the Tom Cod, but in the 15ay of Fundy, and in various places south of Cod, it is called the "Frost i I ' Iji If I 1 !> 'ii » Fish,'' owing to the fact tliat it bcconies most abundant in the early part of the winter, when it approaches the shore and even ascends the rivers and creeks for the purjiosc of sjjawning. Dr. DeKay states, on the authority of Dr. Yates, that Tom Cods sometimes ai)pear at Albany in abundance, while I am informed by the Rev. Dr. Gardiner that they are taken in winter in the Kennebec, sixty miles from its mouth, and far above the reach of the tide. They ascend the Charles River to Watertown, where they are taken in dip-nets and by the hook from the wharves and bridges. Although most abundant near the shores and in the streams in early winter, they are found along the coast at all seasons of the year. In form the Tom Cod is the miniature of the Codfish, rarely exceeding ten or twelve inches in length, and there is much difficulty in distinguish- ing the young of the two species. The Tom Cod, however, varies even more in its color than the Cod, and several varieties have been described under different names. When these fish approach the shores in winter they are taken in great (juantities in nets, and are esteemed in many localities as a great delicacy. It is said that they are sometimes sold in the markets under the captivating name of " London Trout." The Tom Cod feeds upon numerous species of crustaceans and mollusks, and also upon the young of many other kinds of fishes. The Pacific Tom Cod, Microi:;adus proximus, is thus tlescribed by Prof. Jordan : "The English at Victoria know this species by the name ' Whiting.' Elsewhere on the coast the name of ' Tom Cod ' is universally apjtlied to it. In the restaurants at San Francisco it is usually served under the name of smelt. It reaches the length of a foot and a weight of al)out half a ])ound. It ranges from Monterey to Puget Sound and northward, being everywhere very abundant, and taken in great numbers in seines and sweep-nets, botli outside and in the bays. Its food is small fishes. Noth- ing special is known of its breeding habits; it is apparently abundant at all seasons. It is one of the important food fislies of the coast, always abundant and always meeting a ready sale. Its fiesh is, however, watery and tasteless, and cannot be rated high." The Pollock, roUachiiis carboiiarius. which is the Coalfish of England, the Kohler of (lermany, and the Sci of Norway and Sweden, is closely related to the Pollock of Creat Britian, rollachiiis vircns, from which, however, it is specifically different. It is one of the best-known fishes of Northern Europe, as may be inferred from the abundance of its common COD, POLLOCK, IfADDOCK AND IIAKL: 11(1 h- at lys jry 1(1, 'ly :h, of yn TiiK I'oi.i.oCK (lU roAi. nsii. Its geographical distribution is ([uitc different from tliat of either the Cod or Haddock, its northern range, at least in the llastern Atlantic, being fully as wide as that of the Cod, the s])ecies ha\ing bec.i found in the northern part of Spit/.bergen, beyond the ])arallel of 80°, and on the arctic coast of l-lurope. It rarely enters the Baltic, llloch records a specimen from Lubeck, and it is said to occur on the coast of I'omerania. Concerning the limits of its southern range authorities differ. Cunther places this at latitude 46° in the J>ay of Biscay, while others claim that it enters the Mediterranean. Canestrini states that it has been obserw-'. at Taranto. It does not a])pear, however, that the species is abundant sjuth of the English channel. It oicurs about Iceland and on the west c:oast of Davis Straits, where sjiecimens were obtained by Sir Edward Barry on liis first voyage. North of Newfoundland it does not seem to be \ery abund- ant, while to the south the limit appears to be in the \icinity of Nantucket Shoals, where specimens are occasionally taken by the cod smacks. In Berlcy's " Catalogue of the Fishes of Nova Scotia," he states that he had never seen the fish in the (iulf of St. Lawrence, nor heard of it e.\ cept near the Straits of Canso, although it was found very abundant in the f ':! l-illi '^■■niii t ': i 352 AMERICAN FISHES. % I "i; : M: \i. Bay of Fund;: and cvcrywlicre except in the muddy waters, such as those of CumberUmd Bay and the ]5asin of Minas. I have seen large indivichuUs taken in midsummer in tlie pounds in Vineyard Sound, and the capture of small individuals in these waters is not unusual. They are often taken, according to I)e Kay, off New NOrk, in company with the ("od. In June, iS8i,the schooner " iMlward IC. ^^'el)ster," of (lloucester, Solomon Jacobs, captain, returning fiom a southern mackerel trip, fell in with a school of I'ollock and captured sixty (Is of thousand i)oun( stood, is in the l-kistern Atlantic between the parallels 46° and 80°, in the ^^'estern Atlantic between 40° and 70°. That its southeastern limit is as near the equator as the parallel of 36° seemsc[uite improbable. Unlike the Cod and the Haddock, the Pollock is, to a great extent, a surface-swimming species. 'I'he fishes of this si)ecies congregate together in large schools, roaming from ])lace to place in search of food. To a certain extent they feed at the bottom, like Cod, but are more often seen at the surface of the water, where they prey upon young fish of all kinds. Prof. Sars gives the following account of the manner in which they prey upon little Codfish : "I was much interested to see how the Pollock caught the young Cod. fish. It looked like a systematic chase, and it certainly looked as if the Pollock were acting with a common and well-defined purpose. As far as I could observe, the schools of Pollock surrounded the little Codfish on all sides, making the circle constantly narrower until all the Codfish were gathered in one lump, which they then, by a quick movement, chased up to the surface of the water. The poor little fish now found themselves attacked on all sides ; below, the voracious Pollock, which in their eager- ness often leaped al)ove the Avater ; and above, hundreds of screeching sea-gulls, which, with wonderful voracity and precision, pounced down upon the places where the Pollock showed themselves, to share the spoils with them. The whole chase is carried on so rapidly, and the young fish stay only so short a time at the surface of the water before they are scat- tered in all directions with lightning-like rapidity, that it was not even possible for me to see any, much less to catch any with my insufficient implements."* On the coast of New England they are much disliked by the fishermen, who claim that they consume great (juantities of other fish much more * Report of llie I'liitcil St.itcs lisli (.'funmission, l\irt s, 1S70, p. 5yi. Aimtlier viviil iloscriptioii of the maiiaer in which the I'ollock feed upon the sand-celt jr ianl, may be found on pp. 619 and 620. COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AND HAKE. 353 valiuiblc tlian themselves ; in consLiiucnce of this the nshernien luive a great prejudice against th.-ni and refuse to eat them. Capt. Atwood states that about Cape Cod they (hi not take to thj hook freely ; tiiat in other localities they are exeeedingiy voracious, and great numl)ers of them may be caught in Massachusetts Hay with a surface bait. When the Cnited States I'ish Commission stiamer ii;!s been stationed north of Cape Cod, a favorite amusement of the officers has been to catch young i'oUock with a lly. 'I'hc older fisli are less acti\e and remain more at the bottom. Concerning this species, Capt. Atwood states that the\' appear about Cape Cod in schools in early May, fre([uently passing Race Point so close to the shore as to be caught with the seine among the " tide-rips." Capt. K. \V. Merchant, of (Gloucester, tells me that the Pollock were very abundant in Massachusetts IJay early in this century — before the war ofiSi2. They were especially abundant on Middle lUuik. They were at that time chietly caught with bait of herring, taken in seines from the beaches. The fishing boats were of about thirty tons, and carried three men and a boy. Fisliing was carried on chietly at night. When tlie ves- sels would all " tieet up," and the bait on their hooks would toll the schools of fish together. The \essels would take about fifty ([uintals in a night. There were about thirty hsh to the (juintal. This abundam e (jf pollock lasted until about iSjo. These Pollock were salted, and con- sumed at home or cairied to Maine. They sold for about two dollars a cpiintal. The oil of their li\ers was tried out in kettles on the shore. Their roe was exported largely in thcjse days, It was sold by the bushel, at the rate of about sixty cents. Mr. I'larll writes : •' Large Pollock are absent from the waters of Ca])e .\nn tVom the middle of January till early in May. the small ones leaving earlier, in th e lal and returnini in April.* The young may be taken almost anywhere along the shore, but the large fish seem to confine them- selves to definite localities ; and though not particularly abundant during the summer at Cape Ann, it is a favorite spawning ground for the species, and during this jieriod large schools visit this shore. They begin to grow plenty about the first of October, and by the last of the month are so numerous as to greatly annoy the cod-fisher taking the hook before it can get tcj the bott men by om. *In iS8i the first Pollock c;ar.t; into dli iicc^ter iuirlii r .\hi 354 AMJ: RJL\ I X F/SI/ES. " Diiriiii; tliis season soiiu- of the small vessels fisli e\( hisi\el\ for Pol- lock, 'seizing up' their lines a number of fathoms from the bottom, and It times the fish l»ite as fast as the fishermen (an haul the m. ]'',arlv in in Novemlier a ( re\v of four men landed 10.420 jiounds. or about i.ioo fish, the result of less than two days' fishing. ( )\ving to a foolisii jirejudic e. the ])riie is always low. at times being less than thirty cents ])er one liun- drecl pounds. The a\erage weight of the fish is about nine or ttui pounds, and during the sijuwning season the sexes are taken in al)out e(|ual numbers." . I :|1 .'-ii ■ ■111,'; J r Ii \ p. !■• '■ In the \\i\y of l''undy and along the coast of Maine the ca]iture of \()ung Tollock from the ro( ks is a fa\-orite amusement, At Mastjiort these fish arc often called '• (Juodily Salmon." Hinds states that in the (iulf of St. Lawrence they are known as '* Sea Salmon ;" this name may refer both to their active and voracious habits, and to the excellence of their tlesh in those localities. The spawning of the I'oUock occurs in thederman ( )cean, acconling to ^\'ittnKU•k, from December to l''ebruar\- : in Scotland, according to rarnell. in I'ebruary. after whicli it remains out of condition until Mav. About the LolTodens. as indicated by the observations ofSars, the breed- ing time corresponds with that of the Codfish, the young Pollock being found in early summer in company with ilie young Cod, swimming under the jirotection of the jelly-fishes. TJie Pollock is one of those species whose \alue as an arti( le of food is Aerv much underestimated. Many persons who lu; . ^ in\estigated tb.e subject accurately prefer salted I'oUock to salted Codfish, although the fiesh is not so white. Its value for use in the fresh state, we think, de- serves the highest commendation. Pollock are more highly prized in New Brunswick than anywhere else on the Western Atlantic: coast, and the pollock fishery was in 1S50 pro- nounced by I'erlev the most valuable and e\tensi\e of the dee|)-sea fisheries of the Day of Fundy. It is stated by this authority that directly after the spawning seast)n the fish is lank and almost worthless, but that it becomes in good condition again in August and improves as the season ailvances. The liver of the I'ollock \ields a great cpiantity of oil, jjroportionally much more than that of the Cod. It is probable that most of the cocl-li\er oil in the market is more or less adulterated with poUock-lixer oil. No one has yet demonstrated that its medicinal properties are inferior. The eggs of the I'ollock are very large, and great (piantities of them ha\e been in past years salted and exported to France. COD. J'OLl.OCK. UADDaCK .l.\ /) IIAKI'.. .■>.-> .1 IS he he e- sc ro- ics ic U'S iy o 'llu' AlaNk;! I'dlKx k, J'ci/iii/iiiis (■/ui/i<>;;ritiiiiiiiis (I'.iUa^) I. iV (I.. i> thus (1(.'S( ribcd by I'rdf. Jordan : •• This spec ius is known a> I'ollai k to tliosi- who haw sren the Atlantic siiccies. It is iJON>iM\- iiK!iii( al with the • IJcsliow ' of the Makah Indians, the • Coal li^h ' ot" the l'.nL:li->h settlers northward, a deep-water fish noted for its rii h. t'.it lle'^h. It rea< Iks a lenj^th of about two feet. It ranges from Monterey to Ilehrin^'s Stiait>. It is taken with liook and line in deep water, and is iK\er plentiful south uf Cai)e I'lattery. It feeils upon aiK ho\ iis and the like. .Nothiiii,' is known of its breedinj; habits, enemies or diseases, and. uides> it \>c the ' Ueshow ' ab()\e noticed, it is not siiiVk iently aliindaiu to attr.n t anv notice as an artic le of food. Tin: nAiiDiiCK. /he Haddock, MdaiiOi^raiinniis (Ci^/rji/itis. is found only in the .\tlanti( . Hadot and Haelou are old I"^-ench naiiies for the same fish, though the species is now usually known by the name F.grefin. In Scotland the name is said to be jironounced almost in the same way as in l'"rance, and is ot'teii \arie(l to Iladdie. It is the Schellfish of (lermany. Concernin;^' thi> l"i>h many of our fishermen entertain the idea, which with them (an hardly be called a superstition, that the black spots ujjon their side are due to the impression of the thumb and finger of St. Peter wluii the ajwstle took the tribute money out of the mouth of a fish su])])ose(l to be of this s])ecies, the fisherman's mark ha\ing been continued among its de- scendants ever since. This notion is ])re\alent also in England, and in Southern Europe is attached to other fishes. i)articularly to the John Dory, Zeus fabcr. It is needless to say that no member of this family occurs in the Sea of (lalilee. )\ M ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^/ h A Afk 1.0 1.1 11.25 2 m "^ 1.4 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) S72-4503 \ ^^ •^ \ :\ "« ^^\ ^o^ % 35^> AMERICAX F/SIfES. Its wanderings are more limited than those of tlie Cod. It is not found nearly as far to the north, while its southern range is no wider. Had- do( k are proljaMy found in comiiany with Codfish on all the northern fishing grouufls, as far south, at least, as the Cajies of Delaware, though (onterning their ocrurren( e in southern waters there is dearth of informa- tion. In winter and spring they are taken in I'isher's Island Sound and outside of Fisher's Island, on the roast of Eastern Connecticut; and also in great (juantities on Nantuc ket Shoals by the smacks, and are carried thence with Cod into New York market. In 1871 it was estimated that the catch of Haddock here was nearly eipial to that of Cod, although the latter usually jjredominates. They abound north of Cape Cod, in the Culf of Maine, and in the Hay of Fundy. in the Basin of Minas, on the coast of Nova Scotia, in the Ciilfof St. Lawrence, and in the IJay of Chaleur. In the (Itilf of St. Lawrence, according to Capt. Atwood, they are not very abundant, but the individuals taken are very large. They are taken on the western coast of Newfoundland in winter ; their northern limit ajjpears to be marked by the Straits of IJelle Isle, latitude 52° N. In 1863 and iists. however, largely of invertebrates. They are rarely seen feeding at tlie surfac e. though the\- devour the spawn of other fishes, jiartic ularly that of the 1 erring, with great eagerness. They devour great (piantities of shells, many of them of the burrowing species. Prof. \'errill has well said that a complete list of the animals devoured by the Haddoc k would doubtless include all llie nioUusks belonging to the fauna of New England. The Haddock are said to be i)articularly abundant on clamdtanks. From this habit of feeding on shells has originated the (lerman name for the fish. The difference between the habits of the Haddock and the Cod is illustrated by the remark of Capt. Atwood that Haddoc k will take a baited hook as it rests upon the ground, while the Cod will only notice it when it is raised a short distance from the bottom. Salted menhaden is a favorite bait for Haddock, but not desirable for Cod, while both Cod and Haddock will readily take stale clams, which are muc h better for bait than fresh ones. On the (iernian coast the Haddock spawn on roc ky bottoms in l-'ebniary anil early March at a depth of twenty-two to twenty-lhe fathoms : and according to Yarrow the spawning period is the same on the British coast, the young growing to a length of six or seven inches before the beginning of September. At the I.offoden Isles, according to Sars. the s|)awning season of the Haddock takes place a little later, beginning toward the end of February and being at its height late in March. At Cape Ann tlie season is in late April, May and June. The average size of the Haddock is probably iiot far from three or four jiounds ; many twelve-])Ouncl fish are brought to market, and individuals weighing seventeen pounds are on record. 35« AMERICAX FISJfES. Ill 1S79 Hiiddock WLTC sucfcssfiilly hat(hc(l, under the supervision of Mr. I'larll, at the (Uoucester station ot" the L'nited States Fisli Commission. The llachlotk is now \ery liiyhly esteemed as a food fish, having grown in favor (hiring the hist twenty years. It is especially desiral)le for boil- ing (ir for making chowders, and is a great favorite in Boston, while in Philadelphia enormous (piantities are yearly consumed. Deing well a':>') Cii^k is very local in its habits ami rarely ( ha iiLrcs iVom one lo(alit\- to another. The food of the C'lisk doubtless consist < liielly of inolliisks and small crustaceans. Concerning its spawning h.dtits nothing i> known. e\ce])t that, accord- ing to I'aber, it breetls in April and Mav on the coast of A\'est and South Ireland. The Cask IS considered a \er\- e\( e llent fi^li. e^iic' ialh for lioiliiiL:. Imt there is a very limited demaml tor it. and most of those whic h are taken are salted. ( )n accoinit of their low prices lishermen shun them, ami they are hardly in better favor than dogl'ish. In »he spring of iNjS thev were worth in Clloiicester from twenty to I'ifty cents ])er lumdred. and in August of the same }ear about one dollar per lumdred ()n( e of the peculiar habits of the Ciisks renders their c apture diftlcult. and t'reipieiitlv causes the destruction (jf the fishing-tackle : it is said that after they have taken the hook they curl their tails round the angles of the rock and (ling to them with such strength that it is imiiossible to dislodge the m. 1- isliermen sav that when they arc brought to the surface the skin rises from the bodv in great blisters. This thev regard as a favorable siyn, as showing that the tish are " thrittv," or healtln le name Tusk," used for this I'lsh in ms Newfoundland, is now never used in the United States, although it see to have been in use a century ago, a well-known fishing ground in the Gulf of Maine being known as the " Tusk Rock." The two species which have commercial value being /'. i/ims and P. tenuis. These si)ecies are \ery similar in ajipearance, and it is with diffi- culty that they can be tlistinguished from each other by the traineonnds. 'I'iie fishin-j is carried on almost entirely at ni;:ht with the use of trawls, whi( h are about the si/.e t)f those nsed in tlie < aptnre of Iladdoi k. Hake are salted and driid in the same manner as (^,dfl^h. and are ot'un sold tu-.der the name of ((.dfi^h. \\ f,,rv the introdiK ti.,ii ,,f l,<,neless fish it was sometimes diflic ult to sell them on a(( ount of th.e (lifferen( e ii; aiipearance, 1 ut at th,e jMesent time great (|uantities of Hake are j.ut uj. in hoxcs nn.'.er the tiade name of '-l.meless f:.sh." tlie (lualifyinif word "Cdd" beini^Misiially cMiiitled from the 1 ranc'.s and labels. Tiie Hake is not often eaten e.\( ept wlien salted. The air-bladder, or sound, ( f the Hake is of i^icat ( ommer. ial \aliie. being used extensively in tlie manufacture of isinglass : great .|uantities of sounds are sent from the liritish l'rovin< es to the I'nitcd States annually. sounds from the (lulf of St. Lawrence being considered mu( h better than those from farther south. Jn 1880 New Kngland j.roduced 255,698 lounds of dried sounds, worth si 7''!-''io8. Massachusetts ha.l eight isinglass and glue factories, employing one hundred and eighty-two men and a capital of $315,000, and jiroducing :^45o.ooo worth of ribbon-isinglass and glue in 1S79. These .sounds were for the most i>art derived from the Hake. Till-: Pii.vi:!! iiAKi: du AviriTixr;, It is the opinion of certain writers, among whom Dr. Cunther is leader, that the Hake of Europe, Mcrluciiis vicrhis (or J/. rvz/cvz/vV of recent authors), is identical with the si)ecies of Jfcr/itciits occurring in the Western Atlantic. This is. however, a mistake : the American form may easily l)e distinguished from that of Europe by the greater number of I 3^'- / MKRICAN FISHES. rays in the first dorsal (lo to t r in J/, mcr/its, \2 to i,^ in J/". Hliiieivis), and by the lari^'cr si/e of the scales (the number in the lateral line being about 150 in J/, incrlus, 100 to 110 in M. hilincaris'). The general a])i)earante of the two s])ecies is very similar, and it re- (juires careful stmly to separate them. It is probable that at no very remote period they diverged from a common stcx k. 'i'iie distribution of the two species upon the opposite sides of the Atlantic coincides very closely with that of other (ladoid fislies, whicji are s|)ecifically identical in I'lurope and America. The Hake of Europe is fotmd along the coast from Trondhjem I'jord, latitude 65°, south to 36°, being very abundant in the Mediter- ranean ; also found on the coast of Portugal and in Western France. In the I'Jiglish Channel, however, and in the waters of Holland and Ger- many, it is considered very unusual. On our coast it ranges from New ^'ork to the (lulf of St. Lawrence, where it is common — esjiecially in tlie IJay of C'haleur — but it has rarely been observed as far north as tlie Straits of Uelle Isle. Dr. Packard was told by fishermen that during a pericnl of forty summers spent on the coast of Labrador they had taken but one speci- men of this fish. This fish has been found at great depths as far south as latitude 36° and 37°. The name Silver Hake, by which this fish is known in the Bay of Fundy, is much more appropriate than that of Whiting, though the latter is more fre([uently heard in New luigland ; its similarity to the European Hake is very great ; while the name Whiting, which is in luirope ajjplied to a species {^Merhingtts t-i/Zj^dn's), somewhat resembling the Pollock, has been appropriated in this country for a fish which frecjuents our southern coast and belongs to the drum family. The Silver Hake commonly inhabits the middle dej^ths of the ocean, or the outer edge of the continental slope, and comes to the surface to feed. Like the Pollock, it is a fish of prey ; its teeth are sharp, its mouth large and jiowerful, and its form lithe, muscular, and adapted to rapid locomotion. It comes to the surface to prey upon the schools of herring and other small fish, and is frecjuently caught in the mackerel and bluefish nets. Its appearance in our waters is irregular, and when seen it is usually swimming in schools in considerable numbers. They average one foot in length. They are of roving habits, following the shoals of herring, wliich they devour in great (juantities. Until 1880 little was known concerning the breeding habits of the Silver Hake ; but, COD, POriOCK, irADDOCK AXn HAKi:. ;/',5 in cxplorinj^' tlic bottom, at a tli-pth of from one hundrfil anil fit'tv to iliitc hundred fatlioms, off Newport and in the edge of tlie Ciulf Stream, im- mense numbers of young fish, from half an in( h to tliree inc hes in Kngth. were found at the bottom, and with them were many aihilts. twehf to eighteen indies in length, apjjarently in the act of spawning ; xime ^A them with the ova ripe, f)r nearly ripe, but not yet sheosed to spawn at a diNtam t' tVom the shore, but have never been detected in the ac t. The spa wning jieru doubtless extends over a consicierable space of time ; snme of the eggs from which the largest of the young were hatt hed off Newport nuHt have been laid as early as July. In September an ailult. obtained at lialitax. Nova Scotia, had the ova well developed and nearly reaily fur deposition. It is not known whether the eggs of the Silver Hake lloat or >ink. ('ouc h stales that the spawning season of the European Hake is from Januaiy to April, at which time the fish are caught near the bottom, and lose the great voracity by which they are characterized at other times, so that multitudes arc caught in trawls, and a few with lines. When pih hanU ai)i)roach the shore the Hake follow them, continuing in inc ah tdable numbers throughout the winter. The Hake of I^urope is always considereil a er and October the Whiting is used somewhat for bait for the dogfish and answers rooc 1 jjurpose. The California Hake, Mcrlucius productiis, writes Prof. Jordan, is most commonly known along the coast by its Italian name, '' Merluccio," pro- nounced mcrlooc/i. At Sociuel and elsewhere it goes by the name of 3^'4 AMERICAN FISHES. \ TTorsc-markerel, a name ust-d on our coasts with the greatest carelessness, heing a|ii)lie(l to Elops saiiriis, Atioplopoiiui fnnhria, and Mcrliicius pro- iluctiis, as well as to various scombroids and carangoiil fishes. It rea( hes a length of about thirty indies and a weight of ten pounds, its average weight l)eing five or six. It is found from tlie Ishmd of Santa Cruz Kj .Vlaska, being very irreguhir in its appearance, some years very abundant and at other times wanting altogether. It is exceedingly voracious, feed- ing on all sorts of small fishes and s(iuids. The stomach is always filled almost to bursting. It spawns in the spring, and its arrival near the coast always pre< etles the dejiosition of the spawn. It ])robal)ly then retires to deeper water. Its value as a food-fish is very little. It is scarcely salable in tlie mar- ket of San Francisco. Its flesh is very soft, and il is always ragged-looking when shipjied. Nothing was learned as to the (juality of its flesh, but it l>robably differs little from the Atlantic form Mcrlucius bilincaris. ■ i ■■ V ' 1% ■' JJm' •*»•»♦♦ • » « » • • ♦ • • » « •» • • ! '. .'..V,x\s% ^ > *■' v: Tin; sTiiu'i;!) Mti.i.r.T. THE MULLETS. Still sh.ill lio l\car(l the 1(m>iis Iniio cry I'liMii the stream, ami Id their rest I.^iii; trniips of iiirlews seaward (ly, At sunset to their sandy nest. Still JDViiiis fri>ni the sparklini; tide With silver siiles shall Mnllels Icip The ea^lc sn.ir in wonted pride, And hy their eyrie stroiii; and wide On the dry oak heside the deep, Their watch shall hiisy ospreys keep. William J. i'iuaysdn : 7'/ir AVrrr Coosa. /^N our eastern coast there are two species of J/z/i,--/*/, the ditrerences he- ^^^tween which are sometimes, though not always recognized by fisliermen. The most familiar is the Strii)e(l Mullet, J///',i,77 alhitlii ; the other is the so-called "White Mullet," Afiti^il />nisi7i(nsis. The former is the larger, and has eight instead of nine rays in the anal fin, and forty-two instead of thirty-eight scales between the gill openings and the base of the caudal fin. There has been so much confusion among writers regarding the species of this family upon our coast that it has until very recently been impossible to define jirecisely their geographical range. The Strii)ed Mullet occurs ii; the West Indies, the dulf, and from Lower Cali- fornia to Peru. A single specimen of M. I'rirsi/irnsis, was taken at Provincetown, in November, 1S51. North of New Jersey the capture of a large individual is very unusual. In July great numbers of them, about an inch in length, have been observed on the Connecticut coast, especially in the vicinity of Noank ; the fishermen there call them by the name of «' niiii'fisli Mnminit lio^'." On various parts of the coast tlicy have spcrial naiiK's. \vlii< h, liowcxer. (h) not apiivar to refer to spe) ial pe< uViarities. Ahoiit Cape llatteras the names " Jumping' Mullet" and " Saiul Mullet " ()( « iir ; in Northainpttm County, \'a., " I'at-bark," and in Southeastern Florida "Silver Mullet" and " nij,'-eyed Mullet." The nana- " I'at- lia( k " is also in use. hut whether this name is used for Mullets in j^eneral, or simplv ft)r those in parti* ularly good < ondition, I have been unable to learn. In the (lulf of .Mexi( o the Striped .Mullet is known simply as the '• .Mullet "; the other spe< ies as the " Silver Mullet." 'I'here are seventy or more spet ies of Mullets, some of which are found on every stret(h of (i». 1st line in the world in the temperate and tropi< al /ones. They live in the sea, and in the brackish waters near the mouths of rivers, 'i'hey, like the menhaileii. thon,i,di indeed to a still greater degree, subsist on the organic substances whic h are mingled with the mud and sand on the bottom. In order to prevent the larger bodies from passing into the stomach, or substanrcs from passing through the gill openings, they have the organs of the pharynx modified into a I'dtering apparatus. 'I'hey take in a (piantity of sand and mud, and after having worked it for some time between the ]>har\iigeal bones, they eject the roughest and most indigestible portion of it. l^a( h brt)nchial arch is provided on each side, in its whole length, with a series of ( losely set gill-rakers, which are laterally bent downwaril, each series closely fitting into the scries of the adjoining arch ; these con- stitute together a sieve, admirably adapted to jiermit a transit for the water, retaining, at the same time, every other substance in the cavity of the pharynx. 'I"he intestinal tract is no less peculiar, and the stomach, like that of the menhaden, resembles the gizzard of a bird. 'I'he intestines make a great number of circumvolutions, and are seven feet k)ng in a specimen thirteen inches in length. Although Mullets are abunclant almost everywhere, it is probable thit no stretches of sea-coast in the world are so bountifully supplied with them as those of our own Southern Atlantic and (lulf States, with their broad margin of partially or entirely land-locked brackish water and the numerous estuaries and broad river mouths. The mullet is jirobably the most generally popular and the most abundant fish of our own whole southern seaboard. Like the menhaden, it utilizes food inaccessible to other fishes, groping in the bottom mud, which it swallows in large cjuantities. Like SI L Tirr. Mrr.i.ETs. ,\f^7 the iiiciiIukUii. it is imt only c aiij^'ht ixtcnsivily I'V man. Imt i>< tin.' iiuiiii artirk- of food fur all tiu- laigi-r fislKs, and is the hist jiait lisli of tlu' rfgions in \vlii( h it odurs. In tlu- tlisciissiitii of the haliits of tlu- MiilUt. when it is not otherwise stated, the Stiiiieil Mullet, \vhi( ii is in our waters by far tiie most important si)e( ies. is kej)! ( hielly in mind. SiiKe the tinie of ("a|>t. John Smith e\ery oltserver has remarkeil upon the ^Teat alumd.im e of Mullets. Numerous rorrespondeiits of the I'ish Connnission, from \Vilnunj,'ton south, aj^ree th.u the Mullet is lar more abundant than any other sjiec ies. ex( ept .Mr. Simpsctn. who thinks that at Cape llatteras they are less numerous than the tailors or Mue-fish, and about as numerous as the f.it-bat ks or menhaden. In 1S75 circulars were sent out I>y the I'niteil States I'i^h Commission, asking information concerning the habits of the iNbillet. 'I'he replies, although suggestive, were not suffii iently numerous to afford the data necessary for a complete biography of this s])cc ies. In fact its habits are so peculiar that in order to unclerstand them it will be nee es>.ir\ lor snine naturalist to cle\ote a considerable period of time to study them thn ugh out the whole extent of their range. .\t j^resent. therefore, 1 propi»e to l)resent first the results of my own observations upon this fish, as it oc eurs in Mastern l''lorida, supplementing them with the e\c ellent study of the (Julf .Mullet from the pen of Mr. Stearns. Mullets abound in the Si. John's River, sometimes running up to the lakes, and along the coast in all the iidand bays, or " salt-water rivers." It is probably incorrect to call them anadromoiis. They ajjpear to ascend the rivers to feed, and the relative saltness of the water is a matter of small irajjortance. Small mullet are abundant all the year round, and so are scatterecl individuals of a larger si/e. Cast-nets at Mayport take them throughout the year. I have taken cpiantities of small fish, from one to five inches long, in the St. John's near .Arlington. They begin to assemble in schools in midsummer. This is probably preparatory to spawning, for at this time the ova are beginning lo mature. In miilsum- mer they swim at the surface, i)iirsued by enemies in the water and the air, and are an easy prey to the fishermen. They prefer to swim against the wind, and, 1 am told, school best with a northeast wind. They also i)re- fer to run against the tide. The spawning season ajtpears to continue from the middle of Noveml)er to the middle of January, and the weight of evidence tends to show that they spawn in brackish or salt water. , ;6S .DfER/CAX FISHES. \t H {!! I I Some of the fishermen say that they go on the mud-flats and oyster-beds at the mouth of the river to deposit their eggs. What becomes of them after this no one seems to know, but it is probable that they spread them- sehes throughout all the adjacent rivers, bays, and sounds, in s'uch a manner as not to be i^erceptible to the fishermen, who make no effort at this time to secure the spent, lean fish. Many of them probably find their way to the lakes, and others remain wherever they find good feeding grounil, gathering flesh and recruiting strength for the great strain of the next spawning season. There is no evidence of any northern or southern coastwise migrations, the habits of the species apparently being very local. The fisherman recognizes three distinct periods of schooling or separate runs of mullet. To what extent these are founded on tradition, or upon the necessity of change in the size of the mesh of Mieir nets, it is impossi- ble to say. The " June Mullet " average about five to the i)ound ; the "Fat Mullet," which are taken from August 20 to October i, weigh about two pounds ; these have, the fishermen say, a " roe of fat " on each side as thick as a man's thumb. The "Roe Mullet" weigh about two and a half pounds, and are caught in November and until Christmas. Between the seasons of "Fat Mullet" and "'Roe Mullet" there is an intermission of two or three weeks in the fishing. How to interpret these curious stat'-ments is surely a difficult problem, and one which can be solved only by careful study of the fishes themselves at these seasons. The fishermen insist that these schools come successively down the river and proceed directly out to sea. They will not believe that the " Fat Mullet " and the ," Roe Mullet" are the same schools under different circum- stance.s. I would hazard the suggestion that the "Fat Mullet" of September are the breeding fish of November, with roes in an immature state, the^ova not having become fully differentiated. The largest fish appear rarel;' to exceed six pounds. This is exceptional, however. Mr. W. H. Tate, of Melton & Co., Jacksonville, tells me that he never saw one exceeding seven pounds, though he had heard of one weighing fourteen. He showed me on the flooi of the fish-market a line indicating the length of a very large one ; this measured twenty-nine inches. At Mayport none had been seen exceeding six pounds in weight. At the mouth of the St. John's cast-nets ten feet in diameter are used, but most Mullet are taken in gill-nets, which are swept around the schools, the fish being easily visible at the surface. These nets are from THE MULLETS. 569 It. :1, seventy to ninety fathoms long and forty meshes deep. The si/.e of the inesh varies with the season. Very few are used from I)eceml)er to Jidy, but where they are used the mesh two and one-half to two and tliree- (juarters inches is jireferred ; from .\ut,'ust i to ()< tober i, for •' Fat Mul- let," the mesh is three and onedialf to three and three-(|uarters inches, and in late October, November, and l)eceml>er, for "Roe Mullet," four inches — at least so said my informant, an intelligent negro fisherman. At Mavport there were in 1S85 two swee|)-seines, seventy-five fathoms long and thirty feet deep, belonging to Kemp, Mead iV' Smith, used in the Mullet fishery. There is a large trade in fresh Mullet iced, of the extent of whi( h I could gain but little idea ; they are shipped chiefly to Central l-'lorida and (ieorgia. Some have been sent in ice to Atlanta. About twenty thous- and are shipped from Yellow Bluffs, by way of Jacksonville. It is the general opinion of the fishermen that the Mullet have greatly diminished in abundance of late years, and that they are not one-third as ])lenty as they were ten years ago. 'I'his falling off is attributed t(.) the presence of steamers, to the changes of the season, and, most of all, to the use of small-meshed seines, which catch the yoimg fish in great numbers, and to the constant fishing by numerous nets, which destroys a large proportion of the mother-fish from year to year. Mr. Isaac Calsam, of New IJerlin, told me that ten or twelve years ago a man with a cast-net could easily take four or five hundred Mullet in a t, of tlie previous vear's hatching. The first school of this run appears on tiie ( oa^t in Ajiril or in the first part of May. and they continue to come for two or three weeks. when they are all inside and scattered about the hay shores. These fish are very thin on their arrival, but rapidly fatten and grow on the feeding grounds. Some of these contain spawn at lirst. and in some it is de\eloped tluring the summer. " In September and 0( tober there is a • run ' of large fish, which (omes, as usual from the eastward, the fish swimming at tlie surface of the water and making considerable comniotion. Some \ears there is but one large school in the ' nm ' and at others many small schools, and it is thought that the fish are more abundant when they come in the latter form. At Chotawhatchee Inlet, when the spawning grounds are near by, the fish come in with the Hood tide and go out again with the ebb tide ; and at the Pensacola Inlet, when the spawning grounds are far away, they come into the bay and stay until the operation of spawning is over. 'J'he spawn in this fall ' run ' is fully developeil, and is deposited in October and November. The spawning grounds are in fresh or brackish water at the heads of bayous, in rivers or heads of bays. The many bayous of Choc- tawhatchee Bay are almost blocked U}) with s])awning Mullet in ()ctol)er, and they are very abundant at the head of Pensacola I5ay near the mouths of fresh-water rivers at that time. Although 1 have been in the bayous when Mullet were supposed to be sjxiwning. I have not witnessed the operation, nor seen any j)erson who has. In such places tlie bottom is grassy, sandy, and muddy, the water varying with the tide from fresh to brackish, and of a temperature varying from 70° to 75° I-'. It is suj)- posed that the spawn is deposited upon the bottom. If they hare been spawning at the times when I have been present, I would say that the operation was a general one. That they do spawn at or near these places is quite certain, for they go to them with sjiawn and come away without it, and the young fry first api)ear near the same places. Crabs and alli- gators are abundant in such places, and they doubtless destroy many 37: AMERICAN FISHES. ! n of the eggs and fry. TJcforc spawning Mullet arc very fat, but after the operation arc extremely thin and worthless for food. Their colors also undergo some changes, at sea being bright blue on the back, which deepens to a light brown in the l)ays and to a dark brown in fiesh water. \\y these characteristics it is not difficult to determine the locality where a lot of Mullet are caught. " Some persons of this coast agree that Mullet, or any other sea-fish, will not bear sudden change from salt to fresh water, and to meet this argu- ment I made an experiment with Mullet in 1879. I took a dozen or more medium-sized Mullet from the warm shoal water of the bay and placed them in cool, fresh spring water. They swam around very rai)idly for about half an hour, then sank to the bottom of the spring, where they remained, apparently comfortable, for twelve hours. Before leaving the spring I returned them to their native waters, seemingly in as good con- dition as when first caught. The bay water was at that time 77° F. and the spring water 71° F. , a difference of 6° and a change from pure salt to pure fresh water. "After spawning, in October and November, the Mullet leaves these bays in small schools, going directly to deep water if the weather is stormy, and following the beach along if there is not much surf. Those that have been in the bays all the summer leave also at about this time, many of them having spawned at the same time with the full ' run.' A few of these, having just reached maturity, are found with spawn nearly all winter ; also, some young stragglers. In F\'bruary, March, and April young Mullet, varying from one to two and a half inches long, are found in great al)undance along the bay shores. Mullet grow to about eight inches in length the first year, to twelve or thirteen inches the second year, when they are mature. The average size of adults is twelve inches in length, weightabout one and acpiarter pounds. The largest I have seen measured twenty inches long and weighed four and a half pounds. It was caught at Charlotte Harbor, Fla. Mullet of that size are extremely rare in West Florida. Those of South Florida are much larger, as a rule, than those found further north. There they are also far more abundant than on the coasts of West Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. " In October, Charlotte Harbor, Sarasota and Palmasola Bays, seem to be the headquarters of all the Mullet of the Gulf. Tampa Bay, Anclote THE MULLETS. ^ ■» -5 River, Homosassa River and vicinity, are also favorite spawning places. During the fall they move in such immense schools that the noise of their si)lashing in the water resembles distant thunder; and to persons living near the river or bay, their noise, kept up day and night, becoming very annoying. These schools are followed by large numbers of sharks, jior- poises. and other destructive fishes, as well as ])elicans and like sea-birds, all of which eat of the Mullet until tliey (an eat no more, and ha\e to make way for fresh arrivals. In spite of these enemies and those of the eggs and fry. Mullet are as plentiful as formerly, according to the general opinion of the fishermen of the coast." The Mullet is a bottom-feeding fish, and jirefers still, shoal water with grassy and sandy bottom. It swims along the l)ottom, head down, now and then taking a mouthful of earth, which is partially culled over in the moutli, the microscopic particles of animal matter or vegetable matter retained, and the refuse expelled. ^Vhen one fish finds a spot rich in their desired food, its companions immediately Hock around in a manner that reminds one of barn-yard fowls feelio-\,ihin.i Lay the sturgeon, King v( Fi>lies. Longfellow ; Hiawatha' s /'isliin^. npWO species of Sturgeon are supposed to exist on our Atlantic coast. The most abundant of these, Aript'iiscr o.\yr/i\iic/iits, is now generally sup|)Osed to be identical with the common Sturgeon of ICurope, ./. sttirio. The other, A. brcvirostris, which is distinguished from A. oxyrJiyucliiis by its shorter and blunter nose, has not yet been found north of Cape Cod, and appears to be comparatively less abundant, although both si)ecies are founil in great numbers in the larger rivers and estuaries during the si m- mer season, and are fre([uenily seen leaping from the water, especially at dusk. A lea[)ing Sturgeon is a striking object, the whole length cjf the fish appearing above the surface before it falls back with a splash into the water. The Sturgeon attains the length of five to twelve feet. In Murope, indi- viduals of the common Sturgeon eighteen feet long ha\e been observed. They spawn in spring and early summer, in the lower stretc lies of the rivers, and perhajts also at tiieir mouths, in brackish water. The mouth is situated upon the under surface of the head, ami is not provided with teeth, but is surrounded with a cup-shaped organ composed of powerful muscular tissue, by means of which it grubs for its food in the mud. Its stomach resembles that of the menhaden and mullet, though comparatively more muscular, since, like the gizzard of a fowl, one of its uses is to triturate the food which has been swallowetl, and which consists largely of mollusks, and crustaceans. Around the mouth is a group of large anil sensitive tentacles, which aiel the fish in its search for food. No one has yet made a careful study of the habits of the Sturgeon in our waters, and in fact European zoologists have made little progress in the study of the species of the Old World. Within the past few years the capture of the Sturgeon for smoking and for the manufacture of caviare from its eggs has attained considerable importance on the Atlantic coast. The most satisfactory discussion of this fish is that publisheil by Milner in Part II, of the Report of the United States Fish Commission, jiages 67 to 75. I i Till-: r.vTKisii. THE CATFISH OR BULL-HEAD. I' i: liiin't tnlk 111 me u' Imiiiii f.it Or t;iIors, iniMi or '|iossiini, K(i' wlicii I'sc houkfil a yallcr cat I'sc got a meal to lioss 'cm. J'/u- Darky aiui the Citt/isli. I [if ^T^H1C Catfish is somewhat like />ii/i' i/r /(>/(• j^n/s or pickled olives. -■■ Those who do not very much like it detest it. 'I'he metropolis of its ])Opularity is Thiladelphia. but whene\er taken from clear, cool water it is ])alatal)le, and when properly cooked e\en delicious, its textureand flavor resembling that of the eel. Since every small boy begins his angling ex- periences with Catfish, instructions for its capture would besuperfiuous. Its appetite is always good, and its jialate, or whatever stands for jjalate in fish architei'ture, by no means delicate. A spice of danger attends its / / I am iiulcbtcd to President Jordan of IiuIkuki I'nivcrsit) . for the following remarks upon this grou|) : "The Catfishes abomid in all the t'resh waters of the United States east of the Ko( ky Mountains. 'I'iie spec ies of the three genera, Jctaluiiis, .liniiinis, and Lt-ptops, which constitute the bulk of the family as ri'pre- siMited in North America, all reach a length of from one to fi\e feet, and are all food-fislies of more or less importance. One of the C'atli^hes. Iiiiiliinis pondcrosiis, is our largest fresh-water tisli, weighing ujiwards of one liundred and ilfty pounds, and two of the others, Leptops oIi:\ir/s and Ictaliinis nii^riciJiis, reac h a very ( onsiderable si/.e. ''The C'atl'ishes are voracious and indiscriminate feeders, any kind of animal substance, living or dead, being greedily swallowed by them. They are also (es|)ecially the species of .liiiiiinis) extremely tenacious of life, living for a long time out of water, ami being able to resist impurities in the water better than any other of our food-fishes. 'I'hey sj)awn in spring, and the female fish keeps a watch over the school of young, much as a hen takes care of chickens. 'I'he Cati'ishes are especially adapted t'or stocking ponds and sluggish streams with muddy bottoms, wliich become partly dry in summer, bodies of water not suited for the more aristocratic trout and bass. '• The species of the genus /(■/(i'///;7/j' — known as "Channel Cats" are much less hardy than the other Catfishes, and do not thrive well excejjt in river channels. Any water which does not dry up absolutely to the bottom in summer will suffice to nurture the common small Catfishes. •• The llesh of all the Catfishes is of fair ([uality, not delicate nor tender, but of good flavor. The Channel Cats have whiter meat than the ordinary small Catfish, but the llesh is drier, antl the latter are usually preferred." The Channel Cat or Blue Cat, Ictaliints puiictatus, abounds in all the larger Western and Southern streams, living in the river channels. It reaches a weight of five to ten i)ounds and is readily salable, but its llesh is not better than that of its less attractive relatives. It takes the hook readily. This species is abundant in the St. John's River, b'lorida. In 1S7S many were taken near the bar at Alayport in brackish water. For table use they are much more highly esteemed than the Mud Catfisli. The Great Mississippi Cat, Ictalunts poiuicrosus, the largest of our Cat- fish, is found in the Mississippi, and probably in its larger tributaries, where it reaches a weight of about one huntlred and fifty pcjunds. Little distinctive is known of its habits, which probably agree with those of the next species. The Great Lake Catfish. Jctaliinis nii^riiwis. the most abundant of the large Catfishes, abounds m the Great Lakes and in the larger streams of .1 or AMICKJCA.y J'JSJIES. tlic West and South as far as Florida. It rcaclit's a wciglit of fifty to t)nc hundred jjounds, pcrhaiis more. In all the markets of the region where found it is one of the most important sjiciies, and its flesh, which can he cut in ••steaks" like Halibut, is generally esteemed. Nothing distinctive is known of its breeding habits or rate of growth. I'rof. (ioode remarks : " 1 have observed freijuently enormous specimens of this species in the St. John's River, where they are called Mud Cats. The young are sometimes called '• I'Mannel-Mouth Cats." 'I'he White Catfish, the Channel Cat of the Potomac, Itfa/tinis albidits, of the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, is very abimdant in the Susiiue- hanna and Potomac Rivers, and forms an important part of the fish sujiply of the Washington market. It reaches a weight of two to five l)Ounds. being much smaller than the preceding species, which it resembles. Ainiunis //(-/'///(W/jr, the common " Horned Pout," *' UuU-head," •• Jhill- pout," or "Minister "of the Northern and Eastern States is the most generally abundant and Himiliar representatives of this family. It reaches a length of about eighteen inches and rarely e.xceeds three or four pounds in weight, while the majority of those seen in the markets are still smaller. It is i)rol)ably the hardiest of all our fresh-water fishes, thriving in any waters, but preferring those which are c]uiet and shaded. Numerous other species very similar to this occur in our fresh waters. The Bull-head has been introduced from the Schuylkill into the Sacra- mento and San Joacjuin Rivers in California. It has there very rapidly multiplied, and is now common in all the sloughs and bayous of the lower courses of these rivers. As a food-fish it is not very highly valued by the Californians, most of those brought to market being taken by the Chinese. Li'ptops olivaris, the "Mud Cat," "Yellow Cat," "Cloujon," or "Bashaw" is found in all the large rivers of the West and South. It reaches a weight of at least fifty pounds. It is found only in the larger streams, swimming near the bottom. It is less attractive in its appearance than the other Catfishes, but we are not aware that its flesh is inferior to that of the others. This species, and other of the larger Catfishes, are often caught by "jugging," the bait being attached to a jug filled with air, which will in time tire out the fish and bring it to the surface. The Stone Cat, Noturtis flavus, reaches a length of about a foot ; the other Stone Cats {Notiiriis) are still smaller, and none of them can be considered as food-fishes. THE CATl'ISir OR JULL-Jfl-AD. r,9 The (laff-topsail Catfish, .l-'.luriclithyi iiiivinns, \vhi( li ranges from fapo Cod to I'lorichi, is found ( hictly in brae kish water. It is not iincotunionly taken at Arlington, I-loriihi. and I'.niiure Point. It is known here and at IVnsacoia as the " Sea Cat." and at Ihnnswiik, da., as •• Ciaff topsail." in allusion to the shajie of the tirst dorsal fin. According to Mr. II. S. AN'illianis, it is abundant in the Indian River, it is ( onnnon also along tlie Ciiilf coast, but is nowhere valued as food. Many of the fishermen believe this species to be \i\ii)arous. Mr. S. C. Clarki'. writing from New Smyrna, March 31, 1S74, remarks: ''They have eggs in them as large as cherries." TiiK s.vi.r wATiiii (■.v•r^'ISlI. The Salt-water Catfish. .//■/// j7<7/V, is found along the coas;s of the C.ulf of Mexico to as far north as Cape I latleras. In the first volume of the Proceedings of the United States National Museum, p. 27S. is an interest- ing account of its breeding habits, as observed by Prof. N. T. I.upton. The species spawns there in July, and the parent (sex not stated) tarries the eggs in its mouth. Silas Stearns says of this fish : " The Salt-water Catfish is very abundant everywhere on the C.ulf coast. It is found on the sea-beaches, the shores and bottoms of bays and bayous, and even some distance up fresh-water streams. It is a bottom-loving fish, feeding upon worms and small crustaceans chielly, but will reailily eat anything else— fish, ilesh, or fowl, dead or alive. As the pest of these waters, it is ever present and never welcome. It breeds in the summer, in June, July, and August. The spawn is deposited in the depression in the sand and impregnated with the milt. One of the parent fish then takes the eggs in his mouth ami by some movement fixes them against the gills, or between the leaves of the gills. 'I'he eggs are carried in this position until the embyro fish are hatched and have l)ecome i)ertect and able to care for themselves. The eggs when full size resemble white grapes; they are large and clear. Sometimes the parent fish's jaws are much distended by the eggs and young inside, and its appearance is comical. ' r J {I :r r ' I :| 380 // .U/CA'/C.IX /'/S/fKS. The Catfish lias bcL-n introdiicid in lluroiK", and in Ik-lgiuni is alri.wiy fairly wi-ll acdimati'd. Attempts have been made to introduce it into Kn^land — an act of international (ourtesy which mij,dit perhaps offset in a slight degree onr debt to our motherland lor the gift of the I'.nglish Sparrow. Puiicli in this connection has made his only tontribiitiun to thj literature offish culture under the caption : — NO CATFISH, I'LKASi: ! Oil do not hrins: tlic Catfish here ! Till' Cattish is a name of fear. Oh, s|)are eacii stream and spring. Tlie Keiuut Swift, the Waiulle cUar, Tile lake, the lorii, the broad, tlie mere, lYom that detested tiling ! The Catfish is a hideous beast, A bottom-feeder that doth feast Upon unholy bait : He's no addition to your meal. He's rather richer than the eel; And ranker than the skate. His fare is broad, and Hat, and glum ; He's like some monstrous miller's thumb ; He's bearded like the pard. 15elu)lding him the grayling fiee. The trout take refuge in the sea. The gudgeons go on guard ! He grows into a startling size ; The Ilritish matron 'twould surprise. And raise her burning blush. To see white catfish, large as man, Through what the bards call " water wan " Come with an ugly rush ! They say the catfish climbs the trees, And robs the roosts, and, down the breeze. Prolongs his catterwaul. Ah, leave him in his western flood, Where Mississippi churns the mud ; Don't bring him here at all ! Li THE HERRING AND ITS ALLIES. Hut why, good fisherman, Am I tlimiuhl muat fur ycni, that never yet Hail auiiliiiii roj cast towanls me ? MiODLETON AND DeKKARI Moll Cut PursC, iClI, lielweeii ilark liilU "ii lilhcr liilo riie salt sea-liich runs r>r a mile, And iiuw, suii-cliarmed to a smile, Clleams bright its tlow iiij; frnlliin;^ tide, lint lo ! each wave to silver turns In da/zling fire the whole loch hums, Millions of IJerrint; dart and splash Eajh one a living liyhtuing llush. William Sharp: --/ I/crring Shoal, 18 'nr'HE Herring f:\mily contributes more generously than any other group of atjuatic animals to the supjjort of man, and the Herring is beyond (juestion the most important of food-fishes. l)istril)uted throughout the whole of the North Atlantic, it affords occupation for immense fleets of fishing boats, and, according to Huxley, the number taken every year out of the North Sea and Atlantic is at least 3,000,000,000 with a weight of at least 1,500,000,000 pounds. According to Dambeck, the average yield in Norway from i860 to 1S70 amounted to 1,452,000,000 pounds. Hoklsworth placed the yield of Scotland in 1873 at 188,000,000 jjounds, their capture requiring 15,095 boats with crews of 45,494 men. In the same period in the English fisheries he states that 15,321 boats were used. France, Ireland and Belgium have also Herring fisheries of considerable extent, and Germany in less degree. In 1874, according to compilations and estimates of Prof. Hind, 200,000,000 pounds of Herring were taken 382 AMERICAN FISHES. in the waters of British North America, and in 1880 nearly 43,000,000 pounds were obtained on the east coast of the United States. Summing up tlie aggregate of these statements and estimates, and allowing to Ire- land, Belgium, Germany and France, a product equal to that cited for Scotland, we have an aggregate of 250,000,000 pounds. Commenting upon the supposed injurious effect of the fisheries upon the abundance of this fish, Prof. Huxley in his well-known lecture upon the Herring, delivered at the International Fishery E.xhibition at Norwich in 1 88 1, remarked as follows : " It is said that 2,500,000,000, or thereabout, of Herrings are every year taken out of the North Sea and the Atlantic. Suppose we assume the number to be 3,000,000.000, so as to be quite safe. It is a large number, undoul)tedly, but what does it come to? Not more than that of the Her- rings -vhich may be contained in one shoal, if it covers half a dozen square miles, and shoals of much larger size are on record. It is safe to say that scattered through the North Sea and the Atlantic, at one and the same time, there musi be scores of shoals, any one of which would go a long way toward supplying the whole of man's consumption of Herrings.'" So well known was the Herring, from the earliest ciays, to the inhabi- tants of Northern Europe and to their descendants who migrated to the western shores of the Atlantic, that one name serves to designate the fish in the languages of a majority of the peoples to whom it is known. Its name in English, German, and Dutch, though differently spelled, is pronounced in exactly the same way. To the Scandinavians it is known by the name " Sill." France in the name Clupee employs a form of the Latin for fishes 01 diis group by which the same fish is known to these nations when described in the language of their men of science. There are also local names to designate certain conditions and ages. To this class belongs the name "Sperling," employed by our own fishermen of Cape Ann to denote the yoimg Herrings. Corresponding to this name the word " Stromming " is used in Sweden. The Herring is found in the temperate and colder parts of the North Atlantic. On the west, its range extends south to Sandy Hook, at the entrance of New York Harbor, where it is found occasionally in mid- winter, and on the north as far as Northern Labrador, diminishing in numbers perhaps toward the northern extreme. On the east its southern limit is in the vicinity of the Bay of Biscay, while northward it is foqnd in the White Sea and on the southern shores of Si)itzbergen. It of course TJfE HERRIXG AXD ITS ALLIES. ■•s •> does not enter the Mediterranean, though it is almndant in the North Sea and in the Baltic. The temperature preferred by the Herring lias been more carefully determined in Europe than here. The observations of tlie Scotch ami Dutch meteorological societies have demonstrated that the temi)erature of the water most favorable to the summer Herring fisheries of their respective countries is about 55°. 4 F., though during the Scott h winter fisheries the temperature ranges from 40°.! F., and during the Norwegian spring Herring fisheries it ranges from 37°. 4 F. to 39°. 2 F. Discussing the causes of the movements (jf the Herring schools. Prof. Baird in 1877 wrote as follows. " Altliough the movements of the Herring apjiear to be very capricious, they are doubtless governed as much by well-defined laws as any other jiortion of creation, although we are yet lar from understanding t'ully the conditions which control their actions. They sometimes freiitieiit a ]ior- tion of the European coast for many successive years, and then abandon it gradually or sudilenly, presenting themselves usually at the same season in some far remote locality. Sometimes a wind blowing on shore will favor their inward migration ; at other times it appears to have a directly opposite effect. Even when they reach the portion of the coast for which they are bound,, the facilities of their capture depend upon meteorological conditions ; and the Scottish Meteorological Society has been engaged for several years in ascertaining what these are, and how thev mav be Ix'st applied by the fishermen." So far as is known, the abundance of Herrings in the Western Atlantic has been constant during the past two centuries ; at the same time so little is our fishing population dependent on the Herring fisheries wlien compared with that of Northern Europe that variations in abundance not being regarded as national disasters would, except jierhaps, in the casL- of Newfoundland, scarcely have been placed definitely upon record. Prof. Baird's remarks concerning the periodicity of the Herring sup])lv in Northern Europe, may be found in the Quarto Fisheries Rei)ort. There are several interesting series of observations ujion the spawning habits of the Herring, the hatching of the egg, and the de\elo[)inent of the young; all of which may be found in the later volumes of tlie Report of the United States Commissioner of Fisheries, and in Prof. Huxley's lecture on the Herring. In the sjiring of 1878 the first successful ex])eriinents in the artificial 384 AMEKICAX FISHES. propagation of Herring were carried on in Germany by Dr. H. A. Meyer, of the Commission for Scientific: Investigation of the (lerman Seas, at Kiel, and in the fall of the same year by Mr. R. 1-^. Earll, of the United States Fish Commission, at (iloiicester. A translation of Dr. Meyer's i^aper may l)e found in the United States Fish Commission Rei)ort, part vi, pp. 629- 63S, and a brief summation of Mr. Karll's experiments in the same volume. i)p. 727-729. Much has been written wyow the food of the Herring, and the transla- tion from an article in " Die Xatur," Xo. 47, 1869, printed in the (juarto Report of the U. S. Fish Commission, expounds in a very satisfactory man- ner recent views of Furojiean authorities upon the subject. The methods of capture of the Herring are fully described in the publi- cations of the Fisli Commission, but being always of a commercial charaitcr will not be referred to here. The Herring fishery is as yet of comjiaratively small important:e in America, but is constantly increasing, and in time will without doubt, approximate in extent that of Northern Furope, especially after our countrymen shall have begun to pay attention to the now multiplying resources of our Pacific coast, where there are at least two species sufficiently abundant to be of value to fishermen. " One of these, Cluf'ca miralnlis, is universally known as the Herring," v,rites Prof. Jordan. It indeed scarcely differs in size, appearance, or cpialities from the Herring of the Atlantic. It reaches a length of about a foot. It is found for the entire length of the coast, being exceedingly abundant northw.vrd. All the bay sand outlets of Puget Sound are filled with them in the summer. South of Point Conception they are seldom seen excei)t in winter. At San Diego they spawn in the bay in January. Farther north their spawning season comes later. They are so abundant in San Francisco Bay in the spring that eighty pounds can often be bought for twenty cents. They are fattest and bring the best price in early winter. The Herrings are smoked and dried, or salted, or sent fresh to the mar- kets. Sometimes herring oil is exj^resseil from them. The principal herring-curing establishment is at Port Madison, on Puget Sound." Prof. Huxley, in his Norwich address, expressed belief that the true Herring probably occurs in the Pacific, but there is no reason to believe that his supijosition was correct. Still another is the California Sardine, Cliipea sagax. "This species," writes Prof. Jordan, "is everywhere known as the Sardine, or by the THE IIERRIXG AXD ITS ALLIES. 3S5 Italians as 'Sanlina.' It i^ 111 act. a liiiost cxactlv iflentical with tlu Sardine of Europe. It reaches a length of a little less than a foot. It ranges from Cape Mendocino to Chili, and is extremely almndant south- unnner ^\ ard, especially in the winter, when it fills all the bays. In the s it is generally scarce southward, although still taken nurthward. 'I'he young are, however, seen in San Hicgo in the sunnner. It is probably to some extent migratory along the (oast. but as little attention is paid to it, no definite data can be given. It is brought into the markets when taken, and is sold with the Herring. 'I'he tpiestion of the possibility of canning it in oil, like the Sardine, ha^ been co nsiderablv discussed. It would probably jn-ove unprofitable, l"roin the high price of labor and the uncer- tain sujijily of fish." Far more abundant than the Herring, and occurring at times o n all ])art^ of om- Atlantic coast, is ijie Menhaden, LhuToor/iit /xra/imis. This specie^, has at least thirty jiopular names, most of them limited in their use within narrow geographical boundaries. To this (ircumstance maybe attributed the i)revailing ignorance regarding its habits atid migrations, among our fishermen, whic h has jierhaps prevented the more extensive utilization of this fish, particularly in the South. Tin: mi;niiai)i:n". North of Cape Cod the name "Pogy'' is almost universally in use, while in Southern New England the fisk is known 011 ly as the •• Menhaden." These two names are derived t"rom two Inpear to remain more or less ( onstantly throughout the year. The arrival of the Menhaden schools is closely synciironous with the period at which the weekly average of the surface temperatures of the harbors rises to 51° F., that they do not enter waters in which, as aliout Eastport Me., the midsummer surface temperatures, as indicated by monthly averages, fall below 51° F., and tliat their departure in the autumn is closely connected with the fall of the thermometer to 51'^ F. and below. The arrival of the Menhaden is announced by their a|)pearance at the top of the water. Theyswim in immense schools, their heads close to tlie surface, packed side by side, and often tier above tier, almost as closely as sardines in a box. A gentle ripple indicates their jjosition, and this may be seen at a distance of nearly a mile by the lookout at the masthead of a fishing vessel, and is of great assistance to the seiners in setting their nets. At the slightest alarm the school sinks toward the bottom, often escaping its pursuers. Sailing o\er a body of Menh:iden swimming at a short distance below the surface, one may see their glittering backs It! I Ii 388 AMERICAN FISHER. beneath, and the boat seems to be gliding over a floor inlaid with blocks of silver. At night they arc phosphorescent. Their motions seem cai)ri- cious and without a definite purpose ; at times they swim around and around in circles ; at other times they sink and rise. While they remain tkus at the surface, after tlie ajipearance of a vanguard they rajjidly in- crease in abundance until the sea ajjpears to be alive with them. They delight to jjlay in inlets and bays, such as the Chesapeake, Peconic and Narragansett Bays, and in former years frequented the narrow fiords cf Maine. They seem particularly fond of shallow waters protected from the wind, in which, if not molested, they will remain throughout the season, drifting in and out with the tide. Brackish water attracts them, and they abound at the mouth of streams, especially on the Southern coast. Why the schools swim at the surface so conspicuous a prey to men, birds and other fishes is not known. It does not appear to be for the pur- pose of feeding ; perhaps the fisherman is right when he declares that they are playing. An old mackerel fisherman thus describes the difference in the habits of the mackerel and Menhaden : " Fogies school differently from mackerel; the Pogy slaps with his tail, and in moderate weather you can hear the sound of a school of them, as first one and then another strikes the water. The mackerel go along " gilling," that is, putting the sides of their heads out of the water as they swim. The Pogies make a flapping sound ; the mackerel a rushing sound. Sometimes in calm and foggy weather you can hear a school of mackerel miles away." They do not attract small birds as do the schools of ])redaceous fish. The fish-hawk often hovers above them, and some of the larger gulls occasionally follow them in quest of a meal. Their winter habitat, like that of the other cold-water absentees, has never been determined. The most plausible hypothesis supposes that instead of migrating towards the tropics or hibernating near the shore, as has been claimed by many, they swim out to sea until they find a stratum of water corresponding to that frequented by them during their summer sojourn on the coast. As indicated by the testimony of many observers, whose stui.'ments are elsewhere reviewed at length, the Menhaden is by far the most abundant species of fish on the eastern coast of the United States. Several hundred thousands are frecjuently taken in a single draft of a purse-seine. A firm s THE HERRING AXD ITS ALLIES. 389 in Milford, Conn,, caiiturcd in 1S70, S.Soo.ooo : in 1S71. S. 000. 000 ; in 1872, 10,000,000 ; in 1873, 12,000,000. In 1S77 three sloops from Now London seined 13,000,000. In 1877. an unprofitable year, the PcnuKiuid Oil Company took 20.000.000. and the town of IJooth Bay alone 3c. 000. 000. There is no evidence whatever of any decrease in their numbers, though there can be in the nature of the case absolutely no data for comparison of their abundance in successive years. Since sjiawning Menhaden are never taken in the nets, no one can reasonably ])redict a decrease in the future. The nature of their food has been closelv inxestiirated. 1 lunerhaps derived from the alga:, so common on muddy bottoms. In addition to particles of fine mud the microscope reveals a few common forms of diatoms. There are no teeth in the mouth of the Menhaden, their i)lace being supplied by about fifteen hundred thread-like bristles, from one-third to three-quarters of an inch long, which are attached to the gill-arches, and may be so adjusted as to form a very effective strainer. The stomach is globular, pear-shaped, with thick, muscular walls, reseud)ling the giz/ard of a fowl, while the length of the coiled intestine is five or six times that of the body of the fish. The jilain inference from these facts, taken in connection with what is known of the habits of the Menhaden, seems to be that their food consists in large part of the sediment, containing much organic matter, which gathers upon the bottoms of still, protected bays, and also of the vegetation that grows in such localities. They also, as was demonstrated by A[r. Rathbun in iSSo, feed very extensixely upon tlvj minute crustaceans, Copcpoda, &c., which are Ibuntl in great t[uantities swimming near the surface in the summer months all along our coast. Their rajiid increase in size and fatness, which commences as soon as they approach our shores, indicates that they find an abundant supply of some kind of food. The oil manufacturers re])ort that in the spring a bar- rel of fish often yields less than three ijuarts of oil, while late in the fall it is not uncommon to obtain five or six gallons. :' 39° AMERICAN I'/SIfES. m There is a m\stcr\- about tlicir breeding. Thousands of specimens have lieen dissected since 1871 \vith(nit the discovery of mature ova. In early summer the genitaba are ([uite undevelopeil, l)Ut as the season aihances they slowly increase in size u'ld vascularity, .\mong the October fish a few ovaries were noticed in which the eggs could be seen with the naked eye. A school of large fish driven ashore in November, in Delaware Hay, by the bluefish, contained spawn nearly ri|je,and others taken at Christmas time, in Provincetown harbor, evidently stragglers accidentally delayed, c(jntaine(.l eggs ipiite mature. Young Menhaden from one to three inches in length and upward are common in summer south of New York, anil those of five to eight inches in late summer and autumn in the southern jiart of New England. These are in schools, and make their appearance suddenly from the open ocean like the adult fish. Menhaden have never been observed spawning on the Southern coast, and the egg-bearing indi- viduals when observed are always heading out to sea. These considera- tions appear to warrant the theory that their breeding grounds are on the off-shore shoals which skirt the coast from George's Banks to the Florida Keys. There are indications, too, that a small school of Menhaden possibly sjjawn at the east end of Long Island in the very early spring. The fecundity of the Menhaden is very great, much surpassing that of the Shad and Herring. The ovaries of a fish taken in Narragansett Bay, November i, 1S79, contained at least 150,000 eggs. .\mong its enemies may be counted every predaceous animal which swims in the same waters. Whales and dolphins follow the schools and consume them by the hogshead. Sharks of all kinds prey upon them largely ; one hundred have been taken from the stomach of one shark. All the large carnivorous fishes feed upon them. The tunny is the most de- structive. "I have often," writes a Maine observer, "watched their antics from the masthead of my vessel — rushing and thrashing like demons among a school of fish ; darting with almost lightning swiftness, scattering them in every direction, and throwing hundreds of them in the air with their tails." The pollock, the whiting, the striped bass, the cod, the sijueteague, and the gar-fish are savage foes. The sword-fish and the bayonet-fish destroy many, rushing through the schools and striking right and left with their i)0werful swords. The blue-fish and bonito are, how- ever, their most destructive enemies, not even excejjting man ; these corsairs of the sea, not content with what they eat, which is of itself an enormous THE IIERRIXG AXD J JS ALLIES. y)^ ([iKintity, rush ravenously through the ( hjscly-crowdcil schools, cutting and tearing the li\ing fish as they go, and leaving in their wake the mangled fragments. 'I'races of their carnage remain tor weeks in the great *' sli( ks " of oil so commonly seen on smooth water in summer. Trot". 15aird, in his well-known and ot'ten-(]uoted estimates of food annually consumed liy the blue -fisli. states that probably ten thousand million fi-h. or twenty-five million pounds, daily, or twelve hundreil million million fish and three hundred thousand million pounds are mu( h below the real llgures. This estimate is for the period of four months in the miildle of summer and fall, and for the coast of New Fhigland only. Such estimates are i)rofesseilly only approximations, but are legitimate in their way, since they enable us to appreciate more clearly the luxuriance of marine life. Applying similar methods of calculation to the Menhaden. I estimate the total number destroyed annually on our coast by predaceous animals at a million million of millions ; in comparison with whi( h the (juantities ilestroyed by man. yearly, sink into insignillcance. It is not hard to define the place of Menhaden in nature. Swarming in our waters in countless myriads, swimming in closely packed, unwieldy masses, helpless as flocks of sheep, near to the surface and at the mercy of every enemy, destitute of means of defense and offense, their mission is unmistakably to be eaten. In the economy of nature certain ortlers of terrestrial animals, feeding entirely upon vegetable substances, seem intended for one purpose — to elaborate simple materials into the nitrogenous tissues necessary for the food of other animals, which are wholly or in part carnivorous in their diet ; so the Menhaden feeding upon otherwise unutilized organic matter is pre-eminently a meat-producing agent. Man takes from the water every year eight or nine hundred millions of these fish, weighing from two hun- dred to three hundred thousand tons, Init his indebtedness does not end here ; when he brings upon his table bluefish, bonitoes, weak-fish, sword- fish, or bass, he has before him usually Menhaden flesh in another form. The commercial importance of the Menhaden has only lately been rightly appreciated. Thirty years ago and before, it was thought to be of very small value. A few millions were taken every year in Massachusetts Bay, Long Island Sound, and the inlets of New Jersey. A small jiortion of these were used for bait ; a few barrels occasionally salted in Massa- chusetts to be exported to the West Indies. Large (piantities were plowed if 39- A.MKRIC. IX IISHES. into tlir soil of tlu' farms alonj,' the shores, stimulating the crops for a time, l)iit in the y:\\^\ fillin.u the soil with oil, pare hing it and making it unfit for tillage. Since that time manifold uses ha\e heen foiuid. As a bait-fish this excels all others ; for many years miu h the greater share of our mackerel was caught by its aid, while the cod and halibut lleet use it rather than any other I'lsii when it can be jirocured. The total consumption of iMenhaden for I)ait in 1S77 did not fall below So, 000 barrels, or 26,000,000 fish, \alue(l at S500.000. Ten years before, when the entire mackerel Iket was ilshing with hooks, the consumiition was much greater. The Dominion ma( kerel lleet buy Menhaden bait in (piantity. and its value has been thought an important element in framing treaties between our govern- ment and tliat of (Ireat ISritain. As a food resource it is found to ha\e great possibilities. Manv hun- dreds of barrels are sold in the \\'est Indies, while thousands oi larrels are salted ilown for domestic use by families li\ ing near the shore. In many sections they are sold fresh in the market. Within six years there has sprung up an important industry, which consists in ])acking these fish in oil, after the manner of sardines, for home and foreign consumption. In 1874 the production of canned fish did not fall below 500,000 boxes. The discovery made by Mr. .S. L. Cioodale, that from these fisii may be extracted, for the cost of carefully boiling them, . substance possessing all the properties of Liebig's " Extract of beef," o[)ens uj) a \ast field for future development. As a food for the domestic animals in the form of " fish meat," there seems also to be a broad opening. As a source of oil, the Menhaden is of more importance than any other marine animal. Its annual yield usually exceeds that of the whale (from the American fisheries) by about 200,000 gallons, and in 1S74 did not fall far short of the aggre- gate of all the whale, seal, and cod oil made in America. In 1878 the menhaden oil and guano industry emjiloyed capital to the amount of $2,350,000, 3,337 men, 64 steamers. 279 sailing vessels, and consumed 777,000,000 fish ; tliere were 56 factories, which ])roduced 1,392.644 gallons of oil, \alucd at S450.000, and 55,154 tons of crude guano, valued at $600,000 ; this Avas a i)oor year. In 1874 the number of gallons i)ro- duced was 3,373,000 ; in 1S75, 2,681.000 : in 1876, 2.992,00c : in 1877, 2,427,000. In 1878 the total value of manufactured products was S 1.050. - 000 ; in 1874 this was $1,809,000 : in 1875, 51,582,000 ; in 1S76, $I,67I,- ooo ; in 1877, Si, 608. 000. It should be statetl that in these reports only TJIE JIERRIXG A AD /TS ALU US. .593 four-fifths of tilt- whole minibcr of factories were iiK hukd. In iSSo tiu' number of persons emphjyed in the entire inchi^try was phued at j/).?5, the amount of capital invested. <;2,362,.S4i, the value of pnidm ts. >-'. i i'^).- 7.S7, including 2,066,396 gallons of oil. worth ^733-4-4. iiii>79. 'I'licse species may easily he distiiiKuishetl from each other hy the foUowiiij,' characters: C. (cstivti/is is more elongate in form, has a lower body, less elevated fins, and smaller eyes than C. icnia/is, 'I'he proportions of the hones of the head in C. ics/iiui/is differ from those ill C. it'nia/is, as also does the coloration of the lining of the abdomen, \vhi( h in C. t<-s//rir//s is black and in C. vcnut/is, gray. The popular names apjilied to these fishes differ in almost every river along the <(iast. C. vfrnalis is known along the Potomac River as the " Hran( h Herring"; on the Albemarle River as the " Hig-eyed Herring" and the •' Wall-eyed Herring"; in Canada it is known as the "(laspe- reau " or " Oasjierot." It is pre-eminently the '• Alewife" of New I'lng- land ; the •• ICllwife " or " Mllwhop " of the Connecticut River. 'I'he other species, C. ustiva/is, undoubtedly occurs occasionally in its com- pany, but is probably not common in the Connecti( ut and Housatonic Rivers, and in many parts of Massachusetts \a distinguished by another name. The C. (csfi(\i/is is the "(Hut Herring" of the Albemarle and the Chesapeake, and the " English Herring" of the Ogeechee River. In the St. J(jhn's River, Florida, it is known simjjly as the " Herring." On the coast of Massachusetts it is called the " IMue-back," a name which is common to the late runs of the same species of the Rappahannock. Around the (lulf of Maine this species is also known by the names " Kyack " or " Kyauk," " Saw-belly," and " Cat-thrasher." Although the coast fisher- men of Massachusetts and Maine claim to distinguish the two species, the " lllue-backs " and the '* Alewives," their judgment is by no means in- fallible, for I have frecpiently had them sort out into two piles the fishes which they distinguish under these names, and found that their discrimi- nation was not at all reliable. The features to which they mainly trusted in the determination of C. (cstii'a/is are the bluer color of the back and the greater serration upon the ventral-ridge. The other species, when the scales on its back are rubbed off, is as blue as this, and the serration of the belly is dependent entirely upon the extent to which the back has become stiffened in the death struggle and the consecjuent degree of arching of the ventral ridge. The young of one or both species are sold in the Boston markets under the name '' Sprats," and in New York they makeup a large proportion of the so-called "Whitebait." \ \ \ I » ////; /rrA'A'/xc; .i.v/) /rs .11 i.ir.s. y)^ " TIk' AkwilV." writes Col. .NLu 1 ion.iltl. "is 1)\ t'.ir tiu- must abiiinl.int ut" uiir river IinIks, and tiirdii^'hoiit the whole Southern ri'^ion where tlu v arc caiijiht. to^'ether with tl'.e Sliad. tiie luimlier of imlniihials is not tar from ten to twenty times as ^reat .is that of ilic Siiatl. I'or in>tan( e, in ilie Albemarle rej,'ion. in iSji;. 750.000 Sh.ul were taki'n ami M|iw.ir(ls of 20,000.000 AIewi\es. A^ain. in iSSo, alioiit 600.000 Shail wire t.iki n from the Totomac and i 1,000.000 .\lewi\es. \\\ far the* j,'reatest mimlier of the Alewives thus taken were ••(Hut Herrin;;," ('. nsfird/is \ Imt, sinf ii i 'iKl i i% m !«! i ill: i't •'4 iii! Ii i 398 AMERICAN FISHES. clined to believe that it is due to the diminution, and in many instances to the extermination, of the Alewives. As already remarked, before the construction of dams in the tidal rivers the Alewife was found in incredi- ble numl)ers along our coast, i)robably remaining not far from shore, excepting when moving up into the fresh water, and at any rate spending a consideral)le interval off the mouths of tlie rivers either at the time of their journey upward or on their return. The young, too, after returning from the ocean, usually swarmed in the same localities, and thus furnished for the larger sjjccies a bait such as is not supi)lietl at present by any other fish, the sea Herring not excepted. We know that the Alewife is particu- larly attractive as a bait to other fishes, especially for cod and mackerel. Alewives enter the streams on the south coast of New England before the arrival of the bluelish ; but the latter devote themselves with great assiduity to the capture of the young as they come out from their breeding ponds. The outlet of an alewife pond is always a capital place for the bluefish, and, as they come very near the shore in such localities, they can be caught there with the line by what is called ' heaving and hauling,' or throwing a scjuid from the shore and hauling it in with the utmost rapidity. "The coincidence, at least, in the erection of the dams, and the enor- mous diminution in the number of the Alewives, and the decadence of the inshore Cod fishery, is certainly very remarkable. It is probable, also, that the mackerel fisheries have suffered in the same way, as these fish find in the young Menhaden and Alewives an attractive bait. *' The same remarks as to the agency of the Alewife in attracting the deep-sea fishes to the shores, and esi)ecially near the mouths of rivers, apply in a i)roportional degree to the Shad and salmon." The Inland Alewife or Skipjack, Clupca chrysocJiIoris, which is found in many parts of the Mississippi Valley, has recently Leen found by Mr. Silas Stearns in the salt water off Pensacola — a surprising circumstance, since the species was thought to be an inhabitant of fresh water exclusively. " It is known to most inland fishermen as the ' Skipjack,' " writes Prof. Jordan, " in allusion to its habit of leaping from the water. It is also sometimes called ' Sh'^d ' and ' Herring.' It is abundant throughout the Mississippi Valley in all the larger streams. In the neighborhood of the ocean it descends to the Gulf, but in the upper courses it is permanently resident. It has also entered Lake Michigan and Lake Erie since the construction of the canals. It reaches a length of a little more than a foot. It feeds on small crustaceans, worms, and the like, rarely taking the hook. As a food-fish it is regarded as wholly worthless, its flesh being poor and dry and full of innumerable small bones." The Shad appears to have been considered by early American writers THE in RRING AND ITS ALLIES. 399 on fish identical with the Shad of England, Cliipea fiiita. The first to give to it a distinctive name was Alexander AN'ilson in the American edition of Rees' Encyclopaedia. Tin; KlliOl'KAN fillAl). It is very closely allied to the EurojKMn species, but is a much finer fisli. The English care little for their shad, though in France the same species is highly esteemed. The following account of our Shad is from the pen of Col. Marshall MacDonald, who has made it a subject of s])ecial study for many years: The Shad is found along the whole Atlantic coast of the United States, and its capture constitutes one of the most important fisheries in all the streams draining into the Atlantic between the Gulf of St. Eawrence and the St. John's River, Florida. It is but rarely seen on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, but occurs in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the various rivers of whicli it ascends as far north as the Miramichi, which seems to be its limit in that direction, none having been seen in the Bay of Chaleur. Throughout its entire range the Shad is found in sufficient (piantities to give rise to fisheries of great commercial value. There is no run of Shad in any of the rivers draining into the Gulf of Mexico, although the capture of isolated individuals of this species has been reported from the Ala- l)ama River and from several tributaries of the Mississipi)i ]M-ior to any steps towards the artificial propagation of Shad in these waters by the United States Fish Commission. The geographical range of the Shad then was confined to the Atlantic coast of the United States until, by the operations of the United States Fish Commission, its limits were vastly extended. Runs of Shad, suf- ficiently large to be of commercial value, have been established in several of the tributaries of the Mississippi River, notal)ly the Ohio River ; and the several plants made from time to time in the Sacramento River, on the 11 ;'i !!!' 400 AMERICAN FISHES. Pacific coast, have resulted in the colonization of this species in all the rivers of the Pacific sloi)e, from the Sacramento to Paget Sound. The Shad make their first appearance in the St. John's River about the miildle of November, the height of their spawning season in that river being about the ist of April. In the Savannah River they appear early in January, and in the Neuse River at a period not much later than in the Savannah. In the Albemarle the important Shad seine-fisheries begin early in March, but doubtless the fish are in the Sound some time before that date ; not, however, in numbers sufficient to justify the great expenses attendant upon the operation of these large seines. In the Chesai)eake Bay they make their appearance in February, although the height of the fishing season in its waters is during April and May, and at a date some- what later in the more northern tributaries. In the Delaware, Connecticut, Merrimac, and St. John (Nova Scotia) Rivers, Shad are first seen at periods successively later as we proceed farther north. The date of their first ap- pearance in any of these waters, however, varies from season to season, the limit of such variation being from three to four weeks. These irregularities in the time of the rrn into our rivers, which cause so much perplexity and discouragement to the fishermen, are, however, readily explained by the influence of temperature. THE AMERICAN SHAD. It is doubtful whether there is any general coastwise movement of the Shad. That there is an occasional migration of this kind is evidenced by the following facts : The Shad of the rivers of the South Atlantic coast, as a rule, have black-tipped caudal and dorsal fins, which distinctive marks of coloration are absent in the Shad of more northern rivers ; and yet occasionally these southern Shad are caught as far north as the tribu- THE HERRING AND ITS ALLIES. 40 r taries of the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. These fish have unthnibtedly been born and bred in southern waters, and their api)earance so far north would indicate that occasionally this southern variety strays beyond its normal range. At one time it was imagined that the whole t)ody of American Shad, having wintered in the south, started northward with the new year, and as each river mouth was readied a detachment would leave the entire mass for the purpose of ascending the river, the last remaining portion of the immense school entering the dulf of St. Lawrence. At a later date it was thought more reasonable to suppose that the young fish, hatched out in any particular stream, went out into the sea and re- mained within a moderate distance of the coast until the period again occurred for their upward river migration. Their appearance, first in the extreme soutliern river of the coast, the St. John's, and at later dates suc- cessively in the more northern rivers, was thought to (onfirm this view. It will be seen, in the discussions of the relation of the movements of the Shad to the water temperature, i)ul)lished in the reports of the United States Fish Commission, that this order of appearance when jn-eserved may be reasonably accounted for ; there are, however, exceptions. For instance, the Kdisto River is many miles north of the Savannah, and yet the run of Shad in the former is usually coincident witli that in the latter. This leads us to believe that the Shad are generally distributed along the coast at all times, entering the rivers as soon as the temperature of the water is suitable. It is but natural that the waters of a creek or short stream, not having its source in the mountains, should in the spring become warm long before those of a large river whose headwaters are far up among the mountains; for which reason we may expect to find, in the car>e of two rivers, the most southerly of which has a longer water-course than the other, that the Shad will first enter the more northerly, yet shorter, and consequently, at a given date, warmer stream. The question, therefore, appears to be rather one of temperature than of geographical location. The greater portion of the life of the Shad being spent in salt water, the possibility of close observation as to their food, habits, or precise habitat is precluded. The young fry, hatched out in the rivers in spring and early summer, remain there until the following fall, when, the temperature of the waters having fallen below 60°, they leave for the ocean. Nothing more is seen of them until thev return to the rivers as mature fish for the i' ^ m 36 402 AMERICAN FISHES. purpose of spawning. In these ujnvard migrations the schools of mature fish ascend the rivers either until obstructed by imjiassable falls or dams, or until the volume of water becomes very inconsiderable. Before artificial impediments were placed in the ri\ers. the limit of this movement was the natural and insurmountable falls to be found at the head of almost all of -» thoroughly impregnated, and were hatched out with a loss of hardly one per cent. Shad ready to deposit their spawn seem to prefer waters of a warmer temperature than 60° F. Therefore, when the mature Shad, intent on reproduction, leave the hydrothermal area of 60° F. and ascend the rivers into waters of 65° to 70° F. and upwards, they are unaccom])anieil by the half-grown Shad, the latter ceasing to ascend as soon as they encounter a temperature of more than 60° F. In 1882, however, wlien tlie tem- perature of the water was below 60° F. for the greater i)ortion of the season, the s])awning had to take place in water colder than the fish would have preferred, and therefore mature and young Shad were found together on the spawning grounds. The shad-fry, which spend the first six months in our rivers, must of ne- cessity find their food therein. From examinations made of the stomaclis of these young fish, they have been found to feed \\\)o\\ certain species of Crus- tacea and insect larva;, common to the fresh waters of our rivers. During the spring of 1S82 some young fry, which were hatched out at Central station, were confined by Dr. John A. Ryder in a glass acpiarium, tiirough which the circulation of the water was maintained, and fed with C'opepoda, obtained in large cpiantitics from the United States carp ponds. In about seven days after hatching some of the young fry were observed to eat, and a few days later they were all vigorously engaged in jnirsuit of food. While the ratio of mortality was large, some of the fish survived for six weeks, the last specimen having attained a length of considerably more than an inch, and a weight many times greater than that at birth. From these experiments we deem it altogether i)robable that under natural conditions the Copepoda, vhich are abundant in the Potomac in places frequented by the young Sha 1, are their natural food during the early stages of their existence. It is probable that Shad in their early lives vary their food witli min- nows and the young of other sjjccies of fish. Indeed, from the stomach of a Shad, taken in one of tlie pounds at Saybrook, I found an undigested minnow two or three inches in length. In the fresh-water life of the mature Shad, the fish do not seem to take food at all. Re[)eated observa- tions of the contents of the stomach show no food whatever. Occasionally, however, they can be induced to rise to a fly dexterously cast on the water. This fact is presumptive evidence that the desire for food, although sub- t IN H i ,! 'ii I !l 404 AMEKJCAX J'/SJIES. onlinati-cl to the impulse of rcprixliation (whicli l)riiigs thoni intt) the ri\ir), is not wholly lost. A iVmalc Shad of a ccrtaiii Ay^L' is always lar.uor than a male of corrc- spomliiiL; ago. A i^cncral a\t'rai,^c for both sexes along the whole coast would be about four pounds, the extremes — for males — being from one and a half to six pounds, and for females from tliree and a half to eiglu poimds, tlie latter re|)resenting a maximum weight for Sliad at the present time ; although, in the early history of the fisheries, there are records of the cai)ture of fish weighing ele\en, twelve and as much as fom-teen luiunds. Tin-: iiiOKdUY sii.vn. The Hickory Shad, or >rattowacca, Cli/pca iiicJioiris, was first brought to notice in 1815 in Mitchill's paper on the fishes of New York, wherein it was described under two names, being called the " Staten Islanil " Herring, C. nicdioin's, and the " I-ong Islam!" Herring, C. iiuitfozcacca. 'The latter name was adopted by Stt)rer for the species, but more recent authorities, guidetl by a ratlier cpiestionable interpretation of the rules of priority, have substituted the name C. nhu/ioiris, because it was jirinted on the page precetling the other. Mitchill statetl that the '• Long Island " Herring occuined a miildle station between the Shad and the " Staten Island" Herring, but it seems strange that so accomplished an ichthyolo- gist should not have at once perceived the identity of the two. The name '' ///i-i//(>i-r/s" was founiled upon small specimens. The names given this species are as varied as those of the river Herrings. The name " Matto- wacca " is of Indian origin, and is said to have been derived from the Intlian name for Long Island, jfathmiiika or Jfa/foKuix. The name " Hickory Shad " is applied to this species on all parts of the THE HERRIXG A AD ITS ALLIES. 405 )roiight iv he re in .land" \iii.\1CCit . recent. ules of lited on ;land" Staten hyolo- name len this blatto- l)m tlie of the coast from Cape Cod to I'lorida. It is used in tlie Chesa|)eake and in the Albemarle regions, and on the Ogeechee, Savannah, and Altamaha Rivers, where it is familiarly called " Hicks." In the St. John's River and Alabama River the name ** Hickory" Sliad is also used. The derivation of the name " Hickory " Shad cannot easily be traced. It may be tliat the word " Hickory" is used in a tlerogatory sense, but a more reasonable explanation is that it refers to the striped markings on the fish, wlii( h re- semble those upon the coarse cotton fabric known in the South as " Hie k- ory," and freijuently used by tiie fishermen. In the Potomac the species is called the " Tailor Shad," or the " Fresh- water Tailor," in contradistinction to the bluefish, wiiich is called the "Salt-water Tailor." The comparison between the bluefish and this species is doubtless due to a fancied resemblance between their jaws, those of the " Tailor Shad " being very long and strong. The " Tailor Shad " may be distinguished from the common Shad and from the river Herrings by the extreme ])rojection and thickness of the lower jaw. Tiiis species is in some rivers called a " I"'orerunner," from the fact that it makes its ap- l)earance shortly before the Shad. Col. McDonald writes as follows concerning this species: '' The ' Hickory Shad ' is most abundant in the region between the Chesajieake Bay and Altamaha River and intermediate waters, ascending the rivers as high as the Shad. In the St. John's River it is somewhat abundant' making its api^earance the first or second week in November, and shortly before the Shad. North of New York it has not been observed to enter the rivers in any great numbers, and there is no record north of Cape Cod of its having been seen in fresh water. In the fall small schools of them occasionally enter the brackish estuaries and tideways of Cape Cod." In the Altamaha River, Georgia, the catch of " Hickory " Sliad is equal to that of " Common " or " White Shad," and in the markets they sell for more than one-half as much. In the St. John's River they are not exceedingly abundant, ami two " Hickory Shad " are ecpial in \-alue to one "White Shad." In the Ogeechee and Savannah Rivers the proportion of the catch of the " Hickory" to that of "White Shad " is about one to four. All taken here are used for local consumption, and are sold at priced equal to about one-half of the White Shad. In the Albemarle they arc less abundant than farther south and are of less value. Here they are sold with the herring for local consumption, two of them counting for one I .; 4o6 AM ERICA y FISHES. herring, or arc used for manure. In the Chesapeake region they are not highly esteemed, although great (luantities are sold by hawkers, especially in tlie cities, where people are not well informed, under the name of " Shad." At the l)eginning of the season hundreds of men may be seen going about the city of Washington with strings of these fish, which they cry for Shad, and which with great insolence they press upon such would- be purchasers as are inclined to ([uestion their genuineness. In the pound- nets of the Chesajieake in the beginning of the season they are caught in immense numbers, and are shipi)ed to the markets with the true Shad until their price falls below three cents apiece, after which they are sold with the Herring, one counting as two Herrings. In our waters the most important member of this family is the Tarpum, Mt'ga/()/>s thrissoiiics, an immense herring-like fish, which occurs in the Western Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico, ranging north to Cape Cod and south at least to Northern Brazil. It is somewhat abundant in the West Indies, and stragglers have been taken as far to the eastward as the Be.mudas. This species attains the length of five or six feet, and is covered with enormous circular scales of one inch to two inches and a half in diameter, the exposed portions of which are covered with a silvery epidermis. The fish, when alive, presents a very brilliant metallic ap- pearance, and the scales are much prized by curiosity hunters and for fancy work in the Florida curiosity shops. They are a staple article of trade, selling for from ten to twenty-five cents each, the price paid to the fishermen being about fifty cents per dozen. The sailors' name for this fish, by which same name it is also known at Key West, Bermuda, Brunswick, Georgia and elsewhere, is "Tarpum" or " Tarpon." In Georgia and Florida it is commonly called the "Jew-fish." THE irr.KRIXG AXD ITS ALLIES. 407 wn at a name also applied by t lie fishcrnu'ii of Stuitii l-'lorida to a si)c'c'ics of ' percoiil wliii ii has already bfcn disciisscil. It is the •• Sihcr-fish " of IVnsacola. the " (Irandc-lCcailic " (Lar^i,a'-scalc fish), or " Cirandvkvo." asit is pronounced and sometimes spelled, and the " Savanilla " of Texas. The species can hardly he said to be common on our Atlantic coasts, thou^di from fifty to one hundred specimens are doubtless taken e\erv year between Florida and Cape Cod. In 1874 and 1.S75 none were cau.L,du in the St. John's River, though several had been brought in during the previous winter. In the Indian River region these fish are sometimes harpooned. Mr. Stearns contributes the following notes upon the fish, as oliserved by him : " The Silver fish, or Crande Ecaille, is common everywhere on the Gulf coast. It is an immense and active fish, preying eagerly upon schools of young fry. or any small fish that it is able to receive into its nu)Uth, and in pursuit of which it ascends fresh-water rivers out six inches. It ranges from llritish Columbia to Chili, and is ])robably found on the coast of Asia also. It is found in sheltered bays, and is everywhere extremely common, but rather more abundant south of San Francisco than northward. It serves as food for the larger species to a greater extent than any other single species. The salmon, bonito, mackerel of all sorts, barracuda, sea-bass, the larger flounders, and, in fact, a majority of the larger fishes make a large percentage of their food THE JIEKRIXG .\.\n ITS ALLIES. 409 of Ancliovy. At San Fraiuisco it is orcasionally lirotiglu into tlu' iiiarkLt. Sonif atti'mpts have hccii made to |ii( klc thcin witli spic es tor the trade, hut tliis amounts to little as yet. A ^Teat many are salted by the ChiiKse, who use them as hait for the lloimders and ro( k-lish. Two other spec ies of An(ho\ies, Sto/rp/iorus i-(>inpri'ssiis and S/o/tp/ionis i/('/i\it(issi>iii/s ahounil south of I'oint Conception. They have no eionomic value." The family Vorosoiiiafit/tc is represented on our Atlantic coast by a single species, the " Mud-Shad," Dorosoina Cipidiaiiuin, which is abund- ant in brackish waters along the coast from Delaware I5ay southwanl to Me.xico. In the Chesapeake region it is known as tlie "Mud-Shad," " Winter-Shad." or " Stink Shad;" in North Carolina as tlie "Hairy- back " or the "'I'hread Herring ;" in the St. John's Ki\er as the ••Ci/- zard Shad," "Stink Shad." or "White-eyed Shad." The names " (lizzard Shad " or " Hickory Shad " refer to tiie pe( uliar muscular stomach, which is of about the si/e of a hi( kor\-nut and is shaped like the gizzard of a fowl. The fish is found in bra( kish waters, or in the sea. for the whole length of our coast. It enters all streams after becoming land-locked in ])onds, and throughout the whole Mississippi Valley it is perman'Mitly resident in large numbers in the larg*er streams and reservoirs. Since the construction of the canals it has appeared in force in Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. This fish is extremely abundant in many localities, particularly in the St. John's River, Florida, where it becomes an annoyance tu the fishermen by getting into their nets, several hundred bushels being sometimes taken in a shad net. They are also sometimes annoying to fishermen using gill- nets for catching mullet. In the I'otomac they are abundant and attain a maximum size and weight. Their Hesh is coarse and not delicate in tlavor, but they are by no means impalatable, and on the tributaries of the C'hesa- peake they are extensively eaten by the negroes. In the St. John's Ri\er they are made into guano. A factory for this jjurjiose was in existence in 1874 at Black Point, above Palatka. They breed in summer, and are sup- posed to feed, like the Menhaden, to a great extent upon the bottom mud. In the Great Lake regions the (lizzard Shad is sometimes split and salted as "Lake Shad," but it probably meets with little sale, owing to the inferior ciuality of the flesh and the presence of the vast number of small bones that make up the skeleton. It is usually thrown away by the fishermen, and when brought to market it is only bought l)y the poor or the ignorant. It is not infreijuently seen in the markets of Washington in 4IO AMERICAN FISHES. spring. In the West it is sometimes seined by farmers in winter in still places in the rivers and peddled about the towns. The Moon-eye, Hyodon tergisus, is a handsome fish, taking the hook readily and feeding on minnows, crustaceans and insects. It reaches a weight of one to two pounds. "In Lake Pepin," writes Dr. D. C. Estes, " in some seasons they seem to be quite plenty, and at others but very few are seen. On the whole, I have always regarded it as a rare fish. They are vigorous biters, and are as gamy as the striped bass {Roccus saxati/is). They take freely the minnow or fly, and are one of the smartest of fishes. They will come up, taste of a fly, let go and begone before the angler has time to strike. Therefore, to be a Moon-eye fly-fisher one must be very sharp and not read a book while casting, as I once knew a man to do. As to his being a food-fish there is not a single doubt. I ate one this very morning for my breakfast, and it was excellent, the bones being far less in number and of larger size than in the herring." The Lady-fish, Albula viilpcs, occurs in the West Indies, in the Gulf of Mexico, on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North and South America, and sparingly along our Atlantic shores as far north as Cape Cod. It is also found about the Bermudas and Cape Verde Islands, in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and on the coast of Japan. With us it is usually called the " Lady-fish ;" in the Bermudas the " Bone-fish," or " Grubber." At the Bermudas large schools are taken, and it is there considered a most excellent food-fish. From personal observation I can testify that its reputation is by no means a false one. Hensliall found it in the Indian River inlet, and gives it a fine character as a game-fish. Describing winter angling experiences, he writes : "In the course of an hour, and in quick succession, I took several more salt- water trout, a few red-fish or channel-bass, some ravalliaor snooks of from three to ten pounds, some crevalle of three or four, and finally a Bone-fish of about three pounds, which gave more real sport than any of the others. The Bone-fish or Lady-fish, as it is sometimes called, is a slender, silvery fish, and fights in the water and in the air like the black-bass, but mostly in the air — a Silver Shuttle."* The species is found in some numbers in San Diego Bay, on the coast of California, where it is taken with the mullet. On account of its beautiful color it sells readily, but is not especially esteemed as a table fish. ♦Turf, Field and Farm, Dec. 1884. TIIK ASIATIC CARl'. CARP. DACE Ax\D MINNOW. When we please to walk abroad, For our recreation, In the (lohls is onr aboile Full of delectation ; Where in a brook, With a hook, Or in a hike, Fish we take ; There we sit Fur a bit. Till we fish entan'ile. If the sun's excessive heat Make our b(printed in the American Angler for April, 1S83. The Asiatic Carp is the king of the Cyj^rinoids. The tribe takes its name in fact from the genus Cypriiiiis, of which the Carp is tiie best known form. Linne thus described it in 1758 in his " System of Nature:" Nobilis piscis sccpius piscinis cducatus, circa anno 1600 in Angliam intro- ductiis. We all have heard the old saying, that turkies, carp, hops, ]Mckerel and beer came into England all in one year, which is by no means a statement of fact. It was known in England as early as 1696, when if was alluded to in the " Boke of St. Albans" as "a dayntous fysshe, l)ut there ben but few in England." It came to Denmark in 1660, and to Sweden in 1560, and was cultivated in (lermany and France as early as 1258, in Austria in 1227. Cassiodorus in the sixth century spoke of the Carpa of the Danube as a costly fish of delicate flavor, and supplied to the tables of princes. No one knows when or how it came to Eurojie from its original homes in Persia, China and the far east, but it seems probable that it moved by slow stages, from pond to pond, and from tribe to tribe, the beginning of the movement dating back beyond the beginning of the Christian era. The acclimation of the Asiatic Carp in America has been wonderfully successful. As it often happens, the conditions here seem to be more favorable than in Euroi)e, and in our southern waters, color, activity and growth continue throughout the entire year, the fishes soon attain a remarkable size. ! I [!i 414 AMERICAN FISHES. The following table from Cholmondeley-Pennell's "Fishing" will be generally useful to students of the Carp: Comparative Weights and Lengths of Carp. Lengtli. Weiglit. Lengtli. Weight. inches lbs. or.s. inches /(^j. o::s. 9 iH 20 5 5.!4^ 10 II 21 6 2 14: II 14.^4: 1 22 7 i>4 12 I 2^ 1 23 8 1^4^ 13 I s% 24 9 3^ 14 I I4>^ 25 10 634: 15 ^ ^ , 26 II II 16 2 11% 27 13 2 17 3 A'A 28 14 10 18 3 i4;< 29 15 4 19 4 9 30 16 I shall not attempt to speak of Carp culture or to give statistics of the work of the Fish Commission. All these matters are discussed in the angling journals and the Government reports. It is equally useless to s])eak of the value of Carp for food. Every one will soon put this to a personal test, and those who experiment with badly cooked or badly kept fish will ever after denounce all Carp as worthless. The place of the Carp as a fish for sportsmen has not been discussed very fully, and since they are now growing abundant in all our streams, it is ])roper to quote the words of Pennell as to the manner of catching them. " Early in the morning, and, occasionally, late in the evening, are the best times for fishing ; but, as observed, the catching of Carp with the rod and line is always a difficult and uncertain operation, particularly if the fish are large. The smaller the pond, the better the chance I have always found of catching Carp and Tench, though, of course, they are not so large as in bigger waters. I once caught half a bucketful of Carj) before breakfast, in a pond by the side of a road between Weybridge and Byfieet, which was not bigger than an ordinary sized ball-room. The biggest of these Carp did not, however, exceed two pounds in weight. '• The following is the method of Carp fishing in stagnant waters Avhich I have found most successful : " Let the line be entirely of medium sized or fine round gut — clouded, if possible — with a very light quill float, say No. 4, and one good-sized shot, about six inches or so from the hook, which should be No. 5 or 6 and baited with a brandling or red worm. Plumb the dejith accurately ; CARP, DACE AXD MINNOW. 415 and arrange the distance between the float and the shot, so that the latter may exactly rest on the l)ottom, weighing down the point of the float to about ' half-cock,' and letting the gut below the shot and the bait lie («n ground. Fix the rod in the bank antl keep jierfectly quiet. When a bite is perceived, do not strike until the float begins to move away. " It constantly happens, however, that the Carp will not be taken either by this or any other mode of fishing with which I am accpiainted ; but if he is to be caught at all it is thus. " The baits are, worms (first), gentles, greaves, grains and various sorts of pastes, of which latter, however, I believe, the plain white bread crumb paste is the best, as well as the most easily made. Prof. Owen, who had a good deal of Car]) fishing exjjerience in Virginia water, gave me the results of his practice which concur in a great measure with my own, except that he fished with his bait paste made of soft herring roe worked lip with bread crumbs and wool, a favorable substitute sometimes for the brandling." In Germany the Carp season is in July, August and September. The angler usually prepares for his sport by " ground-baiting " with a thou- sand or more angle-worms, twenty-four hours before he expects to fish, and while fishing he throws worms into the water. He iises Nottingham tackle, and baits his hook with the tail of an angle worm, or with grains of barley or wheat, a maggot or a wasp-larva, or with balls of (U)ugh. The bait rests on the ground, anil the fish is allowed to rise toward the surface before striking. The young Carp of two pounds or less bite the best. THE KING CAKl' OU MlltltOli C.Uil'. The natural result of so many centuries of pond culture has be^n the difi'erentiation of varieties as well marked as those among poultry or domestic animals. The most important of these for the fish culturist are ii 4i6 AMERICAN FISHES, those which have been introthiccd into America by the Fish Commission. These arc (i) the '• Scale Carp ;" with reguUir, concentrically arranged scales, being in fact the original species improved. A picture of this form stands at the head of the chapter. (2.) The " King Carp " or " Mirror Carp," thus named on account of the extraordinarily large scales which run along the sides of the body in three or four rows, the rest of tlie body being bare. When there is a row of large scales down the back it is called the " Saddle Carp." THK T.KATIIKR CARP. (3.) The " Leather Carp," whicli has on the back either only a few- scales or none at all, and possesses a thick, soft skin, which feels velvety to the touch. In addition to these somewhat interchangeable varieties of the typical Carp there are certain other local forms which have been described as definite species, such as the Danube Carp, C. acuminatus, the Lake Carp, C. hitiii^aricus, abundant in the Lakes of Flatten and Neusiedler, an Italian form, C. rt-x'iiia and C. Xordmanni, from Southern Russia. Another Carp, Carassiis vulgaris, the Karausche of C-.'rmany, often called the Crucian Carp or Cierman Carp, is as protean in its forms as Cyprinus carpio itself, and jjrobably found its way from the far East in much the same manner : a large-headed form, C. gibclio, is often called the Prussian Carp, and a specially differentiated tyi)e, C. buccphalus, lives only in the warm springs of Macedonia. The Ciold Carj) or Gold-fish is believed by some comjietent ichthyologists to be simply a variety of the Karausche, and when it escapes I'rom domestication, quickly reverts to its ancestral form and color. The Karausche hybridizes freely with the Carp, CARP, DACE AXD MIXNOW 417 and numerous curious and perplexing forms have resulted from such intermixturing. The so-called Carp of the Hudson appears to be either escaped (lold- fish or some inferior hybrid form of the " Karausche " type. Those introduced into Calilornia a few years ago by Mr. Popj^e were an inferior strain of Scale Carp. The "Carp" of \'irginia is a sucker, Carpiotks cyprinus. TlIK GOLD CARP. The Gold-Carp, the favorite of acpiarium-keepers, is constantly becoming more popular, and many thousands have been distributed by the United States Fish Commission within the iiast few years, incidentally, in con- nection with the work on food-fislies. It frecjuently escapes from domes- tication, reverts to the natural hue of olive-bronze, and is taken in nets and brought to market. 'J'he graceful long-tailed and triple-tailed vari- eties from Japan are reared by the Fish Commission as well as the silvery and the parti-colored forms, silver and gold. Mr. Seal has by artificial selection produced some grotescjue forms, surpassing even them of Japan. "The Gold-fish and its Culture," by Hugo Mulertt, of Cincinnati, is a book worthy of a i)lace by the side of every aquarium. Henry W. I'^lliott, of Cleveland, has had fine success in hatching then in open, ornamencal ponds, and has desc ribed his experience in the Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. 4iS AMERICAN FISHES. It is very interesting to a fisli culturist to visit the sites of mediaeval abbeys in England and trace out the remains of the immense stews or ponds in which the provident monks of old were wont to rear Carp and Tench and eels. The pond culture of England in the Middle Ages was very extensive, but has not been resumed in later days. On the conti- nent, especially in Germany, however, it has been continued, and there are many excellent treatises on " Teichwirthschaft." TlIK TKXCII. The Tench, Tinea vulgaris, the Schleihe of Germany, and the Tanche of France has already become acclimated in our waters, particularly in the Potomac, and will soon be available for the uses of anglers. It frecjuents streams and ponds with muddy bottoms, and is partial to weedy places. It is exceedingly tenacious of life, and even when grown in foul water has delicate white flesh, which many prefer to that of the Carp. Both Tench and Carp are better if kept in clear, cool water for a few days, and the slime should be washed off their scales with warm water before they are cooked. I have eaten the Schlei in Bremen, and can speak well of it for in flavor and texture it resembles the American bluefish. My praise is, however, but feeble compared with that of Badham, who writes: " In spite of the ]>rejudice entertained by some Italian doctors, and all the old women of Italy, who believe this fish to be so impregnated with marsh malaria as necessarily to engender ague. Nessuno mangia tenca Che febre non senta. At Florence it is held superior to any fishy food which enters the market, and in the Neapolitan pescheria yields to very few finer marine species. A CARP, DACE AND MINXOW 419 Florentine noble once had the hardiliood to assert at Leo X. 's table that there was nothing which swam the sea, to his mind, comparable to a good 'i'liscan Tench ; which declaration, though it convulsed the native Romans assem- bled at the board with laughter at the simjilicity of so poor a connoisseur, we should certainly have sided with, and been willing to ba( k an Agnano or Thrasymene 'Tenca' against the whole of the Mediterranean ichthyarchy."* The season for Tench fishing in Clermany is from July to October. The waters are ground-baited on the day before with angle-worms or wash- larva;, and the method of angling is the same as for the Carp. The Tench is an animal, which, like the owl and the weasel, was in former days looked upon with veneration and c\en awe, and is an im- portant accession to our f^iuna if only by reason of the wealtli of fable which it brings in its wake. "The Tench, said Piscator, "is the physician of fishes, and loves ])onds better than rivers. " In e\-ery Tench's head there are two little stones, which foreign ])hy- sicians make great use of, but is not commended for wholesome meat, though there be very much use made of them for outward api)lications. Rondeletius says that, at his being at Rome, he saw a great cure done by applying a Tench to the feet of a very sick man. This, he says, was done after an unusual manner, by certain Jews. " The Tench is the physician of fishes, for the pike especially; and that the pike, being either sick or hurt, is cured by the touch of the Tench. And it is observed, that the tyrant ])ike will not be a wolf to his physi- cian, but forbears to devour him, though he be never so hungry." The Minnow or Penk, which Piscator used as a bait in fishing fijr trout, and the manner of impaling which he so minutely described to his scholar, Avas Plwximis lacvis Ag., a species widely distributed over Europe — the Vairon of France, the Pfrille of Germany, the Fregarolo of Italy. Our Saxon ancestors knew it many hundreds of years ago as the " Menawe," and admired its graceful form and many hues. We have four species of Phoxiniis in North America ; one in the Tennessee, one in the Upper Missouri, one in the Beaver River. Utah, and one sparingly repre- sented in Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. We have, besides, numerous forms sufficiently similar to be known by the same name, which, as a matter of fact, is applied indiscriminately to all small cyprinoids, and in- deed to all small fresh-water fishes. " Minnow bait " is used by all live- ■■•' Prose Halicutics, p. J74. 420 AMERICAN FISHES. bait fishermen, and we have "artificial minnows" of multifarious forms for salt-water as well as for inland angling. TIIK KrnOPKAN MIXN'On'— I'lIOXIVl'S I.AF.VIS. One of the most beautiful of ourspecies is the " Black-striped Minnow," RliinicJithys afroiiasus, also abundant in clear brooks and mountain streams from Ohio and Virginia to New England, and one of the choicest of aquarium pets. The Minnow is artificially propagated in France for the benefit of car- nivorous fishes in ponds. Since it is an exceedingly prolific species, it is possible that its introduction into America might be beneficial. THE EUnOPF.AN' GUDGEON'— GOIilO I'LUVIATII.IS!. " The Gudgeon," said Piscator, " is reputed a fish of excellent taste, and to be very wholesome ; he is of a fine shape, of a silver color, and beauti- fied with black spots both on his body and tail. He breeds two or three times in the year, and always in summer. He is commended for a fish of excellent nourishment; the Germans call him Groundling, by reason of his feeding on the ground, and he there feasts himself in sharp streams and 1 the gravel. He is a most excellent fish to ent^r a young angler, being easy to be taken with a small red worm, on or near to the ground. He is CARP, DACE AND MINNOW. 421 one of those lealhcr-mouthcd flsh that has his teeth in his throat, and will hardly be lost off from the hook if lie be once striicken." We have no true Gudgeons in America, but the name is familiar to every American. It is a curious illustration of the persistence and vitality of popular sayings — that any man of lOnglish descent, be he of the I'^ast, West or South, if in fishing his hook brings up a worthless object, a stick, a tin-can or a rusty crinoline, will remark that he has " caught a gudgeon." And this is simply a manner of speech handed down to him through several generations, from his English forefathers. The dramas current in England at the time when America was first colonized were full of allusions to Gudgeon catching, which seem to have been a i)art of the slang lan- guage of the day, and in which the man who fished for Gudgeon seems to have been considered as contemptible as the Gudgeon itself. In 1533, three hundred and fifty years ago, Holinshed in his " Chronicle of Ireland " asked : " Do you think that James was so mad as to gape for gogions?" and Butler in " Hudibras " said : " Make fools believe in their foreseeing Of things before they are in being To swallow gudgeons 'ere tliey're catched And count their chickens 'ere they're hatclied." Webster in his drama, " The Devil's Law-Case," in 1623, iwade Romelio to say : " I would wisli my nol)le venturer take heed, It may be that while he hopes to catch a gilt-head He may draw up a gudgeon." \Act\,Sc. \.\ Barry in his " Ram-Alley ; or, Merry Tricks," in 161 1, made use of this dialogue : Adriaiia : " I took you for a novice, and I must think You know not the inwards of a woman. Do you not know that women are like fish, Wliicli must be struck when they are brave to bite, Or all your labor's lost." Small-SIiauks : Has the gudgeon l)it ? Frances: He has been nibbling. [Act 2, Sc. i.] Ben Jonson and Richard Duke also alluded to the gudgeon, and we all aie familiar with the advice of Gratiano in " The Merchant of Venice :" " But fish not with his melancholly baite, For this foo! gudgeon, this opinion. [Acti,Sc\ 1.] 422 AMERJCAX I'ISIIES, ^ ' i It would sc'cm that bt-forc Ilnglaml came to America this wonl liad be- come' associated with an idea to such a de^M'ee that the fish, the little ^\<^oJoiif'' of the i'lnglisli middle ages, had been almost lost sight of, and this will a(( ount for the curious fact that the dudgeon was almost the only common fish of the motherland whose name was not given to several smaller forms in different parts of Colonial America. It was only in Virginia, which was the most English of all the colonies, and at the head of the Chesapeake, that the name was adopted. The (iudgeons of the Tuckahoes are the little cyprinodents. known as " muni- michogs " in New England and " killifish " in the Middle States, belong- ing to Fuiiduhis, Hyiirargyra and related genera. The Gudgeon of the Patapsco and the lower Sustiuehannah is a cyprinoid fish, Jfyl>ognathiis renins. Ciudgeon fishing at Relay House and in that vicinity is a favorite sport of the Baltimore people in April. The (iudgeons then ascend the Patapsco, to spawn and are taken in vast numbers with the finest of tackles ancL worms or maggots for bait.* THE AMERICAS' RIVER CHUB— CERATICIITHYS BIGUTTATUS. Zoologically speaking, the nearest kindred of the Gudgeon on this side- of the Atlantic are the members of the genus Ccratichthys, (or Nocomis), of which we have at least twenty species, the best known of which is our " Horny Head " or River Chub, CcraticJithys higuttaius, which is one of the most widely diffused of fresh-water fishes, occurring from New York to Utah and Alabama. It reaches a length of ten or twelve inches. It in- habits larger streams than the Horned Dace, which delights in little brooks. It takes the hook readily, and throughout the southwest is a great * Gudgeon-fishing in Maryland, American Angler, in, 408. CV/AV, DACE AXD ML\XO\\\ 4-'3 source of satisfaction to iIk- angler. Tlic Ikvsli of tiiis ami oiIkt small Cyprinida; is very jjalatablc when fried (risp soon after heinj,' taken from the water. Toward the northwest another Chub, Plit(y\:;ohi.^ :^rtuilis, takes the place of the preceding, and reaches a somewhat larger si/e. The linglish Chub is also closely allied to its American namesake. w^f^^^^w^^^W'- ' J_iJ«4i^ Tin: KXOM.sii niiMi. The English Chub, " Chevin " or Chavender, Si/iia/iiis ccphalus, the Chevaine or Dobule of France, the Altel or Dobel of (Jermany is widely distributed over Europe and Asia Minor. Frank Buckland comj)ares it to the "N'orkshirenuin's horse — very bad to catch and no good when he is caught — but many old-school anglers will not ratify his judgment. Pennell says of the Chub that, though not so mettlesome or gamese)nie as the Dace, it grows to far greater size, and has the merit of taking the artificial fly kindly. The Chub is believed by many etymologists to have derived its Eng- lish name from an old Saxon word meaning "head," and its French name also from chef, a word of similar significance. It is also often called the '* 1-oggerhead," and in Germany the " Dickkopf," and in France the "Cabot." The word "chubby" we owe, perhaps, to this plump little Lcuciscus. Marston, in 1602, in his play called "Antonio's Revenge," used this simile : " I never saw a fool lean ; the chiih-faced fop Shines sleek with full-cramm'd fat of happiness." It attains a length of two feet and a weight of eight or ten pounds, lives in clear, swift waters, and is found in the mountains of Central Europe to a height of 3,000 feet or more, as well as in the brackish waters of North 11 I i \ \ ';• i ► • 'Hi I 4, 'I i - ,- . i m 424 AiVERICAN FISHES. Germany, Finland and the lower reaches of the Thames and other Eng- lish rivers. Somewhat gregarious in habits, it occurs in schools about bridge piers and mills, or in deej) holes with hard bottoms, or in mid- summer lies near the surface in shady places. It was at this season that Walton taught his scholars to catch Chubs. " Look here, sir, do you see? said Piscator, there lie upon the top of the water, in this very hole, twenty Chubs. I'll catcl only one, and that shall be the biggest of them all, and that I will do so, I'll do so, I'll hold you twenty to one, and you shall see it done." Piscator was a skillful angler, for, notwithstanding the fact that he con- sidered the Chub " the fearfullest of fishes," he landed his choice. And then, when it was cooked, Venator, who had called the Chub "the worst fish that swims, confessed that 'twas as good meat as he had ever tasted," and forthwith became the master's scholar.* The food of Squalius is miscellaneous, like that of the Carp, and in- cludes among other things frogs, mice and even rats. Cunning anglers tempt its appetite with red cherries, strawberries and raspberries. The spawning time is in yVpril, May and June, when the back of the male becomes covered with a fine white granulation. The eggs number 100,000 or more, and are deposited in gravel or weeds in shallow water. Its shyness, its strength and its size make it a favorite among anglers, and there are many who make its pursuit a specialty. " The Chub of all fish in his silver Trent Invites the angler to the tournament." Trench in his ' 'Northern Memoirs. ' ' In England its popularity seems to be increasing. Pennell protests against the old fashion of painting the Chub as a sort of water donkey, and Wheeldon speaks of it when in condition as an exceptionally hand- some fish, while Senior writes thus in its favor: "Fly-fishing for Chab answers best in the hot summer months, and alon2; the willow and aider-lined reaches i)ayable sport is obtained. It is a great boon for the man, in the big city pent, to be able to get away from business, and by an afternoon train arrive at any portion of the Thames below Oxford in time to have three or four of the best hours' fly-fishing which the day afi"ords. The Chub is not fastidious in its choice of flies. So long as the lure is large and hairy ; so long as it bears some passing resemblance to a caterpillar or beetle or large-winged moth, the anglers' chances of big fish are good.f" * l);ime Julian.i Herners said that " the chevyii is a stately fysshe, and his heed is a deynty morsell." tWilliam Senior (" Red-spinner") Angling in Great liritaiii,p. 4S. CARP, DACE AND MINNOW. 425 The Dace of England, Squalius iaiciscus, belongs to the same genus, which is one of the largest in this group of fishes, abundantly represented in the Paloeartic region, and by at least fifty species in North America. THE EUROPEAN DACE. SQUALIUS LEUCISCUS. It is the Vandoise of France, the Hasel of Austria, the Hiiseling of North Germany. The name Dace seems to be a modification of the word meaning a dart or javelin. Hundreds of years ago, according to Skat, it was called " Darce " and "Dare" (pronounced rt'rt'//;') by our English forefathers, names clearly related to the old French dard and the Latin dardiis. The Bretons call this species the " Darz," and in parts of England it is still known by the name " Dart." Pennell tells us that it is "a bright, graceful fish, glancing about in the clear, and quiet streams which are often barren of trout or salmon," and is in full season from October to January when these are spawning, "and thus," he continues, " a red-letter day's sport is often to be obtained which would otherwise have had to be left blank in the angler's diary." It readily rises to an artificial fly, as does also the Chub, and Pennell's instructions are worth the consideration of American brook anglers.* The German anglers, who fish for the Hiiseling from July to October, ground-bait with several hundred angle worms, about twenty hours before they intend to fish. They use the same tackle and bait as in carp fishing, and occasionally, in the latter part of July and August, employ an artificial fly, which they find more tempting if a maggot is added at the top of the hook. It is said that the Jews consume great quantities of Dace in their seasons ♦See " The Uadminton Library." m 426 AMERICAN FISHES. of fishing; otherwise the fish is not now in especial favor for food. Its scales are so silvery and bright, however, that it makes the best of live- baits for pike or perch fishing, and has been used for this purpose from times immemorial. " If the young dace be a bait for the old pike," said Falstaff, " I see no reason in the law of nature, but I may snap at him." There are many species of Squalius in the streams and lakes of the far West and Southwest which must in time be highly prized by our people. At present, however, it is only in localities which are thickly po])ulated that the native cyprinoids and catostomoids are known and appreciated. Two species, Squalius rhomaleus and S. atrarius, are excessively abundant in Utah Lake. The latter, as it ascends the streams to spawn almost simultaneously with the \xo\\\. {Salino fuiptiratus), is extremely destructive to the young salmonoids. It is taken in considerable numbers in seines, and is sold in the markets of Salt Lake City and other towns. It reaches a length of nearly a foot. These species are known as Mullets and Chubs. i Numerous others, similar in size and habits, abound in the region be- tween the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, and are used as food by the Indians and by the white settlers. Among these are S. nigcr, S. purpurcus, S. ohcsus, S. pandora, the '' Pescadito " of the Rio Grande region, ^S'. henia, the " Leather-sided Minnow " of the Provo River and Salt Lake Basin, and S. clongata, the " Red-sided Shiner " of the Upper Missouri and the great lakes. President Jordan speaks briefly as follows of various other American forms : The "Chub" or "Mullet" of San Francisco, Squalius gihbosus, abounds in the Sacramento River, and is taken in great numbers. It reaches a length of about a foot, and is eaten chiefly by the Chinese. The various species of Gila al)Ound in the basin of the Rio Colorado and Rio Gila, and are used as food in New Mexico and Arizona. They reach a length of about eighteen inches. Gila clegaiis, robusta and Grahainixx.xQ the principal species. Ptychochilus orcgoiicusis abounds in the Columbia and Sacramento and their tributaries, where it is known as " Shepawl" and " Pike." It reaches a length of three or four feet at least, a size much greater than that of any other of our representatives of this family. A great many are brought into the markets of San Francisco in the winter. A second species {^Ptychochilus Ilarfordi) accompanies P. orcgonoisis in the Sacramento, and is brought CARP, DACE AND MINNOW 427 -1(1 to with it to the markets. A third species {Ptychochi/iis /iiciiis) occurs in the lower course of the Rio Colorado, and is said to reach a still larger size — a length of five or six feet. Mylopharodon conoccphalus occurs with PlycJiocJiilus orri:;o/iciisis in the Sacramento, and is brought with it into the markets. It reaches a size scarcely less tiian that oi P. or(\i:;o>icii-'s, but is less i)lentiful. Mylochiliis caurimis abounds from California to Tuget Sound in all the streams of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and often enters the sea. It reaches a length of little more than a foot, and is used for food where trout and other better fishes abound. Its great numbers, however, give it a special claim to notice. The Split-tail, Po^^oiiichtJiys iiiacro/cpu/ofiis, is very common in the Sacra- mento, and is brought in consitlerabie numbers to the San Francisco market. It reaches a length of about eighteen inches. The ''Cut-lips," "Day Chub." or "Nigger Chub," Pxo},^h>ssiiin maxi/Iingua, has but a narrow distribution, being found in abundance only in the basin of the Susquehanna. It reaches a length of six or eight inches, and has no economic importance. Lavinia exilicauda is found in some abundance in most streams of Cali- fornia, and comes occasionally into the market. It reaches a length of about fifteen inches. Orf/iodon microlcpidotiis occwx^ inmost streams of California in consider- able abundance. A good many are sent to the market of San Francisco, where they are eaten by the Chinese. It reaches a length of about eighteen inches. The Hard-mouth Ci ib, Acrochilus aliilacciis, is found in the rivers of It reaches a length of about a foot, but is \\ a'.hington rar ly eaten. Oregor ly The name Dace in the Eastern states has been appropriated by a sjjccies ]ierhaps more strictly entitled to be called a chub, but which is not likely ever to relinquish its time-honored appellation. This is the Dace or Horned Dace, Scmotilus corpora/is, a fish which abounds in all small streams and ponds from Western Massachusetts to Nebraska and southward. It reaches the length of about a foot, and is beautiful, active and gamy, rising to the fiy almost like a brook trout, though usually taken with worm-bait. The "horns" to this and other Minnows and Chubs are dermal excrescences developed on the males in the breeding season, but absent at other times. The name Corporal seems to have been derived from the Dutch or German settlers of the Middle States. " Corporaalen " is one of its com- mon names in that region. Very closely allied to the Eastern Dace is the "Fall-fish," SemoHlus •^7 T'^tT'^.': V^TJ *^r-^;w:5^77^^T!f!v»??SjP5wr:i^_73r^r'"' 'r^ j 428 AMERICAN FISHES. buUaris, of Virginia, also often called " Roach " or " Dace," is abundant in the Eastern and Middle States east of the AUeghanies. It reaches a /Ml THK EASTKRV DACE-SEMOTII.US CORPORALIS. length of eighteen inches, being the largest of the Cyprinidoe east of the Rocky Mountains. THE FALL-FISH— SEMOTILUS BULLARIS. It is very common in the Delaware Basin, more so, perhaps, in the Susquehanna, but a common form in the head waters of the Atlantic-flow- ing streams of Virginia and the Carolinas. Hallock says that it has been caught weighing four i)ounds, that it is much esteemed as food, and affords good sport for the angler. I have myself taken them with light tackle and fomid them as gamy as brook trout in preserved streams. In ]\Iassachu- sctts it is often called the " Cousin Trout" in allu'.ion to its trout-like habits, and also the " Chiven " from its resemblance to the English Chub or Cheven. The mention of the American "Roach " brings us to the consideration of the Old World species, which it much resembles in habits. This is CARP, DACE AND MINNOW 429 Leuciscu-, riitilus, the Plotze of the Germans, and the Rosse of the French. •XWV. KUROPKAX UOACII OB RKD DArH, "The Roach," said Piscator, " is a fish of no great reputation for his dainty taste ; and his spawn is accounted much better than any part of him. And you may take notice, that as the Carp is accounted the water- fox for his cunning, so the Iltxich is accounted the water-sheep for his simplicity or foolishness." It has, however, gained in ])opularity in England since the days of Walton. "The Book of the Roach," by Greville Fennell, is one of the standard works, and William Senior ("Red-spinner") has written an essay upon " Roach-fishing as a Fine Art,"* which is commended to all who go-a-fishing for cyi)rinoids in American waters, for the methods described by him will apply to many of our fishes. Senior thinks that Roach-fishing reiiuires special qualifications of mind and heart. "lam ac(iuainted," writes he, "with many rich and poor, learned and ignorant, somebodies and nobodies, who have a passionate attachment for the pursuit. The higher kinds of rod-and-line work have no joys for them, (iive them their camp-stool and Roach rod over the dark waters that move slowly above a clear bed, and they ask no more." The " Rudd or Red-eye" of England, ScanUiiius erytlirophtiialmiis, the Rothauge or Rotengle, is a rather important fish, resembling the Roach in its habits, and used by English pond culturists to stock new-made waters with bait for pike, and by those of Germany in feeding trout and pike perch. * See "The B.idmintoii Library," p. 343. i I ii i 43° AMERICAN FISHES. The Bream is higlily i)rized by many European anglers, but is perhaps less in favor than it was two hundred years ago, when this proverb was current : " Qui a breme, pcut bramer ses amis," or as Walton translated it, missing the pun : " He that hath bream in his pond may bid his friend THE KUKOPKAN IIRKAM. ABKAMIS DRAMA. welcome." In Chaucer's day the Bream was apparently cultivated in ponds in England, but now is somewhat neglected, even by anglers, though Wheeldon devotes a chapter to Bream fishing in his " Practical Lessons in the Gentle Art." In Germany the Brasse is in high favor, and is l)y some preferred to the Carp, especially for winter eating.* Great quanti- ties are brought to the markets. The American Bream, or Golden Shiner, Noteviigonns clirysolcucus, is a better fish than its English namesake, and as an angler's fish, more like the Roach. It is in fact, often called Roach and Shiner in the Middle and Eastern States, Dakota and Texas, while an allied species, N'. amcri- canus, inhabits the rivers of the South Atlantic States, and others occur in limited areas elsewhere. N. chrysolcucits abounds in most rivers east of the Great Plains, fre- quenting ponds, bayous, canals and ditches, and is the most abundant of all cyprinoids in the tide-water region, preferring waters in which the bot- tom is covered with acpiatic plants. It reaches the length of nearly a foot, and the weight of a pound and a half, and is sometimes brought to mar- To Cook Bream. — Cleanse him and lay him in salt .ind water one hour ; stuff with a rich veal stuffing, and bake him- --plentifully anointed with j;"oU butter— in a slow oven, until the meat comes off easily from the bones. Serve hiin up, hoi and hot, with cayenne pepper and lemon juice. — Wheeldun. t •'■ -■— ^ CARP, DA CE AXD MINNOW. 431 ket, though usually consumed by fish, it is by no means despicabb: black-bass or flounder. its c'lptors. , and to my •4 When eaten own taste, as .'sh j.a as a pan- latable as TlIK AMi:i(ICAN" IIKKA.M. The early American angling authorities prized this fish more than those of to-day. Brown bursts into rhyme when he speaks of it : " A capricious little fish Tliat swims in pond and stream, And a dainty on the dish i the cautious, cunning Bream." "Being possessed," he continues, in a very sober vein "of a large amount of caution, they require all the skill and patience of the angler and the finest kind of tackle. A trout fish rod with a fine line and a good-sized rout hook baited with a grub angle-worm, cricket or grass- hopper, if cautiously used, will generally tempt him from his element. He is good on the platter." Scott and Norris also approve its claims to consideration as a game fish, and it is said by those who know, to rise readily to an artificial (ly. The 'ShxwQr, Miiifiiliis ox Li/xi/iis cornutus, also called '"Red-fin" or " Red Dace," abounds in all streams from New England to Kansas and Alabama, being in most waters more numerous than any other species. In clear, cool lakes it is often found in great schools. At the mouths of small rivers in Lake Michigan hundreds of them can be taken in a short time on a small hook baited with worms or flies. This species reaches a length of i i V V. 432 AMERICAN FISHES, about ten inches. It assists to swell the urchin's string, but has no tangi- ble importance as a foocl-fish. Its llesh spoils very ([uickly after the fish is taken from the water, hence the name " Rot-gut Minnow," applied to it in Alabama. A large part of the food of the black bass, trout and other predatory fish is contributed by the Shiner and l)y its numerous congeners. Miiinuliis ruhricroccus, a species inhabiting the headwaters of the Tennessee and Savannah Rivers is a very lovely species found by Cope and Jordan in rock brooks at the foot of cascades — a species well adapted for accjuarium culture in the north. AUmnius the Bleak, Ablette or Uckelei of Europe, called l)y Walton the " fresh-water sprat," is represented in America by two species of the genus RicJianisonius, which occurs in the Columbia River and north- ward. The Bleak is chiefly of interest as the source of the pearly matter, or Essence iV Orient, which is i)repared from its scales and used in the manufacture of false pearls. In Pomerania one hundred and ten pounds of Uchelei yield about two antl one-fifth pounds of scales, worth about three dollars in commerce. In other words, 10,000 fish are destroyed to make one pound of pearl material. Is not this worse than killing birds for feathers? This industry has been carried on in France for over two hun- dred years. The product of the Moselle in 1S60 was worth 5,000 francs. The scales of the Roach and Dace are also used. TIIR HARBEL OP EUnOPE. The Barbel is somewhat like our Tarpum, since it is pursued by fisher- men and caught chiefly for the pleasure of catching it. "This fish," says Walton,'' is of a fine cast and handsome shape, with small scales, which are placed after a most exact and curious manner, and, as I told you, may be rather said not to be ill than to be good meat ; the CAR1\ D^ICE AND MINNOW 433 chub and he, have, I think, both lost part of their credit by ill cookery, they being reputed the worst or coarsest of fresh-water fish. But the barljtl affords an angler choice port, being a lusty and a c unning fish — so lusty and cunning as to endanger the breaking of the angler's line, by running his head forcibly towards any covert or hole or bank, and then striking at the line, to break it off with his tail, as is observeil bv Plutarch in his book " De Industrial Animaliuni," and also so cunning, t(j nibble and suck off your worm close to the hook, and yet avoid letting the hook ( oiue into his mouth." The Barbel, Barlnis fluviatilis, the Barbe of Clermany, the Barbeauof France, has no representative in America, though Giinther rec ognizes over two hundred species in the trojucal and temperate parts of the Old World, some of which are of considerable economic importanie. The '•Mahaseer," Barbus tor, which inhabits the mountain streams of India, attains sometimes the weight of one hundred pounds and the length of six feet, and has scales as large as the i)alm of a man's hand. It is the largest of all cyprinoids and its introduction into the United States miglit be advantageous, since when under twenty pounds in weight this and other Indian forms are said to be excellent food. The English Barbel is one of the coarsest of their '' coarse fish," and is not needed in America. It is, however, quite as highly esteemed in I'lng- land as our chubs and suckers are on this side of the Atlantic. Its habits are indeed not unlike those of our suckers or catostomoid fislies, and the methods of Barbel angling may yet be adopted in America for the fishes of this group. From the angler's standpoint, also, the Barbel is perhaps more like our "suckers" or Catostomiihc than any other ICuropean species. The Catosiomid(C are, however, not represented in the Old World, although they are so numerous in North America that no stream or river is without them. The suckers, like the American representatives of the carp family, have suffered unjustly at the hands of Prof. Jordan, who is the principal authority as to their scientific affinities, and who, in the midst of his dis- cussions of fin-formulai and pharyngeals, never loses an opportunity to denounce them as unfit to eat. I can only account for his hatred of these fishes by the fact that he has handled so many thousands of specimens badly kept in alcohol, that he has acquired a loathing for them in any con- dition. Conceding to him a thorough knowledge of cyprinology and \ ■f il 28 434 AMERICAN FISHES. catostonioloyy, I iinpcach him as a gastronomist. If he ever is a can- (litlatc for election to the Iilitliyophagous Chib, I hope I may have the privilege of casting a black-ball. He does not know what fish are good to eat, or, at any rate, is a bigoted disciple of the Salmouidcc. For the benefit of our river fishermen I (piote two recipes in f:ivor in I'higlund for i)reparing the drier cyprinoids for table use. " After being scaled and cleaned, they should be cut open bke haddocks, well ])eppered all over, and then a good handful of salt rul)bed in ; let them lie in this all night. In the morning hang them up in the sun all day, to let them dry ; fry them in the evening, with as little lard or butter as practicable, and eat them cold for breakfast. If you try it, I think you will say they are an excellent relish for breakfast, and nearly as good as ancho\ ies. The secret lies in well drying them in the sun, and eating them cold. " Although the Chub is generally a much despised fish, he is capable dur- ing the days of winter, the collier and more frosty the weather the better, of being elevated to a dish by no means despicable. At ailinner recently 1 was 'helped twice' from t^ plat of this fish, not knowing what it was composed of. and being induced by its delicious flavor to commit this solecism. When told that I had been regaling so earnestly upon chub from a neighboring stream, and expressing my desire for the recipe, my hostess very kindly upon my (putting gave me the following, telling me at the same time, she had received it while residing in Italy, from a Jewish family: 'Take four or five large onions, l)oil them until they give to the pressure of the spoon, slice them: take the back bone out of the fish, and cut it, if large, into pieces of 3 inches or 4 inches ; strew ecpudly over tiie bottom of a stew-pan a little ginger in powder, salt and i)ei)per ; place the fish on these, and almost cover the fish with fresh water, then the sliced onions over all ; put the lid on close, and let it sim- mer gently till all is done. While this is ]iroceeding beat up the yolks of four eggs, with a good ([uantity of parsley chopped very fine, and a little of the liquor from the stew-]ian, and while it is amalgamating, squeeze the juice from two lemons into it, very gradually, or the juice will curdle the eggs. Take u]) tiie fish with the onions u])on it in a deep dish, and ]iour the mixture over it.' I ought to add that I tasted the dish again Avhen cold next morning at breakfast, and that it had lost nothing of its relish, and I do not think that many who sat down before it without prejudice would come to any other than such a favorable conclusion. Perhaps vinegar instead of lemon might chea]jen the dish, but as the recipe is given, it may be classed as economical." The common "Brook Sucker," Catostomiis Commcrsoiii, or the " \\'hite Sucker," is the most familiar and generally abundant of the grouj). It CARP, DACE A\D ML\NO\\\ 435 inhabits all bodios of water, 'ar^'t- and >niall. from New lln^laiid to ( 'olo ratio. In tiic great lakes it reaches a leni,ah of two fei't or more, in small brooks it is mature at eii,dit or ten in( lies. It \aries mii< li in si/e, ( olor and form in the different streams. It bites freely, and is one of the ti>hes with whi( h the unambitious brook angler is well contented. When taken out of clear water, properly cared ft)r and well washed, it is an excellent pan-fish, like most of its kind. wm^y- ■'!f* '>f TllK lUtOOK SUCKi;U-C.VT()ST(l\!r COM.MKItHDXI. All the lakes and rivers of the Rocky Mountains ans, abounds in most waters from the great lakes southward. The Stone-roller is extremely abundant in every run- ning stream in the North and West, wliere its singular, almost comical fcjrm is familiar to every school-boy. It delights in rapids and shoals, jjreferring cold and clear water. Its powerful pectorals render it a swifter swimmer than anv other of its family. Its habit is to rest motionless on the bot- tom, where its mottled colors render it difficult to distinguish from the stones among which it lies. When disturbed it darts away very quickly, after the manner of the etheostomoids. Tliev often ljo in small schools. 4;/j A}rFRrCAX F/S/fES. I have never found this fish in really muchly water. Althongh called the " Mud Sucker" in tlie brooks, it is most characteristically a fish of the running streams. This species reaches a length of about two feet, and is often caught in its spawning season by means of a spear or snare. It is, like C. (•omiiit'rsoiii, a '* boy's fish." and not worth the eating. It is hardy in tlie aiiuarium, and like its handsome cousin, Catostoinus >/n-/(t>io/>s, tlie Striped Sucker is recommended for domestication by Cwjie. Tile suckers afford si)ort of an exciting kintl to those who know how to capture them with snares of horse-hair or fine wire. I have thus caught them in Dutchess County, N. Y., where this metho(l is greatly in favor. Vast quantities are taken in the sluiceways of ilams, and by spearing by torch-light or " weequashing." TUK CUUB SUCKKU-KRIMYZOM SUCCKTTA. The "Chub Sucker," Erimyzon succctta, the "Sweet Sucker" or "Creek-fish," is one of the most abundant and wiilely diffused of the Suckers, being found from Maine to Texas. It is one of the smallest species, reaching a length of little more than a foot. A closely related species abounds in Florida, where it was first collected by the author, and has been named by Jordan Erimyzon Goodci. Hallock says that the " Chub-sucker" is often called the " Barbel." The Black Horse, Cyclcpttis clongatus, also called "Missouri Sucker," "Gourd-seed Sucker," " Suckerel" and " Shoenaher " is found in the river channels of the Ohio and Mississippi. It reaches a considerable size, weighing sometimes fifteen pounds, and is said to be a much finer CARP, DACE AXD MJXXOW, 437 fisli in llc^li than any other (if its family. It i^ ( ununon in the' ritt>l)iirg market. The (lifTorent species of the genus Carpioilcs abound in all the larger bodies of water south and west of New \drk as far as the Rio (Irande. 'I'hey rea< h a weight of four or five jiounds. In Virginia and elsewhere they go by the name of " Carp," as they have done from the earliest days of the English o( ( iijiation. Though fairly eatable, they are not ecpial to the Carp, and are less prolific, less rapid in growth, and most of all, not accustomed to domestication. The term American Car]) should be abandoned, and when characteristic local names are not in use, the name "Carp-siicker " is recommended for atloption. Civpioiics vclifcr, the " Spear-fish," "Sail-fish," «' (^)uill-l)ack " or •"Skim-back" of the Ohio River, is a fish often seen in the markets. Carpiodt's cypriniis, the " Carj) " of the Susfpiehannah, is abundant eastof the Alleghanies from New York to Alabama. It is a common and acceptable food-fish in Pennsylvania, attaining a weight of two or three pounds. It is the " Carp " that is abundant in the Mattapony and Pamunky Rivers in Virginia. The " Red Horses " belong to the genus Moxoshniia ^x\d the related Mifiytrcma and Placopharynx, and usually have their lower fins bright red. They are useful and palatalde food-fishes, although our writers have persistently underrated their value. They are sirring spawners, and when dams and other obstructions do not forbid rim up to the head-waters to breed. It is of the utmost im- portance that fish-ways should be built over every dam on the continent, for already the streams have been drained, not only of the game fishes, local and anadromous, but of most of the hmnbler forms, which suj)i)ly food to the carnivorous water-aristocrats, and render trout and bass culture possible. The most familiar member of this group Is the " Brook Mullet," Aloxostoina macrohpidotiim, also called "Red Horse" in Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, and pretty generally distributed east of the Rocky Moun- tains, except in Eastern New England. The form Avhich occurs in the Ohio and Missouri has a larger head and larger mouth, and is generally catalogued as a variety or sub-species Duqucstiii. This form is shown in the cut, which represents a specimen from Ecorse, Michigan. The eastern form occurs in the Cieat Lakes, together with the allied i LI I 1!^ 438 AMERICAN FISHES. M. aureolas, and is common in the markets. Philadelphia receives a large siipi)ly from the Susquehanna and the Delaware. It is sometimes called the "Lake Shad." There are four s])ecies of good size in the Catawba and other streams of the Southern AUeghanies. The !Mullets and the Red Horses sometimes grow to the weight of four pounds. TITR trKSTKUX UED HORSE. The "Buffalo-fish," Bubalicthyvi', so called from the bull-like hump on the na]ie, are found mainly in the river channels of the Mississippi and its tributaries. They are the largest of the Suckers, reaching a weight of fifteen pounds or more. In the Mi; ■lissippi and Ohio Valleys they form a large percentage of the food-fish consu iied. They usually bring a better price than the smaller Suckers, excepting the Black Horse. The Buffalo- fishes are found by Prof. Forbes to feed on small crustaceans more than do the other Suckers, and less on mollusks. TIIIC nUFFALO FISH. Icthyohus bubalus, is abundant in the larger streams of the Mississippi. CARP, DACE AXD MINNOW. 439 Valley, growing to a weight of twenty or thirty pounds and a lengtli of three feet. Bubalichthys iinis, of Agassiz, occurs in the same waters, and is called the Big-mouth Buffalo. In ihe Ohio and Mississippi Basins it is used very extensively for food, and grows to weigh fifty pounds or more. Bubalichtliys alius, which, like /. Intbaltis, is a small moutli species, is distinguished by its smaller head and other characteristics. (See Jordan's '* Synopsis," p. 1 16.) The name " Gaspergou " is shared by these fishes with the fresh-water Drum. The only angling book which tells how to catch Buffaloes is a very old one, that of Brown. A bottom line of good strength and heavily leaded is used, and the bait prescribed is a wad of soft cheese and raw cotton. The " Rabbit-mouth Sucker," Quassilabia laccra, "Hare-lip," "Split- mouth" or "May-sucker" is found in abundance in many rivers of Tennessee and in some streams in Ohi(j. It reaches a length of about eighteen inches, being one of the smaller species, but its cpialities as a food-fish are said to be better than usual in this family. The name " Sucker " has acquired a special and by no means c:omplete significance in the colloquial language of the United States, being api)lied to worthless fellows, and esjjecially to topers. Tiie allusion is doubtless to the slow, greedy habits of the fishes of this family. f 440 AMERICAN FISHES. THE SALMONID^ IN GENERAL. TN Europe there is but one Salmon, but in this country they are many, and in a book on American Fishes all must needs be mentioned. Since the characters by which they are separated are rather minute, it will be necessary to employ the technical language of ichthyology. The family Salmonido'. includes not only the Salmons and Trouts, but also the graylings, smelts, whitefishes, capelins, oulachans and certain other less familiar forms. The most prominent characteristic of the fishes of this group is the little fleshy appendage on the posterior part of the back, known as the soft, or adipose dorsal. This is found in many fishes belonging not to the SalmonidiV, but to allied groups, but none of these inhabit our coasts or inland waters, except the Catfishes, which are not likely to be mistaken for members of the salmon tribe. The following table, prepared by Dr. Bean, will enable any one to de- termine at once to which genus any salmonoid fish belongs. THE GENERA OF SALMONID.^. • [Key prepared by Dr. T. H. Bean.] A. Pyloric coeca many ; stomach siphoiial. <{. Dentition strong and complete ; conical teeth in jaws, vomer, and palatines ; scales many more than loo ; largely anadromous. b. Anal rays g to ii. c. Vomer tlat, its toothed surface plane; teeth on its shaft in pairs or in a zigzag row ; species black- spotted. Subgenus Salmo. (The Sea Salmon.) ci. Sea-salmon, anadromous. (id- River-salmon, not an:;dromous. Subgenus Fakio. (The Salmon Trouts.) cc. Vomer boat shaped. ('. Vomer with a raised crest, head and crest both toothed ; species gray-spotted. Ckistivomku. (The Lake Trouts.) ec. Vomer without raised crest, its shaft stron.jly depressed ; teeth on chevron only: species red spotted. Salvblinus. (Tlie lirook Trouts or Charrs.j bh. Anal rays 1410 17. Oncdkuvnchus. (The Pacific Salmons. ) aa. Jaws toothless, or dentition feeble or incomplete ; scales little exceeding 100 ; not anadromous. /. Dorsal fm long and higii. of al)out 20 rays. Thvmallus. (The Graylings.) Jf, Dorsal fui not elevated, rays about 10 to 13. .(,•■. -Mouth small ; jaws toothless, or with a lew weak teeth. Coreoonus. (The Lake White-fishes.) gg. Mouth large; vomer, palatines and tongue with bands of minute villiform teeth. Stenouus. (The Inconnu.) AA. Pyloric cceca few or none ; stomach coecal //. l!rancliiostegals to 8 ; body compressed. /, MoiUh large; ventrals in front of middle of dorsal. k. Pectoral rays 16 to 10 : scales very small : males with strong lateral ridges covered by modi- fied scales. Mallotus. (The Capelins.) kk. Pectoral rays 10 to i? ; scales larger, similar in both se.xes. J. Teeth feeble, especially on tongue, scales small, adherent. Thaleichthys. (The Oulachans.) del. Teeth stronger, lingual teeth enlarged ; scales moderate, deciduous. Osmerls. (The Smelts.) /. Mouth moileratc or small : ventrals under or behind middle of dorsal. //. Jaws with minute teeth ; ma.\iUary reaching past front of eye. Hvi'OMESUS. (The Surf-Smelts.) I)y modi- lipcliiis.) lachans.) jSmclts.) ISiiieUsJ 3 5 a a o 1) er o o 1 p e in > m > O iU Nil I I SALMO SALAK. THE SALMON. Nee te puniceo rutllantem viscere, Salmo Transieriin, lata; cujiis vaga verl)era cauda; Giirgite ile medio siimmas refeniiitur in undas, Occultus jilacido cum proditiir ;i;quore pulsus, Tu loricato siiuamosus pectorc, frmitem Lubricus ct dul)ia; facturus fercula ciL-nai Tempora longarum fcrs iucorrupta morarum, Pr.-usiguis macidis rapilis, cui jirodiga nutat Alvus, opimatuiiue llueus abdomiue venter. * AusoNius : TIw Moselii', 97-105. 44 TN the countrey of Acjuitaine or Ciuicnnc in FrauiK c, tlie River Sal- mon passeth all other sea fishes whatsoever. ' ' So wrote I'liny eiij;hteen hundred years ago, and his was the first allusion in literature to Sa/i/io salar. Hundreds of members of the family are iidw known to science, but this one si)ecies still stands ])reeminent, like a Highland chieftain, needing no name save that of his clan. The Salmon streams of ancient Britain and Gaul were known to the Romans, who aj)i)reciated fully the worth of their scaled treasures, and our early British ancestors were e(iually familiar Avith the Salmon, as we know from the Saxon names which were applied to it, many of which still survive both in l-".ngland and America — parr, peal, penk, smolt, grilse, kipper, bagget, and a dozen more. The reader will recall Walter Scott's generalization, that while our names for animals as served upon the table, — beef, veal, mutton, ])ork. — are of Nor- man origin, the names of the animals themselves are still those by which they *" Nor will I pass thee, O Salmon, blushing with thy red flesh, the roving strokes of whose broad tail are home from the middle of the stream to the top of the water, at such time as the hidden lash betrays itself on the cah • surface. Now, clothed in scaly armor, slippery as to thy fore part, and alile to constitute a remove for a most e.xcelle rt dinner, dost bear keepiui; fresh for a long lime : thou art conspicuous with thy spotted head ; thy full Ouunch trembles, and thy belly overflows with abdominal fat." Literal translation by Houghton . I li 1 442 AMERICAN FISHES. m were known to the ICnglish, who after the con(Hiest became their keepers. In a simihir way, the word Sahnon, the name of the adult fish reaily for the l)an(|uet, was brouL^ht in by the Norman invaders. The Magna Cliarta recogni/cd i)roperty riglits in Sabnon-fisheries, and protective laws have been enforced in llngland for at least six centuries. How did the Salmon get its name? Fuller in his "Worthies," says, " from its strange lea])ing (or flying rather) so that some will have theirs termed sa/iiioiii's a sa/icndo,'' and later etymologists have found no better tlieory. Skeat calls attention to the fact that die inlroducticjn of the / is due to our knowledge of the Latin form, since we do not pronounce it. The Middle English name was Siv/iiion/i, very close to the Old French Sdiiiii'Ui. Say and on the arc tic coast of the continent. Wonderful things are said about their abundance in colonial duvs. Every one has heard of the epicurean ai)])rentices of Connecticut who would eat Salmon no oftener tlian twice in the week. '• The shad, bass, and Salmon more than half support the province. From the number of seines employed to catch the fish passing up the locks one might be led to supijose that the whole must be stopped, yet in six months' time they return to the sea w ith such multitudes of young ones as to fill the Connecti- cut River for many days, and no finite l)eing can number them." These are the words of Peters in 1783, in his " History of Connecticut." Like many other good ones, this tale seems to be jjrehistoric, and was doubtless told of some other fish in the times when our Aryan ancestors dwelt on the plains of Central Asia. You may find it in F'uUer's " Worthies of Fjigland," where it has the archaic and indefinite llavor which is so evident now, two centuries later. " Plenty of them in this country," wrote F'uller, " though not in such abundance as in Scotland, where servants (they say i indent with their masters not to be fed therewi'li above twice a week." Day has pointed out, the frec[uent eating of Salmon, and especially cf kelts was thought conducive to leprosy which after the Crusades in the Middle Ages, was a formidable disease in V^urojje. Capt. Franks writing of Stirling in the time of Cromwell, remarked that "the burgomasiers, as in many parts of Scotland, are compelled to reinforce an auc ieiit ^t;.tute that commands all masters, and others not to force or compel any servant or apprentice to fe-'d upon Salmon more than once a week.' Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine haAe many Salmon ri\ers ; New Hamj)shire, ^Llssachusetts and Connecticut, a lew \ery good ones. The nrcural limit of the southward range of the Salmon apjjears to be in lat. 41°, near the Connecticut River, where they were once extremely .:| 444 AMERICAN FISHES. V^'-\ ! \m abundant, but many stragglers have been taken in the Housatonic and Hudson. Much effort has been put fortli in trying to prove that the Sahnon, of which Hendrick Hudson saw "great store" in 1609, when sailing up the river which bears his name, were weak-fish, or some ctpially remote species. Surely weak-fish do not go uj) the river to the Highlands. Sal- mon nave from time to time been seen in the Delaware, it is said, and, if this be true, it renders the story of Hudson still more credible. There can be no doubt that one hundred years ago the Salmon fishery was an important industry in Southern New England. Many Connecti- cut people remember hearing their grandfathers say that when they went to the river to buy shad, the fishermen used to stipulate that they should also buy a specified number of Salmon. There is a tradition of a farmer's wife in New Hampshire who used to spear Salmon with a pitchfork to j^ro- vide food for the farm hands. At the beginning of this century they began rapidly to diminish. Mitchill stated, in 1814, that in former days the supply to the New York market usually came from Connecticut River, but of late years from the Kennebec, covered with ice. Rev. David Dudley Field, writing in 18 19, stated that Salmon had scarcely been seen in the Connecticut for fifteen or twenty years. The circumstances of their extermination in the Connecticut are well known, and the same story, names and date changed, serves equally well for other rivers. In 1798 a corporation, known as the " Upper Locks and Canals Com- pany," built a dam, sixteen feet high, at Miller's River, one hundred miles from the mouth of the Connecticut. For two or three years fish were observed in great abundance below the dam, and for perhaps ten years they continued to appear, vainly striving to reach their spawning grounds ; but soon the work of extermination was complete. When, in 1872, a solitary Salmon made its appearance, the Saybrook fishermen could not give it a name. In 1878, at least five hundred large fish Avere caught in these wates, the direct result of the labors of the State commissioners of fisheries in 1874. This story of destruction, with a change of names and dates, may be repeated for the Merrimac and many other rivers. Mr. C. G. Atkins recorded, in 1872, twenty-eight Salmon rivers lying wholly or in part in the United States, in only eight of which Salmon were at that time regular visitors. The story of restoration will, it is hoped, soon be applicable to these, and j)erhaps to others to which the species is not native. Thack- THE SALMON. 445 eray, in " Tlv; Vi'-^inians," made (Icorgc MsiudikI ( laini Salninn. shad, and rock-fish a.i-ong the game creatures of Westmorehuul (oiinty, Va., and nearly i)ermitted him to profane Madame I'lsmond's hospitable mansion by (juarrelling over the matter with young Colonel Washington, her guest. Was the great novelist a jirophet ? In May. i.SyS, several fine Sal- mon were taken in the Suscpiehanna, after having coasted along more than one hundred miles of the Old Dominion shore. At least half of the Salmon's life is spent in the o( ean. " He is ever bred in the fresh rivers," said ^Valton, '• and never grows big but in tlie si'a." " He has (like some j)ersons of honor and riches, which ha\e both their winter and summer houses) this fresh water for summer and the salt water for winter to spend his life in." Most of his tribe, however, are peculiarly fresh-water fishes, though several sliare his sea-dwelling habit, and others, like the Brook trout, descend into salt water, wlien not i)re- vented by barriers of temperature. All of the famil\- run into \ery shoal water, and usually to the sources of streams, to deposit tiieir eggs, and all of them seek food and cool tem])eratures in tlie largest and deepest bodies of water accessible. I am inclined to the view that the natural habitat of the Salmon is in the fresh waters, the more so since there are so many in- stances — such as that of the Stormontfield I'onds in England — where it has been confined for years in lakes without api)arent detriment. 'I'he " Land- locked " or " Fresh-water" Salmon, known also in the Saguenay region as '' Winninish," in the Shubenacadie and other rivers of Western No\a Scotia as the " Crayling." and in different parts of Maine as " Sc hooilic Trout." " Sebago Trout," or '• Dwarf Salmon," probably never \ isit salt water, finding ample food and exercise in the lakes and large ri\ers. In certain regions in Maine and New l^runswick their access to salt water is cut off by dams, and some investigators have claimed that Land-locked Salmon did not exist there until these obstructions were built, some fifty years ago. This hypothesis, however, is not necessary, for in the Saguenay the \\'inni- nish has easy, unobstructed access to the sea. The Salmon of Lake On- tario and its tributaries are not thought to enter salt water, and there are similar instances of land-locking in the lakes of Northern Sweden. In the Maine lakes Salmon feed on minnows and other small fishes. Tlie Salmon while it remains in the sea or in the brackish estuaries takes par- ticular delight in feeding on crustaceans and their eggs, small shrimi)S, and young crabs. When in the rivers they eat but little, though they are 44^> AMERICA X FTsrrr.s. at times eager enoiigli for food, as is slK)\vn by tlieir eager ruslies at the angler's lly-hook. 'I'lie absenteeism of the Sahnon is (hie principally to the dearth of ilesirable food in the rivers. '1 iie young fisli stay in fresh water tor one, or fretpiently, two years. When they pass down to the sea they weigh hut a few oimces. They find congenial food and begin to grow rapidly. 'i"he broad world of ocean affords them new opportunities for ailveiiture and self-advancement, and it is only when suni'"'"jned by the duties of family life that they return within the narrow limits of the old home, ^\'hen Salmon live in the lakes they jirey upon minnows and other small fishes, but those of the sea delight also in small crustaceans and their eggs, to which they owe the vivid color of their flesh. The habits of successive generations become hereditary traits, and the differences in their life-histories seem to justify the claim of the Land-locked Salmon to be regarded as a \ariety of Salino sa/ar, though it is hardly to be disting- uished except by its lesser size and some slight peculiarities in coloration. It has been designated Saliiio sa/cir, variety jvA?,i,v.* Althougli both originated in the same primitive stock, it is not jirobable that one changes to the other except after many generations, under the inlluence of forced changes in their environment. The leaping of the Salmon is one of the most marvellous of feats, and has been the theme of many writers. " Merc, when the laliouring fish doth at the foot arrive, And knows tiiat by Iiis strength but vainly doth he strive, His tail takes in ills teeth ; and bending like a bow Tliat's to the compass drawn, aloft himself doth throw ; Then springing with his tail, as dotli a little wand That l)ended, end to end. and flirted from tiie iiand, Far ofl' itself doth cast ; so doth the Salmon vaut. And if at first he fail, his second somersaut He instantly assays, and from his nimble ring Still vesting, never leaves until himself he fling Above the streamful top of the surrounded heaix" This was once the idea of the mechanism of the leap of the Salmon. A modern English writer thus describes the actual feat : " I watched the fish vi-ith a raceglass for some ten minutes before disturbing tliem. There is a \ery tleep pool at the point where the waterfall j(jins the lower level of the water. The fish came out of this ])ool with the velocity of an *Sco H. II. Tliompsuii's essay in J'/ic .lincn'caii .liis^/cr, \ , :i)6 : j .; ! THE SA/..]fOX 447 arrow : llicy gave no warnin.Lj of their intentions. Imt no tliey canu'. and darted out of the surfac c of the water witli a sudden riisli like rockets let loose troni the darkness of the ni^dit into the si)a( e alio\e. When they tirst appeared their tails were ^n)ing with the velocity of a wat(hs)>rini,' just broken, and the whole body, sjiarklinj,^ as thoui;h they had been en- ameled, was ipiixering with the exertion. 'I'hey looked as nim h like ll\ in;; lish as ever 1 saw anything in my life." Observations have recently been made by l>r. A. Landmark, of Xor- wav, on the extent of Salmon leaps. He thinks that the jump depends as much on the height of the fall as on the currents below ii. If then' be a deep pool right under the fall, where the water is comparati\ely (piiet. a Salmon may jumj) 16 feet perpendicularly : Init such jumps are rare, and lie can only state that it has taken jilace at the Hellefos. in the Ihams River, at Haugsend. where two great masts ha\e been phu ed across the ri\er for the study of the habits of the Salmon, sf) that e.\a( t measure- ments may be effected. The height of the water in the river of course varies, but it is. as a rule, when the Salmon is running uii stream. 16 feet he low th ese m asts. 'J'he distant e between the two i- feet, and the professor states that he has seen Salmon jump from the river below across both masts. Landmark states that when a Salmon jumps a fall nearly per- pentlicular, it is sometimes able to remain in the fall, even if the jump is a foot or two short of the actual height. This has been pr(j\ed by over- whelming evK.vMice. The fish may be seen tremblinu. and then rest for a minute or two a foot or so below the (:(\'j,ii or the fall, with a smart twite h of its tail, the rest of the fall is cleared. Only fish which strike straight with the snout are able to remain in the falling mass of water ; if they strike oblitjuely, they are carried back into the stream below Thij Landmark believes to be the explanation of Salmf)n ])assing falls with a clear tlescent of 16 feet. Although, like trout, and unlike shad. Sahnon spawn with a falling temperature, not de])Ositing their eggs until the water is at least as cold as 50°, yet they seem to enter the ri\ers on a rising temperature. Varrell remarked that lOnglish ri\ers issuing from large lakes afford early Salmon, while rivers swollen by melting snows in the spring months are later in their season of producing fish, and yield their supiply when the lake ri\ers are beginning to fail. In Americ a the Southern streams seem to vield the earliest fish. In the Connecticut they appear in April and May, in the >t%, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 UilM 125 Hf Ufi 12.0 ■UUk m 1.4 11.6 — 6' 7 Hiotogr^hic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) 872-4503 \ •^ :\ \ fv <^. <^, O" ^ '<^JV ;\ 448 AMERICAN FISHES. Mcrrimac in May and June, in tlic Penobscot most al)un(lantly in June and July, though some come as early as April, and in the Miramichi, from the middle of Jiuie to October. I can only account for this seeming paradox l)y the theory that, while Salmon are not harmed by extreme variation of temperature, they may be averse to sudden changes, and though strongly impelled to seek the spawning grounds are jirevented by the cold. I have ascertained that the ( od possesses very little animal warmth. The temperature of the blood of a number of individuals caught in twenty-five fathoms of water was 47°. F. , jirecisely that of the water at the bottom whence they were lifted. Mackerel swimming at the sur- face registered 59° or 60°, while the temperature of the water was 58°, t)nis intlicating that they ])ossess a trifling amount of animal heat. The Salmon unciuestionably changes its temperature with that of the surround- ing water in much the same way, and if, as is probable, rivers rising in the mountains are colder in early s])ring than the ocean strata freciuented by the Salmon, here is a possible solution of the i)roblem. It is stated that in the Knglish rivers, which are always open, there are no regular seasons of ascent, the fish constantly passing in and out: indeed, Mr. Atkins thinks it pretty certain that large Salmon in prime conilition are running into the Penobscot from the sea every month in the year. It is likely, also, that the warmth of the rivers is an important factor in accelerating the vegetative growth of the eggs in the ovaries of the mother fish. The movements of the Salmon are not so intimately related to the tem- perature of the water as those of many other species. They are not sensitive to sudden changes, and are capable of enduring a range of at least forty-five degrees. In this they resemble less the migratory fishes than the permanent residents of our fresh waters ; indeed, it is cpiite allowable to sjieak of them as resident, for a large j)roportion of the whole colony belonging in one river may be found in it at any season. This proportion cannot fall nuu h below two-thirds, if we consider that the fish less than a year oUl would make up at least half its number, and that the breeding fish are in the rivers six or seven months after the breed- ing. The breeding fish remain during the season of greatest heat and greatest cold, though their stay after they have deposited their eggs is no doubt chiefly because their vitality is iliminished and their circulation retarded by the falling temperature, depriving them alike of the craving for food and the power to seek it. Those which spawn early are believed ii THE SALMON. 449 to return at once to tlic sea ; the more lardy ones often remain all winter, and are carried out by tiie spring freshets. Salmon eggs are wuX injured by freezing, and the fish are nnc^uestionably cpiite as hardy. llnglish fish-culturists claim that their Salmon will not thrive where the water is warmer than 60°, or at most 65° in the summer, but Mr. Atkins kept fish in his jionds at lUicksjiort. Maine, with the water at the bottom as warm as 74° at midday, the means of bottom and surfa. 62°. 2, 54''. 3., respectively. In the (laspe Salmon streams, where the I'lsh ;ire in the perfection of activit), the temperature of the jjooLs in July ranges from 30 'j° to 59°. Leaving the oi)en ocean they enter the bays, where they remain fur several weeks, becoming inured to brackish water, feeding liberally on the small estuary llshes, such as smelts, cai)elins, anf a rapid. Euro- pean observers state that the furrows are shaped by the noses of the two parent fish, every nest being filled with eggs before the next one is made, and the first covered up by the sand which is loosened in digging the second, chiefly by the action of the current. Mr. Atkins observed a female Land-locked Salmon excavating a nest by turning on her side and flopping violently against the bottom with her tail, while the male was engaged in driving away rivals and predaceous foes. Spawning is not accomplished at once, but the eggs, are deposited by installments, as fast as they mature, during a ],eriod of from five to twelve days. " When the furrow is made, the male and the female retire to a little distance, one to the one side, the other to the other side of the furrow ; they then throw themselves on their sides, again come together, and rublung together both shed their s|)a\vii into the furrow at the same time." This is the observa- tion of Mr. Ellis on the European Salmon, and a similar habit has been obscved by Mr. Whitcher in Canada. In the tributaries of the St. Lawrence, spawning begins by the middle of October; in Maine, with both Land-locked and Sea Salmon, a week or two later, and it is presum- able that in the Connecticut it will be found to occur well along towards December. In Great Britain and in the Rhine the season begins in October or November, continuing in some rivers till February. A YOUXG SALMON. Salmon eggs are about one-quarter of an inch in diameter, and of a bright reddish or yellowish hue. English fish-culturists estimate the num- ber of eggs yielded by a large fish at i ,000 to each pound of her weight ; THE SAL.VOX. 45' exiK'riiiK-nts in the IVnobscot indicate a yiuM of not more than 5.000 or 6,000 for a fish of eight pounds, and ahout 15.000 for one of forty pounds. In the S(ot< li streams the eggs come to maturity in one hundred to one hundred and forty (hiys. hut in our (older waters, at a temperature of _;;,° througli winter and spring, tlie period of incuhation is su])p()sed to extend over six or seven months, the young fisli not appearing until May. In the hatching-house the period varies greatly, eggs having been lKit( lied in fifty-four days with a temi)erature of 55°, and in one humlred and four- teen at 36°. The newly hatched Salmon measures ahout three-i|uarters of ,\u im h. and has the yolk-sac ailherenl from four to six weeks. When this is al)sorl)ed it begins to feed, rising greedily to seize any minute th)ating object. In two months the fry has grown to an in( h and a half, and begins to assume the vermilion spot>. and transverse bars or fiuger marks which entitle it to be called a '' Parr." and which it retains while remain- ing in fresh water, sometimes u.itil it is seven or eight inc hes long. It continues a " Parr" imtil the second or third spring, when, in prejiara- tion for, or perhaps in conse«iuence of. a descent toward the sea. a uni- form Ijright silvery coat is assumed, and the I'arr be( omes a •• Smolt." After remaining from four to twenty-eight months in the s.dt water it again seeks its native river, having become either a " (Irilse "or a •' Sal mon." The " Clrilse " is the adolescent Salmon : it weighs from two to six i)ounds, and is more slender and graceful than the mature fish, witii smaller head, thinner scales, more forked tail, and spots rounder, more numerous, and bluish rather than jetty black. The two nuiy easily be distinguished even though both should be of the same si/e. as not unfrc- quently happens. The male (IriUe is sexually mature, l)Ut not the female, in America ; in Muroi)e the same is claimed for the male i'arr and the feiiiale (Irilse. i A IVVlSli. *' There is nothing in the water," says Norris, " that surpasses a Grilse 45 a AMERICAN FISHES. in its symmt'trical beauty, its brilliancy, its agility, and its pluck. I have had one of four pounds to leai) from the water ten times, and higher antl further than a Salmon. Woe to the angler who attempts, without giving line, to hold one even of three pounds ; he does it at the risk of his casting line, or his agile o])ponent tears a piece from its jaw or snout in its desperate effort to escape." Mr. Atkins calls attention to the fact that the great run of Grilse which is so j)rominent a feature in Canada and Europe is almost entirely absent in tlie rivers of the United States, the fish not returning until they have become ailult. In rivers where Grilse are found, the Salmon always |)rc- cede them in their ascent, for the former do not enter fresh water until toward the end of summer. Who can wonder at the angler's enthusiasm over " a Salmon fresh run in love and glory from the sea?" ^iear Christopher North's praise of a ])erfect f;sh : " She has literally no head ; but her snout is in her shoulders. That is the beauty of a fish, high and round shoulders, short waisted, no loins, but all body and not long of terminating — the shorter still the better — in a tail sharp and i)ointed as Diana's, when she is crescent in the sky." Mr. Kilbourne's painting in Scribner's " Game Fishes of North Ameri- ca" represents a thirty-pound fish drawn to a scale of one-fourth, The largest on record was one of eighty-three pounds, brought to London in 1S21 ; the Scotch fish rarely exceed twenty-five pounds. Periey speaks of a sixty-ijounder taken long ago in the Restigouche ; in 1852 many of forty, and one of forty-seven pounds, were caught in the Cascapediac. Mr. Frederick Curtis's score for York River, Canada, July 7, 1871, shows nine fish ranging from seventeen to thirty-four and averaging twenty-six and a quarter pounds. Another, for the same locality, July, 1876, shows THE SALMON. 453 one hundred and ten fish, averaging more than twenty-two pounds. This was by Mr. Thomas Reynolds, who caught in the same river a fish of forty-seven pounds, the largest ever killed in Gaspe with a fly. In tlie Penobscot forty-pounders have occasionally been taken, but not more than one out of a thousand weighs thirty, and the common size is from ten to twelve pounds. A fish two feet long would weigh about six pounds ; one of thirty inches, nine or ten ; one of three feet, sixteen to seventeen ; antl one four feet long, nearly fifty. A score of twenty-two day's fishing, with four rods, in the Godbout, in June and July, 1865, foots up four hundred and seventy-eight fish, averaging nine and three-quarters pounds. In Great Britain, by systematic culture and protection, the salmon fishery has been made one of the most important acpiatic industries. The rental of the privileges on three salmon rivers, the Tay, the Spey, and the Tweed, amounted in 1873 to nearly $200,000 ; and in this year 3,800,000 pounds of salmon, worth at least $1,350,000 were brought to London markets, 2,580,000 pounds coming from Scotland alone. The salmon rivers of North America may be made to yield a harvest much richer than this ; those of Maine alone are probably as numerous and well adapted for the purpose as those of Scotland, which are valued at ^^250, 000 a year, those of England being placed at ^100,000, and of Ireland at ^400,000. Walton and all his disciples have called the Salmon the "King of Fresh Water Fishes." Whole libraries have been written, about his Majesty, and the adventures of the regicides who show their admiration of him by killing him as often as they can. Salmon fishery, from the technical stand- point, may not here be discussed, and the reader is respectfully referred to the writings of Hallock, Scrope Roosevelt, Harris, Dawson, Herbert, Pennell, Francis and Buckland, and others, mighty with the rod and facile with the pen. ' 1 TlIK STKKL HEAD. THE SALMON TROUTS. The i;l.ul trout is roaming in every clear stream Anil the grilse and the Salmon now drink the May llood, Then anglers be up with the sun's early beam. Let your llics be in trim and your tackle be good. Chatto : /'//(• \orth County Angler, 1S83. 'T'HF2 near allies of Salino sa/ar, which occurs on the Pacific slope, are set asiile by Jordan in subgenus to be called cither Sahir or Fario, which is distinguished from the typical Salmo by an exaggerated develop- ment of the teeth upon the vomer or plough-share bone in the roof of the mouth, and also by a much less pronounced difference between the males and females in the breeiling season. These fishes are so closely allied, and are likely to be of so much inte- rest in the near future, that I think, it proper to print a table of their affinities prepared by Dr. Bean : SPECIES OF SALMON. .(. Sea salmon, anadromous. Subgenus SALMO. No hyoid teeth ; vomerines little developed, sometimes deciduous ; scales large ; caudal forked except in the old ; lower jaw of breeding ntales hooked upwa.'d and received into or through upper jaw; gill-rakers short, 19 ; vertebra; 27-31. Suliiio salar. The Atlantic Salmon. A. I. River salmon, not anadromous. Subgenus F.\RIO. /'. No hyoid teeth, c'. Scales large, fewer than 140. li. American species : silvery, with usually small bl.ack spots ; a broad median crimson band inbreed- ing males ; opercles with few spots or none. e. Anal rays u; depth of body equals length of head in young gill-rakers 7-10-12-13; coeca 50-62. S. Cairdneri. The Stbblhkad Salmon. et. Anal rays 10; depth of body much e.\ceeds length of head in young ; gill-rakers 8-42 : coeca 45-70 5. iridcus. Tjie. Rainuow Trout. Tin-: SAI.MOX TROL'TS. 455 ilJ. Eurni)can species : lirown, with l.irnc brown or M.uk, simctinus ro.l, sp .is ; cprnk's with r.itlicr iiimiiriMis (l.irk sputs. /. Hocly ratlicr stmit ; iiiiixill.i very slrmi;' and ililalcil ; vonu-riiii.' teeth in a iltxihle series, gill-rakers 8-ij; cccca m-4J ; vcrlelir;e 57-.s3, persistent. S.jUritK 'I'lIF HkoWN TkiHTDF ElHDi'K. IJT. Itjily rather slen lor : mivilla narriw ami fecMe ; vomerine teeth liuca (k>-8o ; verte- lir.e ^'i, uniseiial, persistent .V. /r7'C»(,-«.t/.r. Tint I.oi h-livkm Timii'. iV Scales small, ahoiit 170, >;ill-rakers S-o-i.t ; c;tea 40-50. S. s/'i/iinis. I'm-: Riu Uuandk Tuiii r. f/\ Ilyoiil tcelli. .C. liaik ami siilcs everywhere hlaik sputtcil, silvery in sea run examples. //. Ileail short: scales not more than 170, i;i||. rakers S-u; eu'ca jo. S. /■ii>/'Hi;itii.s. Tmi! Rocky MofNiAiN I'lMir. ////. Head I'.n.i;, Clinical : scales sometimes 1S4, ^ill-rakers 11.14 ; cioia so'io. .S". //.■«.t//<»;c'/. Tm; I.akic 'rAiioii 'rKnir. iy. Sides anteriorly with few hlack spots ; scales aliotit 2i»>. /, Head lonn, with medium keel ; ijill-r.ikers 7-1-'. .S". //.v/r/V/c «.f. ii. Head shorter, without keel. S. st,'miii.t. Till! Kansas Rivi:n Tuorr The Safmo Gciirdiicri, of Richardson, is usually known as the "Stit-l- head." The name '* Hard-head " is somctinu's ajiiilifil to it, and it is known to the Russians as " Seomga. The name "M\ kiss "is said to have been in former years in use in Kamtchatka. I.ai\ue individuals are often called "Salmon Trout." 'I'he Intlian name "Humaana" is said to be given to it on the Upper Columbia. It reaches the weight of twenty- two pounds, the average weight when fully grown being about sixteen. Young specimens have not very often been captured. It is found always, from the Sacramento river northward at least to Kodiak, Alaska, close to the coast. In the Columbia and Krazer Ri\ers it occurs in abundance in the spring at the time of the Salmon run. (Iravid females were taken by Bean at Sitka in June. The si)ecies sometimes exceeds 25 pounds in weight. None have yet been noticed to the eastward of the Cascade Range, and as far as appearances go it is a jiermanent inhabitant of river mouths. It jirobably spawns late in the fall or in the winter, as many of those taken at the first run of the Salmon are spent fish, with the tlesh white and worthless. Its history, writes Jordan, is still obscure. According to Pallas, it migrates singly, from June to September; some remaining all the year in the rivers, returning to the sea in May. It feeds in the fresh waters, on any living thing. Hence, unlike the other Trout, which tluring the ascent of the rivers grow lean with foisting, breeding, and exertion, this species is plump and well fed, and, with Salvclinus uialiiia only, does not perish in the winter. Elsewhere than in the Columbia this species is highly valued as a food-fish. When taken in the Columbia, in spring, little or no 45^ AMERICAN FISHES. use is made of it. Its flesh is pale, and its I.diks too firm for it to he used in canning, while old individuals taken in tlie ( anning season are usually spent and worthless. In tlie Sacramento it is not very ( onuuon. THE UAINBOW TROUT. Salmo iriiieus, is called the " Rainbow Trout," " Brook Trout," "Moun- tain Trout," " Speckled Trout," " (lolden Trout," and by various other names. It does not reach a weight of more than five or six jiounds, so far as we know, and most of them, as taken, are fingerlings ranging from four inches to a foot in length. It is found in streams west of the Sierra Nevada, from near the Mexican line to Oregon, and is said to oc( ur in the northern part of Lower California. The southernmost seen by Jortlan were from San Luis Rey River. Few have been observed in salt water. It may probably run into the sea from streams in which the lower waters are clear. It feeds on worms, larva:, and the like. It is a fish of little gameness or activity, which has not often been brought into the markets of San Francisco, and at present has little economic im- ])ortance, although of course a good table-fish. It has been rather exten- sively introduced into the waters of the Eastern United States, and has been reared artificially in large numbers by the U. S. Fish Commission on the McCloud river in California, and thence distributed eastward and across the Pacific. The growth of the species at Northville, Mich., Ver- ona, Mo., Wytheville, Va., Cold Spring, N. Y. , and in Japan, is very gratifying. Sjiecimens have been obtained from North Carolina. The South Side club at Oakdale, Long Island, recently sent to the National Museum a fine example taken in salt water. The Rio Grande Trout, Salmo spihints, (Cope) is abundant in the headwaters of the Rio Grande, Rio Colorado, and their tributaries, being /•///•; .S.I /..vox Th'ocrs. 45: the finest fofxl-fish in Ne-.v >re\i( o ;in . \ - iRorrs. 450 of \vhi( h have r.ot yrt been well deliiuil. lUan states ili.il it rea( lus t went) -four iiu lies in len^tli, is belies ed to be one of the nuuiermis varieties of Salino purpmatus. Tin: iiiiinvN iiicii I'. The I'rown 'I'rout of I'luiope, Salmo Jario, has been suctessfiilly intro- duced into our waters by the V . S. l'"ish Commission. Mggs were first re(eived from Ilerr \'on IJehr, the President of the Deutst he Fiseherei-Verein, in the winter of iSSj-'Sj, and were sent directly from New York to the station at Northville, where they arrived February I'S. These were successfully hate hed out by Mr. Clark by the middle of March, and early in Ai)ril were ])lanted l)y him in a branc h of the I'ere Manjuetto River of Northern Michigan. Early in iSSj another lot of eggs was sent to Mr. Mather as a jjersonal present by Herr \\)\\ I5ehr. Most of those kejjt at this station died, but those sent to the Northville Station and to the station of the New York Fish Commission at Caledonia were repcjrted as doing well. In I.S.S4 Herr Von IJehr sent an additional gift, this time to the U. S. F'ish C"om- mission, in care of Mr. Mather, anil a lot of 10,000 was received from I'^ngland. These did better than those of 1883, and many were distributed to various New York waters. On the 21st of February Mr. Mather forwarded to Washington 2,000 of the large kind of Salino fario, and 9,000 of the small variety. These were transferred to the ^Vytheville Station, and were hatched with fair success, but all died before beginning to eat. A few of the German trout reared at the Northville Station spawned in December, 18S5, and S, 000 eggs were obtained. Two lots of eggs, 23,000 in number, were forwarded from the Cold Spring Harbor Station, the second lot of which (13,000) arrived in poor condition. F>om these 31,000 eggs, 20,000 fry were hatched, which were retained at the station. '( I i 460 AMERICAN FISHES. In February, 18S5, a box containing 40,000 eggs in very good order was received at Cold Spring, from the German Fischerei-Verein. The fry from these eggs, which when hatched and ready for distribution amounted to about 28,000, were mostly planted on Long Island and near the Hudson. In 1885, eggs were taken by several other person?, as well as at the Cold Spring Harbor Station, from fish which had been bred from eggs sent over from Germany two or three years before. The average number of eggs taken in one case (the fish being three-year-olds) was 540, and there are indications that this yield will increase. This valuable fish has thus been successfully acclimatized in this country, and their cultivation may to good advantage be greatly extended, as they are considered superior in many respects to our native brook trout. The Brown Trout is an excellent table fish and attains a much larger growth than the species found in the United States, a weight of from 10 to 20 pounds being not unusual. Prof. Baird, in introducing it, hoped that it might be available for some localities not so well fitted for the brook trout, where, by its rapid growth and the size to which it attains, it may constitute an important article of food. The Loch Leven Trout, Salino Icvenensis, has also been introduced within the past few years. One hundred thousand eggs were received in excellent condition on January 7, 1885, from Scotland, having been sent by Sir James Gibson Maitland, of the Howietoun fishery, Stirlingshire, and repacked by Mr. Fred Mather, of Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y., by whom all shipments of eggs to and from Europe were skilfully and suc- cessfully handled. Fifty-five thousand of the eggs were distributed to the commissioners of New Hampshire, Iowa, Minnesota, and Maine, includ- ing to the Bisby Club, in Herkimer Co., N. Y. The loss of the eggs in hatching was very slight, and only a few of the fry died in the tanks. Of the 43,500 that were hatched at Northville, 36,500 were planted in various streams in Michigan, and 7,000 were retained at the hatchery for breeding purposes. Of the 10,000 eggs which were sent to Bucksport, about 3,000 were lost, and the remaining 7,000 fry were planted in May, in Branch Pond and its tributary brooks, near Ainsworth, Maine. " There is some difference of opinion," remarks Bean, "as to the dis- tinctness of the Loch Leven Trout from the Brown Trout ; for the present we may use the characters mentioned by Dr. Giinther and stated in the key to the species, on page 455. THE SALMON TROUTS. 461 The Sea Trout of Europe, Salmo tnitta,\\'x% not yet been introduced, 1)ut I see no reason why it might not be a very desirable addition to the fauna of New England and British North America. TIIK SKA TUdUT Fletcher. /^UR Brook Trouts belong to the division of the Salmon family known to ^"^the English as " Chars," a group confined, for the most part to fresh- water lakes and streams, and distinguished from the true Salmons by a peculiar arrangement of teeth on the vomer, antl also by their very small scales, and usually by numerous crimson or orange-colored sj)ots, which are especially conspicuous in the breeding season. The Chars of Europe are, as a rule, lake fishes like the Saibling. On the other hand, the Chars of North America are usually found in streams and rivers. There is probably no group of fishes in which individual specimens and communities inhabiting certain areas of water show more tendency to variations in color and form than they do in the salmon family. Dr. CLinther has very justly remarked : " We know of no other group of fishes ■which offers so many difficulties to the ichthyologist with regard to the distinction of the species as well as to certain i)oints in their life-history. Although this may be partly due to the unusual attention which has been given to their study, it has revealed rather a greater amount of unexplained fact than a satisfactory solution of the questions raised. The almost in- finite variations of these fishes are dependent upon the age, sex, and sexual development, food, and the properties of the water." The tendency of modern ichthyology, with its more exact methotls, and 47° AMERICAN FISHES. I / with access to better ami more comprehensive material for research than was formerly available, has led to the rejection of many of the nominal species formerly recognized. Out of the forty-three species of Salmon ten years ago believed to exist in North America, only thirteen or fourteen are now recognized. In Giinther's catalogue of "The Fishes in the British Museum," published in iS86, thirty-one species of Chars were mentioned, while in his lately published "Study of Fishes" the same author ventures to enumerate only thirteen, all others being regarded as insufficiently characterized. In his treatment of the Chars of Europe, Giinther is, notwithstanding, one of the most conservative writers, for he catalogues eight species of these fish, wiiile most other European students, following the lead of the great Cierman ichthyologists. Von Siebold, re- gard them as members of one polymorphic species. The sympathies of most American ichthyologists are, naturally, with the school of Von Siebold. It is difficult to believe, in the light of our own observations upon the salmon family in America, that every little lake or group of lakes in Europe possesses a well-characterized species of fish, and for the present it seems safer to consider the Chars of Europe to be of a single well-marked species which undergoes numerous variations under the influence of changes in temperature, elevation, food, and light, and that the Saibling of Bavaria and Austria is one and the same thing with the "Ombre Chevalier" of France and Switzerland, " Salmario " of Northern Italy, the "Torgoch" of Wales, the fresh-water " Herring" of Ireland, the " Char " of England and Scotland, the " Roding" of Sweden, and the " Kulmund " of Norway. SPECIES OF SALVELINUS. S. M.\LMA. ,1. Hyoiil teeth ; back never mottleil. ii. Siilxipercle nearly as deep as lun^;, without conspicuous striations. /'. Gill-rakers fewer than zo; habitat Western America ; migratory, cocca 25-46. M>. Gill-rakers more than zo; habitat Eastern America. c. Migratory: species very large; usually spawning in large streams and then going to sea. gill-rakers 9-15 ; caeca 30-35, S. STAGNALIS. cc. Land-locked ; species medium size or small. (/. Hack blue ; caudal not tipped with white in young ; size very small ; gill-rakers 9-15 ; coeca 38. S. OgUASSA. (/(/. Caudal tipped with white in youug ; size medium or large, i'. Introduced species; 19 gill-rakers below angle ; stomach slender ; hyoids in a very narrow band ; cteca 40-42. S. ALPINUS. Native species, 14 gill-rakers below angle ; stomach stout ; hyoids in a broad band ; young ■' ■ ' ' S. AGASSIZIl. with clmuled parr-marks ; gill-rakers 7-10-9-14 ; cccca 49. ita. Subopercle twice ;'s long as deep, conspicuously striated. y. Ked spotted ; size very large ; gill-rakers, in young, 8-12 ; coeca 36 ^. No red sp.jts ; size small ; cosca 31-44. . /./. Hyoids absent (usually): back mottled, e.\cept in sea-run examples. i^ Gill-rakers 10 below angle; stomach very stout/ coeca 44. S. ROSSII. S. ARCTURUS. S. FONTINALIS. Salvelinus fontinalis, the best known of our Red Spotted Trouts, the THE BROOK TROUTSi OR C/fARS, 471 Spccklc'tl Trout or Brook Trout ot' the Mast. Its home is l)ct\VL'c'i\ lati- tudes 3J'j° ami 55", in the lakes ansc!le. 'TpWO species of the genus Thymalhis occur in Xortli America, one, the Arctic Cirayling T. sigvifcr, the other the Midiigan (Irayling T. tricolor, the diagnostic characters of wliicli are thus defined by Bean : SPECIES OF C.KAVMNG. A. Gill-rakers 22 ; pyloric cneca 19 ; maxilla ' , lieatl : mamlible equal to anal base ; eye nearly equal tn inter- orbital space ; dorsal when laid back nut reaching adipose lin. T. 'IKlCdLOK. aa. Gill-rakers 18 ; pyloric ca-ca 18 ; 3-10 head ; mandible much shorter than anal base; eye much less than interorbital space ; dorsal when laid back reaching end of adipose lin. '1'. Sit IN I KKK. The Arctic Cirayling was first found by Capt. John Franklin's expedi- tion toward the North Pole, in 1S19, and called Tliymalliis signifer, by Sir John Richardson, who thus describes its discovery: " This very beautiful fisli abounds in the rocky streams that flow through the primitive country lying north of tlie sixty-second jjarallel between -Mackenzie's River and the Wt-lcome. Its higidy ai)])ropriate Ivciuimaux name (' Hewlook-Powak,') denoting ' wing-like,' alludes to its niagiufii ent dorsal, and it was in reference to the same feature that I bestow upon it tlie specific appellation of ..Syi,'-////<'r or the 'standard-bearer,' intending also to advert to the rank of my companion, Cajitain Back, then a midshipman, who took the first specimen that we sawwith the artificial fly. It is founcl only in clear waters, and seems to delight in the most rajiid parts of the mountain streams." As is im])lied in tiiese remarks, this sjiecies is re- markable for its immense dorsal fin, which is nearly twice as high as the bodv <-f the fish. 4S6 .Df/'./x'/cLv /'is/rr.s. It is found generally in British America and Alaska, abuntlant north- ward, anil extending to the extremity of the territory. TlIK TltlClll.lllt fiRAYMNd. 7V/i7//(j'////.r //-/(vAt occurs in the streams of the southern peninsula of Miciiigan, and is abundant in Ausable River, and in the headwaters of the Missouri in >rontana. It was (.lescribed by Cope in 1S65, but his notice, having been published in the proceedings of a scientific society not generally read by sportsmen, attracted but little attention. Popular interest was first excited in 1873, by the discussions in " Forest and Stream," and by a letter from Professor Agassiz, published extensively in the daily papers, acknowledging the recei])t of two specimens sent to him from New York through the agency of Mr. Hallock, who had received them from Michigan. The subject was then taken up by the newspapers, and the Grayling was soon well known. A name closely associated with the study of the Grayling is the honored one of the late James W. Milner. In 1871, Mr. Milner, in company with Mr. D. H. Fitzhugh, of Bay City, Mich., visited the Jordan River for the purpose of procuring specimens of this fish; but, although many were seen in the clear cold waters, they could not be in- (lu( ed to take the hook during the day spent on the river. In 1873 he again visited this region, and subsequently published several popular articles on the subject of " Graylings of North America," which consti- tute a considerable portion of the very few essays finished by him, out of the many which were planned, and interrupted by his untimely death. Milner's description of the habitat of the Grayling is excellent: "In thecenter of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan is an elevated plateau, a sandy region, with a soil containing a very small percent, of organic /•///•; (,A'./]7./.\7;.v. 4S7 matter, and toMTcd with a fiirc^t i>f |.iiK>. _m.iuially tlic Nnway pine. /'inns lisinosit, Linn., urowinj^ in j,'rantl (liini'nsions, the Inn^', linilili>s shafts making wide hoards, free frnm knots, yet but little iilili/cd, wliilc immense t'orests of the favorite hnnlur nniterial. white iiine. /'inns sti,>/'n.\\ are yet uncut. I'rom tiiis )il,iit.au arise sever, d hii^e streams and risers, llowinj; each way into Lakes Huron and Mithi;,'an. Amonj; thi>e are three rivers of note, the Muskegon, the Manistee, eilliifying into Lake Michigan, and the Ausalile. entering into Lake Huron. Among tlie minor streams are the Cheboygan. Thunder iJay, and Kille, tributary to L.ike Huron, and the Jonhin, cmjiyting througli I'ine Lake into tlie Traverse Ikiys of l,ake Michigan. A tew br. inches and streams, sjiring ted. are i'ormed, in wliic h the u.iter h.is a tmit'orm degree of coUhuss tlirougliout the summer, sehlom rising aliove 5^°. The rivers Rifle, Ausable, Jordan. Mersey, branch of the Muskegon, and the headwaters of Manisti'e. all have this charac ter. and in all of these, and only in this limited locality, short of the Yellowstone region, is t"ound the alreaily famous Mit higan drayling." The town of (Irayling, Mich., tormerly (.died Crawtord, is in the midst of this tlistrict. and the he.uhiuarters of dravling fishermen. The (irayling is said to live also in Portage Lake, in the extreme northern part of the State. 'I'hese streams seei to be remarkably cold, being feLiggiore, and others have been re ni/ed from Russia and Siberia. It is constantly being discov- ered in IK V localities. In England the species was formerly known as the " Umber." " And in this river be Umbers, otherwi.se called (Irail- ings," wrote Holinshed, in "The Description of l>ritaine," A. I). 1577. The German name, " Aes( he," has been thought to refer, like "Grayling," to its color. The I'-uropean and American fishes are so similar that only a trained ichthyologist can distinguish them, and their habits are very much the same. Our drawling spawns in April in the Ausable. that of 488 AMERICAN FISHES. iMircjpc in Martli and April, and sometimes, it is said, in May. Ours rarely grows to the length of sixteen inches, and the largest Milner could finil weighed less than two ])ounds, the average length being ten or eleven inches, with a weight of half a pound. The Euroi)ean fish is said to grow to eighteen inches long, and the weight of four i)ounds and one-half. Milner remarks : " Like the Brook Trout, their natural food consists of the insects that light or fall upon the surfa* e of the stream. Their stomachs were found to contain broken and partially digested specimens of coleop- tera, neuro]nera, as well as the larvre of species of the dragon-flies. There were also found in their stomachs the leaves of the white cedar. Thuja occi- dcntalis, which drop continually on the surface of the stream, and are probably taken because the fish in their quick darts to the surface mistake them for insects falling ui)on the water. " In France they are said also to devour little mollusks and the eggs of fishes. The propagation of the Michigan Grayling was attempted as soon as its existence was known. Mr. Fred. Mather and Mr. Seth Green, always pioneers in such enterprises, were the first to attempt it, and they were soon followed by others, and the Grayling is now to be found in many fish-cultural establishments. I saw two hundred fine yearlings at Wythe- ville Va., in 1887. There has been much discussion over the claims of the Grayling as a game-fish, and also its excellence for food. It has many ardent admirers and detractors. The enthusiasm with which it was greeted ten years ago has somewhat subsided, and it seems doubtful whether a vote of the guild of American anglers would now place it in the first rank of noble fishes. " There is no species sought for by anglers," writes Mather, " that sur- passes the Grayling in beauty. They are more elegantly formed and more graceful than the Trout, and their great dorsal fin is a superb mark of love- liness. When the well-lids were lifted, and the sun's rays admitted, light- ing up the delicate olive-brown tints of the back and sides, the bluish-white of the abdomen, and the mingling of tints of rose, pale blue, and purplish- pink on the fins, they displayed a combination of colors equaled by no fish outside of the tropics." "^. THE LAKE WHITE FISH, THE LAKE WHITE FISHES, AND THE SMELTS. Of venison Goldsmith may wittily sing, A very fine haunch is a very fine thing ; And Burns, in his tuneful and exquisite way, The charms of a smoky Scotch haggis display ; But 'tis often much harder to eat than descant. And a poet may praise what a poet may want ; Less doubt there shall be 'twixt my Muse and my dish While her powers, I invoke in the praise of White Fish. Henkv R. Schoolcraft. THE White-fish of the Great Lakes, Coregonus chipeiformis is a well known fish which has numerous representatives in the lakes of the Great West, all of which will necessarily come into prominence as the country becomes more densely populated, and all of which will doubt- less in time come under the attention of the fish culturist, though none of them are of any especial interest to the angler. Coregonus chipeiformis (Mitchill) Milner, as has been said, is the most important of its family. It inhabits the Great Lakes and British America, and is replaced in Alaska by C. Richardsotiii. This species has been artificially reared, and widely distributed beyond seas, and is one of the most important market fishes of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Next in rank is the Coregoneus Artedi almost universally known as the "Lake Herring." The name "Cisco" is also often applied to it, especially about the smaller lakes, and in many regions also the name 490 AMERICAN FISHES. " Micliigan Herring." The Lake Herring is one of the most abundant fishes of the Great Lake region, probably second only to the White-fish in importance as a food-fish. It goes in large schools, and is taken i;i great numbers in comparatively shallow waters. It ranges northeastward to Labrador, the eye becoming larger eastward. The sub-species s/sco of Jordan is a form modified by residence in small deep lakes in Wisconsin and Indiana, and probably in Northern New England and New York. Its usual length is little more than a foot. Its mouth is much larger than that of the White-fish, and its range of food is doubtless greater. It usually remains in deep water until in November and December, when great numbers come near shore to spawn in the shallow waters. As a food-fish the Lake Herring ranks well, and although it is considerably inferior to Corcgonus cliipeifonnis, it is sent to market in immense (junntities. Corcgonus Iloyi, occurs in Lakes Michigan and Ontario, in deep water ; in (lie lakes of Western New York (particularly Geneva Lake) where it sometimes dies in great numbers. It is known as " Frost fish " in some parts of New York. The Mongrel White-fish, Coregomis tullibee, is a species occasion- ally taken in the Upper Great Lakes, where it is generally considered a hybriil between a W' hite-fish and a Lake Herring, hence the name of "Mon- grel White-fish." It is a rare fish in collections, and nothing distinctive is known of its habits. Its range extends northward, to Alaska, where young have recently been taken in the Kowah River. 'I'he Menomonee White-fish, Corcgonus quadrilatcralis, inhabits the Lakes of New England, Upper Great Lakes, and is found northwestward to Alaska ; occurring at Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. It is re- placed in the Rocky Mountain, and Sierra Nevada regions by C. Ullliam- son'ii. The name of "Round-fish" is given to it by Richardson, and that of " Shad Waiter " (Winnipiseogee Lake) by Prescott. In the Great Lakes it is much less abundant than the common White-fish, and its size is less than that of tlie White-fish. Rocky ^Mountain White-fish, Corcgonus Williamsonii, occurs in the upper tributaries of the Missouri and streams flowing into the Columbia ; also in clear lakes from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific ; it is abundant in the Sierra Nevada. This species is usually known as the White-fish ; in L'tahas the "Mountain Herring." It reaches a length of a little more THE WHITE F /SITES AXD THE SMEL 7S. 401 than a foot, and a weight of about a pound. It is common in the market of Salt Lake City, and sometimes comes into the San Francisco market, t It spawns in October and November, running from the hikes into the small streams for this purpose. As a food-fish it ranks well, being similar to its Eastern relative, C. qiiadrilateralis. The "Blue-fin" or "Black-fin," Corcgonus nigripiinus, has thus far been taken only in the deeper waters of Lake Michigan, and in deep lakes near Madison, Wis. At times it conies in considerable numbers to the Chicago market, but it is in general a rare sj^'cies. It reaches a much larger size than the Lake Herring, which it very closely resembles in general appearance. The " Inconnu " of the French trappers and voyageurs of the far north, is the Stciwdtis Machcnzii, which inhabits the Mackenzie river and its tri- butaries, Yokon and Kowak rivers, Alaska. It is a food-fish of great value, said to reach forty pound?> !r. 'vi^ght. The habits of the Coregoni are little understood. The i)ublications of the Fish Commission will give all that is of record, and also a full history of what has been done in their artificial propagation. ^•**^i^ •i^sui-i, ^.^v.*^0^^^ ^^A THK S.MKI.T. The Smelt, Osvierus moniax, is found along our Atlantic coast from Virginia to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The northern limit of its range has not been precisely defined, although it is known to be extremely abund- ant along the northern shores of New Brunswick. It is also found in many of the fresh-water lakes of iSIaine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, where they have become land-locked, and in some instances, as in Belgrade Lake, Maine, seem to have rather been improved in size and flavor by the change from salt to fresh water. The Wilton Smelt of Wilton Pond, Kennebec County, Maine, and the 492 AMERICAN FISHES. Cobessicontic Smelt are two of the land-locked forms which have received specific names. The European Smelt, O. eperlamis, which, though very similar in form to our own, differs from it in the size of its scales, is found in Southern Sweden, as far north as Christiania Fjord district, lat. 62°, and south as the entrance to the river Loire, lat. 47°, ascending the Seine as high as Rouen. It is the "Stint" and the "Spearling" of (Germany, the "Smelt" or "Sparling" of P^ngland, and the " Sj)iering" or "Spearl- ing" of Holland. It is found in the Baltic, and, entering the Gulf of Finland, becomes a member of the fauna of Russia, and is found land- locked in cool lakes, especially those of Norway, and also in many of the lakes of Northern Germany, and even as far south as Bavaria. The Smelt enters our rivers and brackish bays during the winter months for the purpose of spawning, and at this period is caught in immense quantities in nets and by hook and line. It is to be regret:ed that no one has made careful observations upon the beginning and close of the breeding season of this species at different points along the coast, but the spawn appears to be deposited, generally, late in the winter and early in the spring. The smelt fishery is increasing yearly in importance, owing to the greater facilities for the transportation offish in ice. As long ago as 1853, Storer stated that in Watertown, Mass., alone, about 750,000 dozen were annually taken in scoop-nets from the first of March to the first of June. Perley, stated in 1S52, that on the Gulf coast of New Brunswick large quantities were used every season as manure, while at the fishing stations in the Bay of Chaleur it was taken in the seine, and used as bait for cod. At the present time, however, there is an enormous shipment of Smelts from this region to the United States, forty car-loads sometimes being received in New York in the course of one winter. As early as 1S64, according to a note from Mr. J. Matthew Jones, quantities of Smelts were packed at Halifax for shipment to the United States. Although on account of its great abundance it sells in the markets at a low price, it is among the very choicest of all oUr food-fishes. The "Green" Smelts, as they are called, or those which have never been frozen, are much the more highly esteemed, especially those which come from the Raritan Bay and other points in the vicinity of New York. INDEX. Abeona 272 Alewife 386 Amber-fish 232 Ancliovies 408 Angel-fish 146 Bachelor 71 Barb 123 Bar-fish 34.69 Barrel-fish 223 Bass 102 Black 205, 268 Brassy 23 Calico 69 Channel, name for Red Drum 102 Grass 99 Green 52 Moss 55 Oswego 55 Otsego 489 Red, name for Red Drum 102 Rock 39, 52, 68 River '.. 56 Sea 22,39,407 Silver \ 33-69 Spotted 50,102 Strawberry 406 Striped 22 Striped Lake 33 White 33 Yellow 33 Bastard Snapper 84 Beshow 271 355 Bezuga 129 Bielaya ryba 477 Bill-fish 240 Bitter Head 69 Black Bass 54 Black-fish 39 Black Grunt 398, 399 Black Harry 39 Black Will 39 Blacksmith 276 Blanquillo 361 Blueback 394 Bluefish 151 Boccac or Boccaccio 209 Bodieon 270 Bone-fish 410 Bonito 146, 2d6 Bony fish 386 Boregata 269 Brail 315 Bream, Fresh water 66 Salt-water, or Sea 53' 99 Bugfishor Bughead 386 BuH'alo fishes 438 l^ufi'alo Jack 228 I5ull-head, or Bull Pout 376 Bull Trout 504 Burgall 296 Butterfish 221, 232 Cabrilla 52 Campbellite 71 Candle-fish 271 Carangoid fishes 226 Carp 411 Carp Sucker 437 Cat-fishes 376 Cavally '226 Cavasina 233 Ceroes i's6 Chars 469 Cherna 4S Chickwit Ill Chinquapin Perch 69 Chogset 296 Choweecha 484 Chub 423 Cisco 541 Coal-fish 145,353 Cobia 144 Cod and its kindred 333 Corsair 266 Corvina 121 Crab-eater 145 Crappie 70 Creek-fish 436 Crevalle 209, 226 Croaker 133, 142 Cultus Cod 270 Cunner 296 Cusk 358 Cutlass-fish 235 Dab 152 Dace 425 Daylight 326 Dollardee 66 Dolphins 234 Dore or Dory 14 Drum 136 4'J-\ AMERICAN FISHES. Drum, Red loi l'".iir Maid 92 l-'all-lisli 42.S I'at-hack 365, 3.S6 I'laniiLl Moiitli 79 Mouiidcrs and I-'lukcs 3'4i.i- l'"rijjale Mackerel 213 I'rostlish 491 (iarriipa, various kinds 261-73 (iaspereau 393 Gaspergou 143 (_; lass-eye 14 Goggle-eye 67, 68, 69. 71 Goggle-eyed Jack 22S Goggler 22S Gold-fish 417 Goody 129 (.i.and Ecaille 406 Grayling 485 tireen-tisii 151 Green-head 22 (ireen-tail 3S6 Grilse 451 Grouper 47, 51, 52, 148 Grunt 79,82 Guasa 49 Gurnard 305 Haddock 355 Hake 123,359 Half-moon 100 Halibut 307 Hard-head 3S5 Hard-tail 228 Harvest-fish 221 Hemdurgan 257 Herrings 381 Hickory Shad 404 Hind, Spotted 50 Hog-choker 337 Hogfish 21, 81 Horned Dace 427 Horn Pout 378 Horse-eyed Jack 228 Horse-fish 232 Horse-head 132 Horse-mackerel 215 Jack 269 Jew-fish 49,406 Jewel-head 173 John Dory 257 [urobado 232 Jn'iiP^^T 55.56 lurel 128 Killifish 422 King Cero 186 King-fish 123 Kipper 441 Kisutch 482 Krasnaya Ryba 481 Kyack.'. 394 Lady-fish 410 Lafayette 129 Lamplighter 69 Leatlier-jacket 234 1-iii.i; ■ 145,270 Log-fish 213 Log-Perch 21 Look-down 232 Lunge 463 Mackerel 16^ lUill 177 Chui) 177 Ivister 179 l''rigate 213 Horse 215 Horse (Anoplopoma) 271 Monterey 187 Spanish 184 Thimble-eye 1 77 Tinker 177 Mackinaw Trout 463 Mademoiselle 133 Maigre 109 Malashaganay 142 Mangrove Snapper 52 Margate fish So Marsh Bass 56 Mattowacca 404 IMedialuna too Medregal 234 Menhaden 3S5 Minnows 420 Moharra 272 Moon-eye 187 Moon-fish 232, 146 Mossbunker 385 Mullets 123, 363 Muskellunge 276 Namaycush 463 New Light 71 Norway Haddock 257 Ombre Chevalier 478 Oswego Bass 55 Otsego Bass 489 Perch of Alaska 272 name for Black Bass 56 Chogset 273 Drum 142 Sunfish 66 Black 56 ixnjcx. 495 Perch I niack i.iS HliiL- 297 llrid.i,^!.- 71 Cl)iii(iuai)iii 69 (.lof^l^le-L-yt' 69 Gray, name for Drum 142 Grc-fU 56 I'<>;4 417 V\kv II Rfcl 260 Rl-iI l)L-lliccl 66 Riiii^fd 414 River 279 Sacramento 67 Speckled 71 Silver 131 Stone 2 Strawberry 66 Striped 2 Sun 69 Wiiite 35 name for Drum 141 Yellow [ name for l>lack Bass 69 Pesce Vermi;j;lia 265 Pez Colorado 102 Pickerel 276 name for Pike Perch 14 Pig-fishes 79, Si Pike 274 name for Pike Perch 14 Wall-eyed, name for Pike Percii 14 Pike Perch 14 Pilot-fish 235 Pin-fish 91.99 Plaice 314 Posy 3S5 Poisson Rouge 102 Pollock 305 Pompanoes igS Porgy 99,100 Three-tail 146 Porgy, P'lannel Mouth 80 Pork-fish 81 Pristipoma 81 Priest Fish 268 Pumpkin- seed 64, 221 (Jualoch 483 Oiieen-fish 128 (Jiiill-back 437 Quinnat 484 Rainl)ow Trout 456 Ravalga or Ravallia 140 \iv^ r.nast 66 Red-Drum 102 Red-eye 67,68 Red- li'n 13 r Red-fish i()2 Red Grouper (7, ~t2 Red nioutli .. 79 Red-Perch 257 Red-Snapper 73 Reiiia . 267 Roach 128 Rol)alo 149 Rock 22, 56 Rock-1'.ass 68 Rock-cod 261 of the Pacific 26, 73 Rock-fish 21, 22, 51 Ruck-Salmon 233 Roncador 134, 121 Rtjse-fish 257 Round R()l)in 230 Rudder-fish 223, 234 Runner 237 Sac-a-lait, name for Crappie 71 Sah-ciuai 481 Sail)ling 478 Sail-fish 240 Sailor's Choice 80, 81. 84, 96, 99 Salmon 441 ISluehack 481 California 484 Chinnook 484 Dog 480 Hardhead 455 Humpback 480 t^«-'lp 52 keta 483 King 482 Kisutch 482 Land-locked 445 Nerka 4S1 yuinnat 484 Silver 483 Steelhead 455 White 14,233,483 Salmon-Trouts 454 Sardine, California 394 Sargo 81 •'^'iiig<;r 15 Savanilla 406 Saw-belly 394 Scads 231 .Scamp 5 Scrod 338 Sculpin 301 .,\ ri \l) 496 ■/•'/^:/VC/.r^y.sy//,.V ■.. •Scup Si-a Mass Sc-a-rohiii •"^<--r«:eaiit-risii..".".' Shad .Shc-epslic.acl....; ii.-ime (or I!iu.ler"-fi.si; l^ake •Shimr ."."""' SiiotniakLr ...! Silver liass.... •Sil\(.-r-(isli... Skouitz •Snielt •Sniolt Snajiper name for'Rose'-hsh liastard Hlack .... 92 ... :59 •••• 303 - M5 - 39« ... .S3 ••• 221 .. 142 99, 3^6 ■■ 23., • 4u6 •. 206 •• 477 , •• 491 • 452 ' • 73 78,84 7« Mangrove ... 7^''. 79 Pensacola .. . 52,78 Red Snooks name forCobia.! Sole Spade-fish v.','.'."." Spanish Fkig ..'..'.] Mackerel Spot na'nieVorR^^----- .jprat Scnietea.gue Sqiiin-el-fish , SquitorSquiteeV. ifedSci ^:"'! ^'' ^^""--fi«'^ Strawberry iiass c, .Perch ■;;; Striped Jiass.. Suckers Siik-kegh.. Sword-fish ... , ji"'''i"-.shad...::: ' iarpum Taiitog ..... Thiinder-piin'ip^lr 'in A/oiah ■■■■ Tree-fish .. 'I>ipJe-tail ^'■"•|li,.;!i'";;'^>'-'^'ackj{ass JJIack-spottecl.. l>rook Cut-tiiroat ^>>'Jy Varden".".".;; t'olden <^'reenland £[ey, „an,e fbrSqueieague Lake Tabor. Loch Leven J»lackinavv Malma '" Mountain Rainbow .. f^io Grande..' Sea ■■ Silve"";"^^^Sq"eVeague::"- Speckled ..".".".'.".'.". 239 4<'.'5 406 2S7 142 71 263 I4'S .S5 45.S 457-8 •■456,459 457 Sun-fish "amefurBlunilnosedShfc''^?; Tuladi Tunny [[ Turbot . Wall-eye .'.■.■.■, Warmouth... H^arsaw . ^Veak-fish . ' White-fish... VVhite Perch, W luting Winninish . "' Vellow IJass . V el low Fin ... "^'ellow-tail m Zander ■'. 99.131,233,368 I4>i6 475 456 476 Jii ... 462 ... 458 ■• 459 •• 462 • 475 •• 45" •• 456 • 456 . 461 . Ill 457-8 469 486 215 319.324 13 67 49.50 jrr 151,386,489 c' 35 ^i. 123, 125, 223 445 32 III i 239 4<'5 406 2,S7 >42 71 ; 463 '•••i?3.269, 263 I4'S 55 45« 457-S •••456, 4.S9 457 475 456 476 It... J II 462 45« ••■• 459 .... 462 - 475 .... 450 .... 456 ... 456 ... 461 •• III ■■457-8 ... 469 .. 486 ■• 215 19. 324 ■ 13 • 67 49.50 . Jir t6, 489 35 5.223 445 32 III 5,368 [4,16 i S , ( \