\\ \ WN ~ thy ~ SQ SS Oy XS WOE QQ RAG x WAH Lio ge Lz WY RACK SY ty, BZ i 3) GinsKarr Ocaamoprap hie kahoraliry . Doue| Ww NN hau Given in Loving Memory of Daniel Merriman Crew Member on the maiden voyage of the R/V Atlantis Corporation Member, 1944-79 Trustee, 1944-64 Honorary Trustee & Corporation Member, 1979-84 Oo Oceanographer, Writer, Editor, Fisherman, Educator, Mentor Oceanographic Institution KR es K al ba? Goode, GF Brown Aimer. an fshes WANN AA 0 0301 O0b0239 ” AMERICAN FISHES. aie = _ = — ws 4 & _ Tac ertipeales = AMERICAN FISHES A POPULAR TREATISE UPON THE Sov E AND FOOD RISHES OF WORT Cl AWE RICA WITH ESPECTAL) REFERENCE, TO. HABITS AND METHODS OF CAPTURE BY G. BROWN GOODE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION IN CHARGE OF THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM LATE U.S. COMMISSIONER TO THE INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES EXHIBITIONS IN BERLIN AND LONDON; AUTHOR OF ‘‘GAME FISHES OF THE UNITED STATES,” “FISHERIES AND FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES,” ETC., ETC. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BOSTON: ES EbES JA ND BAO R WAT. Publishers ‘ : DEDLeAT LON: This little book on the fishes of America, ts dedicated to my Brother-Ichthyologists in other lands Dr. NICHOLAS APOSTOLIDES, of Athens ; Dr. ROBERT COLLETT, of Christiania ; Dr. FRANCIS DAY, of Cheltenham, England; Pror. ENRICO H. GIGLIOLI, of Florence ; Dr. ALBERT C. L. G. GUNTHER, of the British Museum; Dr. JAMES HECTOR. of New Zealand ; Pror. A. A. HUBRECHT, of Utrecht ; Dr. FRANZ M. HILGENDORYF, of Berlin; Messrs. K. ITO, and S. MATSUBARA, of Japan ; Dr. CHRISTIAN LUTKEN, of Copenhagen ; Dr. ANDRE-JEAN MALMGREN, of Helsingfors ; Pror. PIETRO PAVESI, of Pavia ; Dr. EMILE SAUVAGE, of Paris ; Prof, F. A. SMITT, of Stockholm ; Don FELIPE POEY, of Havana ; Dr. FRANZ STEINDACHNER, of Vienna; Dr. DECIO VINCIGUERRA, of Rome; Pror. OSCAR von GRIMM, of St. Petersburg— zn memory of much pleasant intercourse in the past, especially during the recent fisheries Exhibitions in Berlin and Lon- don, and with the hope that its publication may lead to a weder popular appreciation, in America, of the importance and interest of Ichthyological Science. gas aa A ye recongnieu, sonnant sa grosse conche, Glauque, Protée, Nerée, et mille autres dieux et monstres marins. Veismes aussi nombre infiny de potssons, en especes diverses, dancants, volants, voltigeants, combattants, man- geants, respirants, belutanis, chassants, dressants escar- mouches, faisants embuscade, composants trefoes, mar- chandants, jurants, scbhuttants. Ein un coing la pres vetsmes Artstoteles, tenant une lanterne, expiant, considerant, le tout redigeant par escript. PANIAGRUEL, V., XXXi. Quis, nist vidisset, pisces sub undas natare crederet. Linnus, GCONTENTES. Page. PE VOIIOUE oa cennsisnadasiscsiecwoas ss se'ss'emscesnamonsass ss Pic iaswsgresneemsae eaoaene X1 BPN CHOM PEL CH. sean siceass sos nsss enue steuenestes ode teen ces aesieson sere catae I We TEE EV CRESS acai acane qaitk o0iansd Mase snenacesteediasonseaesaaesienes essen II ARE SEFUPCM DOSS ia cae scisvw ss si0s oc oc onceensecdnsaseapunesicns sess snsia seueissnenr Og. De NU hie Bass and the V ello BASS. cc cccs sn esccsssvur aeiGacees penaeeeacee ae EAN OME te PIL Ae he ctcituiec cies sans Mesa ales s'awisye 7 eieenincinidiels aalsiss s sinlees Solara 35 WeSC LE DSSES Taste cli eae dee dances £2 aalceee eases ana wewsls ve seats an sass a a\cviee omen 39 The Groupers and the Jew Fishicrscccccacccccreccnccccccecccevcesccesecceass 47 WR Ae BENY Gh LS ESR ENG tolatie siete lg x s)o's w's.0'9 5 «/sjeraidle Map shiew Sieh s)aisiciaS «sin «+n Pest eer ob 54 The Sun Fishes and their Alltes......... Ras eERE UR SRB ioc cczich ose nwe neces 64 SHMDRCES GNA BED NOUNS, oo. a ann sao0soaedandens ons seesenssn raves seesaavigevince 73 MAP OMCEP SHEL o. scale ners ase rate closieiicia eiaio.e a ciwata seisinete Zareteia|s sain's om.Sidvis due'oia Geieiein =n 83 The Scuppaug and the Fatr Matd wisccccrccccccccccccnccccccccccccscecscees 2 MECC PORT so an. aac ods Os welajn date eee oe Wd oR eas ms Aes s eared Reisiaeesnia'cenetiews IOI WADI GMOT COOL E soa sesclecine Jeneh wi sie'de me 24 op alae ame eemieitas qersie wnie\s sienin eae 8'e¥ Tio Mele Page Aid | QUCEN:, POOSH AS a cn win von eeiaie * mecemneie mata aicte meme nsiscis oetss ene ¥= == tog Spots, Croakers ANE RONCAAOLS ......:cccceceeneecscccacccccccscecccecsscesecs 1209 ELE TI GHA LARC ADTUM 00. caste saatam ees saves sdvassleqetsucnmalenvaicjese ses 136 Conia. NaOH ANE FLASHOR ic vic vane ce ccnan vvien ee 006 ss dea daselcowcess rene 144 SR RMI PUS IC re ce ia Gare Gus cin cieeidne nl Re ERR Ia ch Meee ehh ad's oeipe anis alsin sie mne ence 157 ice WIBCREREL QMO: IES LILES. Ne tact metas ienclGbe die ens eeiveeceesr s+ an omens 163 The Spanish Mackerel and thé Cer0eS......ccccccccoscccscsesccscscccrevcess 184 CE IMO ES. o2 Sars ca tolssva son Fone reat s eaeaRneNadeedvesavenes «aces eedseneaas 198 WR IILLOES LILES 1 MIIIECS os ojatc va esis Daa bou Gast eee eked nes Ree Y ine cca tucoeeiaee 206 x AMERICAN FISHES. DUME™ FIM UOST LIOSHES sis vin Soe sia tien mee reae Atlee ease Namaeanisaewer en ew reeset 221 The Cavally and other Carangotds..........++. siniahaa wees honectzenstoreenar 226 Sword PASH, SPCC ath ONE MCULASS PUSH.) cas omsacnscces Nose aeeerameaerte 239 TOME ICOSE API SHY QUE PISA EAL IVES neta vats cerns seen ojnsiouee roa : Sodbhatnustesiocseocar: 257 Ete NL USRE LIANE TOD PDE OMEM crciares seWeneis soe nros sence tesansalenseeeene 274 WHLOL NAC HORSE OM LAA IT OF JE SMes sles sagan dacvnes Selassie waiae PONDER ILO ORICR ANG UIARE \. srncvossnmeeeneaneescreenccctens =n techs eee ie NID MALS mane Seite teste sarsls scission stile sta. foiael= sia vain ies aeidaneaneenteenee eee e cece 365 TRENCHLLSH OF PUL NERD <5 s wsliaanss ade dusss seer sone de ceteneaadectaes stents 376 TUE EL PORT UMICD ASLAN DOVES nese nreia inc = aighe reise ecleh ceaita ele eet ate sa eb ane 381 Sere OIG E MEME IL OHMOLU: Sa ars aus ai ciehiwd sea sionniad ew genial eamesmeeenscte secre 4II LLLESAS GLMLOMUSE © aenricctacania haere a shigcias Te aesoeielesinaneed aauaeeseinn@ aes maeienaeeeee 441 DRE SOI OP FOCUS A. ier Wee cts tis dials Gale HO CREA Ea REY RL Ra eae soe 454 ee IEICE DH OWES M seapnais Sade ne asian aioe bion's ice Honma o Davee ce wee eects 462 DE OO be MP OULS OF CHAPS Shan ashen «sa siacs dvasjane Samenees yee erieeatese 469 ies PCHUGS SULMLORUS 45.2 5.5 > Se eas . ss THE SPOTTED CERO. The King Cero is a magnificent fish which grows to be five or six feet in length and attains a weight of twenty to thirty pounds. It is abundantin the West Indies, and has been recorded from Cuba, Santo Domingo, Ja- maica, Barbadoes, Key West, and Brazil. The Silver Cero, Scomberomo- rus caballa, 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 West 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 Holl, 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 SPANISH MACKEREL AND THE CEROES. 187 Spanish sterra, which is in fact the name applied to the species by the Spanish people of Mexico. King-fish, according to Silas Stearns, are very abundant in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, and are common in some localities along the coast of our Gulf States. They live at sea and are caught by the use of trolling-lines. At Key West, large quantities are sold in the markets. Two men in a small sail-boat sometimes catch a hundred or more in a day. The Pacific species, Scomberomorus concolor, has been called the ‘‘ 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 Bay, where from five to forty individuals are taken each autumn, most of them at Soquel. They appear in September and disappear in November. Nothing is known of their distribution or habits. They always command the high price of from thirty to fifty cents per pound. ‘The flesh is similar to that of the Spanish Mackerel, which it closely resembles. The male is silvery blue, without spots, but the female has a double row of alternately roundish blotches upon each side. The Spanish Mackerel is a species smaller and more delicately formed than the others which occur in the Atlantic. Its normal range, as now understood, is from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. It is possible, in- deed probable, as has already been suggested, that it occurs in the waters of South America, though the statement that Agassiz recorded it from Brazil is based upon an erroneous reading of his statement in his book on the fishes collected by Spix. Poey had it from Cuba. Solitary individu- als have been taken north of Cape Cod, one at Provincetown in August, 1847, one at Lynn in July, 1841, and one at Monhegan in Maine. I am disposed to question the official statement of the Canadian fisheries de- partment that one was taken, at New London, in September, 1880, 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 species also occurs along the Pacific coast of Mexico, and in great abundance in the Gulf of California. * Supplement No, 2 to the Eleventh Annual Report of the Minister of Marine and Fisheries for the year 1880, p. 229. 188 AMERICAN FISHES. Spanish Mackerel visit the shores of our Atlantic states, on a mission of feeding and breeding. In early spring they appear in schools off our southern coast, appearing in the waters of West Florida early in March, or even in the latter part of February, reaching Pensacola about the beginning of April. Off the Carolinas, their coming is a little later, for they do not reach Charleston before the end of March, and really enter the sounds of Pamlico and Albemarle until a month later. By the 2zoth of May, they are rounding the capes of Virginia, and the schools rapidly increase in number in the inland sea of the Chesapeake, until 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 England, where they remain in considerable numbers through the early part 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 the 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 perchance, 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 temperature of the water ranges from 78° to 84°, and it is believed that they do not willingly enter water colder than 60° Their habits are much like those of the blue-fish, with which they are said to associate. ‘They are much more active in their movements, and sport 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 springing. Their tails are muscular, shapely, provided with oar-like fins, formed lke 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 the sharp head of the Spanish Mackerel cuts the water like the stem of a yacht. Mr. Earll tells me that the Chesapeake fishermen can indentify the species by its movements as far as the eye can see. - = = : — — — = THE SPANTS 2 MACKEREL AND, THE CEROBS: 189 ? In Genio C. Scott’s ‘‘ Fishing in American Waters’’ is an interesting little picture of a school of Spanish Mackerel feeding, which is worthy of examination. Both Earll and Stearns agree in the statement that this is a fish which lives almost entirely at the surface. On a calm bright day in summer, the surface of the Chesapeake or the Gulf of Mexico is sometimes broken up for miles by the movements of large schools of these fishes, while the air is enlivened by the screaming flocks of terns, which follow them, to gather up the fragments of their feasts. Similar scenes may occasionally be wit- nessed off the coast of New Jersey and the Carolinas, but further to the southward their abundance is less. The schools are frequently observed at a long distance from the shore, especially when they are first approaching in the spring. Mr. Earll has also called attention to the fact that they avoid brackish waters, and thus accounts for their abundance on the eastern side of the Chesapeake, and their comparative absence near the opposite shores where the salinity of the waters is lessened by the inflow of the Potomac, Rappahannock, the York and the James. During the spawning season they frequent the warmest and shoalest waters to which they can gain access. The diet of the Spanish Mackerel is like that of the blue-fish, entirely carnivorous, and there is no reason to doubt that the menhaden or moss- bunker is its principal quaving. Mackerel, mullet, silversides and all our other schooling species contribute also a share to its support. The breeding habits of this fish were never understood until the spring of 1880, when, to the astonishment of everyone, it was found by Mr. Earll that their spawning grounds are in the Chesapeake Bay and at other localities on the middle Atlantic coast, while Mr. Silas Stearns, almost simultaneously discovered a breeding place in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Earll, to whom science is indebted for a most thorough and comprehensive study of the reproductive habits of this fish, has published a full account of his observations, and of his experiments in practical fish-culture in one of the annual reports of the U. S. Fish Commission,* to which the reader is referred for detailed statements, since it is not the purpose of this book to enter into prolonged discussions of such a character. Mr. Earll found evidence that the species spawns not only in the Sandy *R.E. Earti. Zhe Spanish Mackerel. Report U.S. Comm. Fisheries, 1880, (1883) pp. 395-426. 190 AMERICAN FISHES. Hook and Chesapeake regions, but also on the southern shore of Long Island, and in the sounds of the Carolinas. In the Carolinas, he tells us, the spawning season begins in April, in the Chesapeake region from the first to the middle of June, in the Sandy Hook region and about Long Island, from the latter part of August to the first of September. In the Gulf, according to Stearns, the season is in July. The season continues in any given locality from six to ten weeks, and the spawners, contrary to what occurs in shad, salmon and white-fish, require. several weeks rather than a few days only to deposit their indi- vidual building of eggs. A one pound Spanish Mackerel will yield about 300,000 eggs, a six pounder scarcely less than 1,500,000; the species being much more prolific than salmon, shad or white-fish, though less so than the members of the cod family. The eggs are minute, from J to | of an inch in diameter, and over a million can be held within the walls of a quart measure. Their specific gravity is such that they will sink in fresh water and float in the sea. When first hatched, Mackerel is very small, and the length of the em. bryo scarcely exceeds one-tenth of an inch, while its diameter, even with the comparatively large yelk-sac, is so small as to allow it to pass through wire-cloth having thirty-two wires to the inch. For several hours it remains quiet at the surface in an almost helpless condition, small oil globule in the yelk-sac causing it to lie belly uppermost. Later the sac is absorbed, and the little fish manifests greater activity, and by vigorous and spasmodic efforts swim to the depth of an inch or so below the surface. In a few hours it finds no difficulty in swimming at various depths, and begins to he upon the bottom of the vessel, darting off with surprising rapidity when disturbed. The rate of growth has not been studied. LEarll supposed that the yearling fish are not more than six inches long, and those of two years, to be the young fish of a half-pound weight, observed by Genio C. Scott in the Long Island region. It is scarcely probable that the species attains full size in less than four years. The annual growth of so voracious a species is doubtless considerable after the first two years. The species sometimes attains the weight of eight or nine pounds, though it rarely exceeds three or four pounds. A specimen taken off Block Island, July 8, 1874, the first of the season, measured twenty-six and one-fourth inches and weighed three pounds and five ounces. It is said to be the largest THE SPANISH MACKEREL AND THE CEROES. 193% ever taken in this section, and was a female with the ovary spent. In the Gulf States, according to Mr. Stearns, the Spanish Mackerel are in great demand, though but few are caught in the Gulf of Mexico, on account of the absence of proper nets. ‘‘In the Chesapeake region the catch has increased rapidly from year to year, until in 1879 it amounted to fully 1,000,000 pounds, and in 1880 the quantity was increased to 1,609,663 pounds. The average daily catch for the pound-nets about Cherrystone, Va., is fully 500 fish; while as many as 4,000 have been taken at a single ‘lift,’ and hauls of 2,500 are not uncommon during the height of the season. At Sandy Hook the catch is quite large; in 1879, 3,500 pounds were taken at one haul in a pound-net at Seabright, and the average stock for the pound-nets in that locality often exceeds $1,000 for Mackerel alone, while the catch of other species is proportionally large. The species is common in New Orleans and Mobile markets. Although those taken on the coast of New Jersey and farther to the eastward are considered much more delicately flavored than the Chesapeake fish, and command a higher price in the market. ‘The Spanish Mackerel served at the best restaurants in New Orleans are delicious in the extreme, and fully equal to the best to be found in New York. It is pre-eminently suited for broiling and grilling, and is rarely prepared in any other manner.* In the Chesapeake and about Cape Hatteras, they are extensively salted, and in the Gulf of Mexico pickled king-fish 1s regarded as a delicacy of the first degree of excellence. The Spanish Mackerel ought surely to rank with the ‘‘ game-fishes,’’ but unfortunately does not come fairly within the designation. It is occa- * How To Brort FisH.—‘‘ Take the fish you intend to broil, see that it is properly cleaned, and either rub it with vinegar, or simply dry it and“dredge it with flour, then dip it into olive oil, or egg and bread- crumb it, or roll it well in chopped herbs, then place it upon a heated gridiron well rubbed over with fat. Mackerel may be stuffed, but their heads should be taken off. When the fish is thick, score it here and there, or split downthe back. Broiled fish, according to its kind, may be either masked with a sauce, or served upon a purée of sorrel, tomatoes, or haricots, or upon an oil or caper sauce. Soaking fish in a marinade pre- viously to broiling it is a considerable improvement, as it eats shorter and better flavoured ; the French steep it in olive oil, made savoury with spices, &c. “For the more delicate kinds of fish the gridiron may be stewed with bunches of aromatic herbs (tresh), the fish well oiled being laid thereon; do it very slowly, and only turn it once while being cooked. Fish first crimped in boiling water and then broiled is excellent. No fixed rules can be given as to the time required to broil fish, so much depending upon the state of the fire and the size and sort of the fish. Smoked salmon should be merely made hot through.’’—(GrorG1ana HI Lt.) “* Wipe the fish cleen and dry, after taking out the gilland insides. Open the back, and put in a little pep- per, salt, and oil; broil it over a clear fire, turn it over on both sides, and also on the back. When the flesh can be detached from the bone, which will be in about 15 minutes, it is done. Chop a little parsley into the butter, with pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Serve before the butter is quite melted, with a maitre d’hotel sauce,”’—(F1isHEer1es Exurpition Cook Book.) 192 AMERICAN FISHES. sionally taken on trolling tackle in use in blue-fishing, but is never so far as I am aware, a definite object of pursuit. Genio C. Scott wrote, in 1875: ‘‘ My experience in trolling for Spanish Mackerel off the inlets of Fire Island has convinced me that the fish is as numerous as the blue-fish, and more so than the striped bass, at certain seasons, and is found a little farther seaward than either of those fishes.”’ ‘«Every year the shoals of Spanish Mackerel become more and more numerous, and more are taken, but never in sufficient nembers to reduce the average price below sixty cents per pound. The shoals which I saw when last trolling for them would have formed an area nearly five miles square, and still the most successful boat did not take more than a dozen in three days. They will not bite freely at any artificial lure, and though numbers came near leaping on the deck of our yacht, they treated our lures with an indifference which savored of perverseness.’’ Trolling seems to be more productive in the Gulf of Mexico than far- ther north. Mr. Thaddeus Norris states that in the Gulf of Mexico, they are some- times taken by hook and line, with shrimp-bait at the end of the long pers where the steamers land in Mobile to New Orleans. THE SILVER CERO. The early chronicles of the colonies seem to contain no references to the Spanish Mackerel under its present name, but it seems certain that this fish was the speckled hound-fish, spoken of in that renowned work, ‘‘ New England Rarities, Discovered in Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents and Plants of that country, etc., by John Josselyn, Gent,’’ published in 1672. Josselyn wrote of ‘‘ Blew-fish or hound-fish, two kinds, speekled hound- fish, called horse-fish.’”* The blue-hound-fish can be nothing else than the common blue-fish of our coast, (Pomatomus saltatrix), and no species in the western Atlantic, other than our Spanish Mackerel, sufficiently resem- bles the blue-fish to warrant the use of sosimilaraname. Mitchill referred THE SPANISH MACKEREL AND THE CEROES. 1093 o to the species in 1815, in a manner which seems to indicate that it was not of rare occurrence, but from his day to 1870, it seems to have attracted but little attention. Even Mitchill’s published description does not seem to have satisfied contemporary ichthyologists of the existence of such a fish, for some of them did not hesitate to express the opinion that Dr. Mitchill had been deceived by accidental differences of color at different seasons of the year, and that there were not so many varieties of Mackerel as he imagined.* In an essay on the fishes of New York market, published in 1854, Prof. Gill referred to the Spanish Mackerel as a species of slight importance. The quantity taken with hook and line is quite insignificant ; they are caught almost entirely in traps and weirs, and these contrivances were not employed in Narragansett Bay before 1845, and did not come into general use elsewhere on the coast until many years later. Many experi- enced fishermen are, however, of the opinion that they have been rapidly increasing of late, and this is strikingly confirmed by the marketmen. DeKay in his ‘‘ New York Fauna,’’ 1842, mentioned that he had seen this fish in New York market, in August and September, but that it was not common. Prof. Baird, who was one of the first to speak of the abundance of this species and to testify to its excellent qualities, wrote in 1854: ‘‘But two specimens were taken during my stay at Beesley’s Point, and the species is scarcely known to the fishermen. It was more abundant at Greenport, L. I.; in the Peconic Bay, towards Riverhead, four hundred were caught at one haul of the seine. ‘The fish bring a high price in the New York market, where it has been but recently sold at from fifty cents to one dol- lar a pound, the prices varying with the season. It has been more abund- ant off our coast than ever before, and in the lower part of the Potomac numbers have been taken.’’ ; The Gloucester ‘‘ Telegraph’’ of August 17, 1870, stated that the New- port epicures were in ecstasies over the fact that Spanish Mackerel, the most delicious fish caught in the sea, were taken there in seines, and ? remarked that it was only by southerly winds that they were tempted so far north. Mr. J. M. K. Southwick states that the first Spanish Mackerel taken in =Smitu, J. V. C.: Natural History of the Fishes of Massachusetts, 28,3, . 295. t3 194 AMERICAN FISHES. the vicinity of Newport were found in the summer of 1857. Noone knew what they were. Mr. Earll writes as follows concerning the history of its increase: ‘¢ About Sandy Hook prior to 1850, almost nothing was known of the fish, as shown by the fact that about this time Mr. Robert Lloyd, a fisher- man at Seabright, was engaged in trolling for bluefish, having a contract with one of the hotels to take his entire catch. He secured a number of Spanish Mackerel (these being the first he had ever seen), which were carried with the bluefish to the hotel; but the proprietor knew nothing of their value, and buying them. ‘‘From this date they were taken more frequently, and soon were highly prized. They were caught wholly by trolling, the average catch being from ten to twenty fish to a boat daily. ‘They continued to increase in number, or at least were more generally noticed by the fishermen, until 1866, when they were quite plentiful, becoming most abundant between 1870 and 1875. During that period it is said that they were often nearly as plenty as the bluefish, though comparatively few were taken, owing to the lack of suitable apparatus. It was not until the introduction of properly arranged gill-nets and pound-nets that the fishermen succeeded in securing considerable quantities, ‘Tt is claimed that their numbers have, since 1875, gradually decreased on the inshore grounds, though they are said to be as numerous as for- merly, eight to ten miles from land, where they remain beyond the reach of gill-nets and pound-nets. ‘‘Many of the fishermen of Chesapeake Bay never saw the species before 1875, though there are authentic records showing that individuals were occasionally taken in the haul-seines along the Eastern shores as early as 1860, and hauls of one and two hundred are reported by Dr. J. T. Wilkins in 1866.* It is very easy to explain the ignorance of the fisher- men as to the abundance of the species in that region, for, until recently, the fisheries of the Chesapeake appear to have been of small commercial importance, having been prosecuted only during the spring and fall by means of gill-nets and haul-seines. During the summer months, when the Mackerel are most plenty, no fishing of importance was done. Pound- nets were introduced into the Chesapeake region in 1875, and it was through their use that the fishermen came to know of the abundance of the species in these waters. ‘“ a ASG EES Sea = S on | = a D brie) D 5 5 5.62 she) 2 | 5 x 2 Z ra) 3s wo ‘Shae 35 oo 4 = = & A a Za 4 ic Oz. | Lbs.oz. 6 8 2 7 1,108 | | +160 6 aus 5 ea 9,100,000 5 8 13 6 1,131 188.5 8,988,094 2344 | 26 6 1,341 | 023.6 3,715,087 2%| 26 7 1,680 | 240 4,095,000 2 2 03% 6 1,368 | 228 3,229 .388 1%] 114 6 1,249 | 208.17 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 have found in a Cod of mid- dling size 384,000 eggs. Harmer found, in one weighing eighteen or twenty pounds, between 3,000,000 and 4,000,000 eggs. It was examined €@D, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AND TAKE. 347 December 23, and was estimated to have 294 eggs to the grain, the ovaries weighing 12,540 grains; the total number, according to this calculation, is 3,686,760. The result of Mr. Earll’s observations 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 seven or eight ounces, were eighteen months old; those seventeen to eighteen inches long, and weighing two to two and a quarter pounds, were supposed to be two years and a half old ; those of about twenty-two inches, which weighed four to five pounds, were three years and a half old. He also concludes that the male reaches maturity at the age of three, and female at the age of four years, for the smallest ripe male noticed during the season of 1878-’79 weighed three and one-half pounds, and the smallest ripe female five pounds.* I have before me memoranda relating to a large number of enormous Codfish, taken along the New England coast at various 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 Cape Cod, a fish weighing tor pounds as it came from the water. On the 22d of July, 1873, Miss Fannie Belis, of St. Louis, while on a fishing excursion off Eastern Point, on board the yacht ‘‘ United States,’’ caught a Cod which weighed 130 pounds. Capt. G. H. Martin caught, off Chatham, a Codfish which weighed, dressed, 11r pounds. Capt. Stephen Mar, of Gloucester, saw a Codfish taken on George’s Banks in 1838, which, after having been eviscerated, weighed 136 pounds. Capt. Atwood says, on the coast of Cape Cod he has never seen a male Codfish, with one excep- tion, which weighed more than 60 pounds ; he once saw one, however, which weighed 160 pounds. This fish was not much larger than an ordinary fish weighing 75 pounds, but was very thick. Capt. Atwood remarks: ‘‘In regard to size, the Cod differs very widely in different localities. When taken on the Grand Banks it usually requires from thirty to forty to make a quintal when dried. Those caught in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with hand-lines are smaller, requiring seventy or * On pages 733-734 of Mr. Earll’s report may be found the measurements of a large number of Codfish of different weights, and with the ovaries and spermaries in different stages of development. These measure- ments are interesting, since they show the relation between the length and weight of individual fish. 348 AMERICAN FISHES. eighty per quintal ; in the same locality, however, Cod caught on trawl lines require only twenty to twenty-five per quintal, while on the coast of Labrador they are small, and it requires about one hundred to one hun- dred and ten to make a quintal. Writing in the summer of 1877, Capt. 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 pounds. 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 Cape 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 supply could be taken throughout almost the entire year along the banks, especialiy 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. . ‘« Asis well known, the erection of impassable dams across the streams, by preventing the ascent of the species just mentioned to their spawning grounds, produced 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 powerful as to render it extremely difficult to carry out any measures which in any way interfere with their convenience or profits; and notwithstanding the passage of laws requiring 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 COD, POLLOCK. HADDOCK AND HAKE. 349 depreciated or destroyed by means of dams or by exhaustive fishing, the Codfish have disappeared in equal ratio. This is not, however, for the same reason, as they are taken only with the line, at a rate more than compensated by the natural fecundity of the fish. I am well satisfied, however, that there is a relation of cause and effect between the present and past condition of the two series of fish ; and in this I am supported by the opinion of Capt. U. S. Treat, of Eastport, 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 respect worthily representing Capt. Atwood, of Provincetown. It is to Capt. Treat that we owe many experiments on the reproduction of alewifes in ponds, and the possibility of keeping salmon in fresh waters for a period of years. The 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 quantity, primarily, of alewives; and, secondarily, of shad and salmon, more than to any other cause. “Tt is well known to the old residents of Eastport that from thirty to fifty years ago Cod could be taken in abundance in Passamaquoddy Bay, and off Eastport, where only stragglers are now to be caught. ‘The same is the case at the mouth of the Penobscot River and at other points along the coasts of Massachusetts, a much more weighty reason than that of merely enabling a few salmon to enter the streams in order to permit their capture while on their way. ‘¢ Whatever may be the importance of increasing the supply of salmon, it is trifling compared with the restoration of our exhausted Cod 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 would be difficult to calculate. Not only would the general prosperity of the adjacent States be enhanced, but in the increased num- ber of vessels built, in the larger number of men induced to devote themselves to maritime pursuits, and in the general stimulus to every- thing connected with the business of the sea-faring profession, we should be recovering, in a great measure, from that loss which has been the source of so much lamentation to political economists and well-wishers of the country.’’ The Atlantic Tom Cod, MMcrogadus tomcod, is found only in the Western Atlantic, ranging from New York at the south, to Cape Sable at the north. It is ordinarily known as the Tom Cod, but in the Bay of Fundy, and in various places south of Cod, it is called the ‘‘ Frost AMERICAN FISHES. ISP) O1 @) Fish,’’ owing to the fact that it becomes most abundant in the early part of the winter, when it approaches the shore and even ascends the rivers and creeks for the purpose of spawning. Dr. DeKay states, on the authority of Dr. Yates, that Tom Cods sometimes appear 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 quantities 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, dZicrogadus proximus, is thus described 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 applied to it. Inthe restaurants at San Francisco it is usually served under the name of smelt. It reaches the length of a foot and a weight of about half a pound. It ranges from Monterey to Puget Sound and northward, being everywhere very abundant, and taken in great numbers in seines and sweep-nets, both outside and in the bays. Its food is smallfishes. Noth- ing special is known of its breeding habits; it is apparently abundant at all seasons. It is one of the important food fishes of the coast, always abundant and always meeting a ready sale. Its flesh is, however, watery and tasteless, and cannot be rated high.”’ The Pollock, Pollachius carbonarius, which is the Coalfish of England, the Kohler of Germany, and the Sei of Norway and Sweden, is closely related to the Pollock of Great Britian, Pol/achius virens, 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, HADDOCK AND: HAKE. 351 names. ‘The following names are in use in different parts of England: Baddoch, Billet, Billard, Black-Pollock, Black-Jack, Black-Coalsey, Blockan, Blockin, Coal, Coal-fish, Coalsay, Coalsey, Coal-whiting, Colemie, Colmey, Cooth, Cudden, Cuddy, Dargie, Gilpin, Glassock, Glashan, Glossan, Glossin, Green-cod, Green Pollock, Grey-lord, Gull- fish, Harbin, Kuth, Lob, Lob-keling, Maulrush, Parr, Pitock, Podley, Poddlie, Podling, Pollack, Prinkle, Rauning Pollack, Rawlin Pollack, Rock Salmon, Raw Pollock, Saithe, Sethe, Sey, Sey Pollack, Sillock, Skrae-fish, Stenlock, Tibre. Ge oo A THE POLLOCK OR COAL FISH. : Its geographical distribution is quite different from that of either the Cod or Haddock, its northern range, at least in the Eastern Atlantic, being fully as wide as that of the Cod, the species having been found in the northern part of Spitzbergen, beyond the parallel of 80°, and on the arctic coast of Europe. It rarely enters the Baltic. Bloch records a specimen from Lubeck, and it is said to occur on the coast of Pomerania. Concerning the limits of its southern range authorities differ. Gunther places this at latitude 46° in the Bay of Biscay, while others claim that it enters the Mediterranean. Canestrini states that it has been observed at Taranto. It does not appear, however, that the species is abundant south of the English channel. It occurs about Iceland and on the west coast of Davis Straits, where specimens were obtained by Sir Edward Parry on his first voyage. North of Newfoundland it does not seem to be very abund- ant, while to the south the limit appears to be in the vicinity of Nantucket Shoals, where specimens are occasionally taken by the cod smacks. In Perley’s ‘‘ Catalogue of the Fishes of Nova Scotia,’’ he states that he had never seen the fish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, nor heard of it ex- cept near the Straits of Canso, although it was found very abundant in the sie AMERICAN FISHES. Bay of Fundy and everywhere except in the muddy waters, such as those of Cumberland Bay and the Basin of Minas. I have seen large individuals taken in midsummer in the pounds in Vineyard Sound, and the capture of small individuals in these waters is not unusual. They are often taken, according to De Kay, off New York, in company with the Cod. In June, 1881, the schooner ‘‘ Edward E. Webster,’’ of Gloucester, Solomon Jacobs, captain, returning from a southern mackerel trip, fell in with a school of Pollock and captured sixty thousand pounds of them in her purse seine. Its range, as now under- stood, is in the Eastern Atlantic between the paralleis 46° and 80°, in the Western Atlantic between 40° and 70°. ‘That its southeastern limit is as near the equator as the parallel of 36° seems quite improbable. Unlike the Cod and the Haddock, the Pollock is, to a great extent, a surface-swimming species. ‘The fishes of this species congregate together in large schools, roaming from place to place in search of food. Toa certain extent they feed at the bottom, lke 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 : ‘¢T 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 above the water; 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 lghtning-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 quantities of other fish much more * Report of the United States Fish Commission, Part 5, 1870, p. 593. Another vivid description of the manner in which the Pollock feed upon the sand-eels, or lant, may be found on pp. 619 and 620. COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK ANDHAKE. a5 valuable than themselves ; in consequence of this the fishermen have a great prejudice against them and refuse to eat them. Capt. Atwood states that about Cape Cod they do not take to the hook freely ; that in other localities they are exeeedingly voracious, and great numbers: of them may be caught in Massachusetts Bay with a surface bait. When the United States Fish Commission steamer has been stationed north of Cape Cod, a favorite amusement of the officers has been to catch young Pollock with a fly. The older fish are less active and remain more at the bottom. Concerning this species, Capt. Atwood states that they appear about Cape Cod in schools in early May, frequently passing Race Point so close to the shore as to be caught with the seine among the ‘ tide-rips.’’ Capt. E. W. Merchant, of Gloucester, tells me that the Pollock were very abundant in Massachusetts Bay early in this century—before the war of 1812. They were especially abundant on Middle Bank. They were at that time chiefly caught with bait of herring, taken in seines from the beaches. The fishing boats were of about thirty tons, and carried three men and aboy. Fishing was carried on chiefly at night. .When the ves- sels would all ‘ fleet up,’’ and the bait on their hooks would toll the schools of fish together. The vessels would take about fifty quintals in a night. There were about thirty fish to the quintal. This abundance of Pollock lasted until about 1820. These Pollock were salted, and con- sumed at home or carried to Maine. ‘They sold for about two dollars a quintal. The oil of their livers was tried out in kettles on the shore- Their roe was exported largely in those days, It was sold by the bushel,. at the rate of about sixty cents. Mr. Earll writes: ‘‘ Large Pollock are absent from the waters of Cape Ann from the middle of January till early in May, the small ones leaving earlier, in the fall, and returning 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 period 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-fishermen by taking the hook before it can get to the bottom. *In 1881 the first Pollock came into Gloucester harbor May 2. 23 354 AMERICAN FISHES. ‘« During this season some of the small vessels fish exclusively for Pol- lock, ‘seizing up’ their lines a number of fathoms from the bottom, and at times the fish bite as fast as the fishermen can haul them. Early in in November a crew of four men landed 10,420 pounds, or about 1,100 fish, the result of less than two days’ fishing. Owing to a foolish prejudice, the price is always low, at times being less than thirty cents per one hun- dred pounds. The average weight of the fish is about nine or ten pounds, and during the spawning season the sexes are taken in about equal numbers.’’ In the Bay of Fundy and along the coast of Maine the capture of young Pollock from the rocks is a favorite amusement, At Eastport these fish are often called ‘‘ Quoddy Salmon.’’ Hinds states that in the Gulf 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 flesh in those localities. The spawning of the Pollock occurs in the German Ocean, according to Wittmack, from December to February ; in Scotland, according to Parnell, in February, after which it remains out of condition until May. About the Loffodens, as indicated by the observations of Sars, the breed- ing time corresponds with that of the Codfish, the young Pollock being found in early summer in company with the young Cod, swimming under the protection of the jelly-fishes. The Pollock is one of those species whose value as an article of food is very much underestimated. Many persons who have investigated the subject accurately prefer salted Pollock to salted Codfish, although the flesh 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 1850 pro- nonnced by Perley the most valuable and extensive of the deep-sea fisheries of the Bay of Fundy. It is stated by this authority that directly after the spawning season the fish is lank and almost worthless, but that it becomes in good condition again in August and improves as the season advances. The liver of the Pollock yields a great quantity of oil, proportionaliy much more than that of the Cod. It is probable that most of the cod-liver oil in the market is more or less adulterated with pollock-liver oil. No one has yet demonstrated that its medicinal properties are inferior. The eggs of the Pollock are very large, and great quantities of them have been in past years salted and exported to France. COD, LOLLOCK; HADDOCK AND TARE: (>) Sat oat The Alaska Pollock, Pollachius chalcogrammus (Pallas) J. & G., is thus described by Prof. Jordan: ‘‘This species is known as Pollack to those who have seen the Atlantic species. It is possibly identical with the ‘ Beshow’ of the Makah Indians, the ‘ Coal-fish’ of the English settlers northward, a deep-water fish noted for its rich, fat flesh. It reaches a length of about two feet. It ranges from Monterey to Behring’s Straits. It is taken with hook and line in deep water, and is never plentiful south of Cape Flattery. It feeds upon anchovies and the like. Nothing is known of its breeding habits, enemies or diseases, and, unless it be the ‘Beshow’ above noticed, it is not sufficiently abundant to attract any notice as an article of food. THE HADDOCK. The Haddock, Melanogrammus eglefinus, is found only in the Atlantic. Hadot and Hadou are old French names for the same fish, though the species 1s now usually known by the name Egrefin. In Scotland the name is said to be pronounced almost in the same way as in France, and is often varied to Haddie. It is the Schellfish of Germany. Concerning this fish many of our fishermen entertain the idea, which with them can hardly be called a superstition, that the black spots upon their side are due to the impression of the thumb and finger of St. Peter when the apostle took the tribute money out of the mouth of a fish supposed to be of this species, the fisherman’s mark having been continued among its de- scendants ever since. This notion is prevalent also in England, and in Southern Europe is attached to other fishes, particularly to the John Dory, Zeus faber. It is needless to say that no member of this family occurs in the Sea of Galilee. 356 AMERICAN FISHES. Its wanderings are more limited than those of the Cod. It isnot found nearly as far to the north, while its southern range is no wider. Had- dock are probably found in company with Codfish on all the northern fishing grounds, as far south, at least,‘as the Capes of Delaware, though concerning their occurrence in southern waters there is dearth of informa- tion. In winter and spring they are taken in Fisher’s Island Sound and outside of Fisher’s Island, on the coast of Eastern Connecticut ; and also in great quantities on Nantucket 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 equal to that of Cod, although the latter usually predominates. They abound north of Cape Cod, in the Gulf of Maine, and in the Bay of Fundy, in the Basin of Minas, on the coast of Nova Scotia, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and in the Bay of Chaleur. In the Gulf 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 inwinter; their northern limit appears to be marked by the Straits of Belle Isle, latitude 52° N. In 1863 and 1864 they were found in abundance on the southern border of the Grand Bank. ‘They are not so frequent on the Grand Bank as on the Western Bank, and, in turn, less common there than on George’s Bank. In the Eastern Atlantic the range of the Haddock is somewhat wider, for they are found in the seas of Iceland, the whole length of the Scandi- navian coast to East Finmark and Varanger Fjord, and on all the shores of Great Britain, and in the North Sea, where they are particularly abund- ant, though rarely or never entering the Baltic. There is no evidence that they are found to the south of the English Channel. De La Blanchere states that they are caught in considerable numbers on the coast of Manche. In the Eastern Atlantic, then, they are found between the parallels 48° and 66°; in the Western Atlantic between parallels 38° and 53°. Haddock are not so active and powerful as the Cod. Dr. Gilpin has expressed the opinion that on the coast of Nova Scotia they do not retreat so far from the shore in winter as the Cod, but this does not appear to be true in Massachusetts Bay. Remarkable variations in the abundance of this fish are upon record ; at certain times they have been exceedingly rare, at others abundant in the extreme. COD POLL CCE, “HADDOCK AND HAKE. 357 Capt. Atwood states that in 1834 Haddock were very scarce on the Grand Bank, and few were caught anywhere on the coast, but in 1840 they became so numerous about Cape Cod as to interfere seriously with the Cod fishery, devouring the bait before the Cod could reach it, and about 1850 they had increased so rapidly that the markets were glutted. In 1864 they were caught in great numbers and were still on the increase. In 1870 the same observer related to the Massachusetts senate the story of another period of scarcity and abundance. His statements may be found in the report of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, Parton, Log sep. slg). The food of the Haddock resembles that of the Cod, except that they are, if possible, more omnivorous ; their diet consists, however, largely of invertebrates. They are rarely seen feeding at the surface, though they devour the spawn of other fishes, particularly that of the herring, with great eagerness. They devour great quantities of shells, many of them of the burrowing species. Prof. Verrill has well said that a complete list of the animals devoured by the Haddock would doubtless include all the mollusks belonging to the fauna of New England. The Haddock are said to be particularly abundant on clam-banks. From this habit of feeding on shells has originated the German name for the fish. The difference between the habits of the Haddock and the Cod is illustrated by the remark of Capt. Atwood that Haddock 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 much better for bait than fresh ones. : On the German coast the, Haddock spawn on rocky bottoms in February and early March at a depth of twenty-two to twenty-five 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 Loffoden Isles, according to Sars, the spawning 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 the season 1s in late April, May and June. The average size of the Haddock is probably not far from three or four pounds ; many twelve-pound fish are brought to market, and individuals weighing seventeen pounds are on record. 358 AMERICAN FISHES. In 1879 Haddock were successfully hatched, under the supervision of Mr. Earll, at the Gloucester station of the United States Fish Commission. The Haddock is now very highly esteemed as a food fish, having grown in favor during the last twenty years. It 1s especially desirable for boil- ing or for making chowders, and is a great favorite in Boston, while in Philadelphia enormous quantities are yearly consumed. Being well adapted for preservation in ice, great numbers of them are distributed through the interior of the country, together with the Codfish. The suc- cess with which the Scotch method of smoking Haddock has been intro- duced into this country has also greatly increased the demand for them, and ‘* Finnan Haddies’’ are manufactured in enormous quantities in Port- land and Boston. At Provincetown a Haddock salted and dried after being split is called by the name ‘‘ Skulljoe,’’ or *: Scoodled Skulljoe.’’ THE BURBOT. The Cusk, Brosmius brosme, is a deep-water species, inhabiting rocky ledges in the North Atlantic. It has not been observed south of Cape Cod, but ranges northward to the banks of Newfoundland and of Green- land. It occurs in Iceland and Spitzbergen and along the entire length of the Scandinavian Peninsula, but 1s not known on the coast of Germany, while Faber states that it just touches the most northern part of Denmark at the Scaw in Jutland, and that it is occasionally taken in the Frith of Forth and brought to the Edinburgh market. It is also plentiful about the Faroe Islands. Its range in the Western Atlantic is from latitude 42° to latitude 65°, or beyond; in the Northeastern Atlantic to latitude 80°, and south to latitude 55°. The Massachusetts fishermen tell me that these fish are usually found in considerable abundance on newly-discovered ledges, and that great num- bers may be taken for a year or two, but that they are soon: all caught. Sometimes, after a lapse of years, they may be found again abundant on a recently-deserted ground. From these facts it has been reasoned that the COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AND HAKE. 359 o Cusk is very local in its habits and rarely changes from one locality to another. The food of the Cusk doubtless consist chiefly of mollusks and small crustaceans. Concerning its spawning habits nothing is known, except that, accord- ing to Faber, it breeds in April and May on the coast of West and South Ireland. The Cusk is considered a very excellent fish, especially for boiling, but there is a very hmited demand for it, and most of those which are taken are salted. On account of their low prices fishermen shun them, and they are hardly in better favor than dogfish. In the spring of 1878 they were worth in Gloucester from twenty to fifty cents per hundred, and in August of the same year about one dollar per hundred. One of the peculiar habits of the Cusks renders their capture difficult, and frequently causes the destruction of the fishing-tackle ; it is said that after they have taken the hook they curl their tails round the angles of the rock and cling to them with such strength that it is impossible to dislodge them. Fishermen say that when they are brought to the surface the skin rises from the body in great blisters. This they regard as a favorable sign, as showing that the fish are ‘‘ thrifty,’’ or healthy. The name ‘‘ Tusk,’’ used for this fish in Newfoundland, is now never used in the United States, although it seems 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 7. chuss and P. tenuis. These species are very similar in appearance, and it-is with diffi- culty that they can be distinguished from each other by the trained eye of the zoologist. The most tangible distinction may be found in the num- ber of scales, which are much smaller in P. fenuzs, there being from one hundred and thirty-five toone hundred and forty oblique rows between the bronchial opening and the root of the caudal fin, while there are about twelve rows between the lateral line and the region of the first dorsal. In P. chuss there are only one hundred rows in the lateral line and nine rows above the lateral line ; in the former the ventral does not ordinarily reach quite to the vent, in the latter it extends beyond the vent. This char- acter, however, cannot always be relied upon. Our Hakes are all different from the Forked Beard, P. d/ennioides, of Great Britain, sometimes called the Hake’s Dame, which is a member of 360 AMERICAN FISHES. the same genus.* Owing to their great similarity, Phycts chuss and P. tenuis, are usually known indifferently by the name ‘‘ Hake ;’’ the former, however, is sometimes called the Old English Hake, and the other, Phyets tenuis, the Squirrel Hake or White Hake. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay of Chaleur, and also south of Cape Cod, they are invariably called Ling. There has been much confusion both in the names and descriptions applied to them by fishermen and ichthyologists. Their geo- graphical range appears to be essentially the same. The young of one or both species are frequently taken swimming atthe surface, on the southern coast of New England, in midsummer, and numerous individuals have been found off Block Island and Watch Hill, seeking shelter between the valves of a large species of scallop, Pecten tenuicostatus ; the majority appear to belong to the species of P. chuss. THE HAKE. The two species are frequently taken by the cod-fishermen, on the shoals south of Cape Cod, but they are there considered to be of but little value. They are more or less abundant in Massachusetts Bay, in the Bay of Fundy and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Large specimens of one or both species have been taken at a depth of three hundred fathoms as far south as Virginia. The Hakes appear to be bottom-loving fishes, and rarely change locality. They feed on crustaceans, and occasionally indulge in a fish diet. One taken at Gloucester in July, 1878, had a menhaden in its stomach. It is believed that they spawn throughout the summer, for the young fish are found during all the summer months, while specimens taken at the depth of thirty-seven fathoms August 18, 1878, off Ipswich, at a tempera- ture of 41° F., contained well-developed ova, and were apparently ready to spawn. * The Hake of Europe is a different fish, more closely related to the Silver Hake or Whiting of the New England coast, AZerlucius bilinearis. COD VMPOLLOCK MHADD OC ANT TAKE. 361 An extensive fishery is carried on from Cape Ann for these fish in winter, and there are sometimes as many as fifty vessels engaged. It was esti- mated in 1878 that the total quantity landed at Gloucester was not far from 5,000,000 pounds. ‘The fishing is carried on almost entirely at night with the use of trawls, which are about the size of those used in the capture of Haddock. Hake are salted and dried in the same manner as Codfish, and are often sold under the name of Codfish. Before the introduction of boneless fish it was sometimes difficult to sell them on account of the difference in appearance, but at the present time great quantities of Hake are put up in boxes under the trade name of ‘‘ boneless fish,’’ the qualifying word ‘*Cod’’ being usually omitted from the brands and labels. The Hake is not often eaten except when salted. The air-bladder, or sound, of the Hake is of great commercial value, being used extensively in the manufacture of isinglass; great quantities ot sounds are sent from the British Provinces to the United States annually, sounds from the Gulf of St. Lawrence being considered much better than those from farther south. In 1880 New England produced 255,698 pounds of dried sounds, worth $178,808. Massachusetts had eight isinglass and glue factories, employing one hundred and eighty-two men and a capital of $315,000, and producing $450,000 worth of ribbon-isinglass and glue in 1879. These sounds were for the most part derived from the Hake. THE SILVER HAKE OR WHITING, It is the opinion of certain writers, among whom Dr. Gunther is leader, that the Hake of Europe, JMJerlucius merlus (or M. vulgaris of recent authors), is identical with the species of Mer/ucius occurring in the Western Atlantic. This is, however, a mistake; the American form may easily be distinguished from that of Europe by the greater number of AMERICAN FISHES. Os [or lo rays in the first dorsal (10 to t1 in AZ. merlus, 12 to 13 in MZ. bilinearis), and by the larger size of the scales (the number in the lateral line being about 150 in JZ. merlus, 100 to 110 in AZ. dilinear?s). The general appearance of the two species is very similar, and it re- quires careful study to separate them. It is probable that at no very remote period they diverged from a common stock. ‘The distribution of the two species upon the opposite sides of the Atlantic coincides very closely with that of other Gadoid fishes, which are specifically identical in Europe and America. The Hake of Europe is found along the coast from Trondhjem Fjord, 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 English Channel, however, and in the waters of Holland and Ger- many, it is considered very unusual. On our coast it ranges from New York to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where it is common—especially in the Bay of Chaleur—but it has rarely been observed as far north as the Straits of Belle Isle. Dr. Packard was told by fishermen that during a period 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 frequently heard in New England ; its similarity to the European Hake is very great; while the name Whiting, which is in Europe applied to a species (erlangus vulgaris), somewhat resembling the Pollock, has been appropriated in this country for a fish which frequents our southern coast and belongs to the drum family. | The Silver Hake commonly inhabits the middle depths 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 powerful, 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 frequently 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, which they devour in great quantities. Until 1880 little was known concerning the breeding habits of the Silver Hake; but, COD, POLLOCK, HADDOCK AND HARE. 363 in exploring the bottom, at a depth of from one hundred and fifty to three hundred fathoms, off Newport and in the edge of the Gulf Stream, im- mense numbers of young fish, from half an inch to three inches in length, were found at the bottom, and with them were many adults, twelve to eighteen inches in length, apparently in the act of spawning ; some of them with the ova ripe, or nearly ripe, but not yet shed ; others evidently spent-fish. This discovery was exceedingly interesting, since it may serve as a clew to the spawning habits of other species, like the bluefish and menhaden, which have been supposed to spawn at a distance from the shore, but have never been detected in the act. The spawning period doubtless extends over a considerable space of time; some of the eggs from which the largest of the young were hatched off Newport must have been laid as early as July. In September an adult, obtained at Halifax, Nova Scotia, had the ova well developed and nearly ready for deposition. It is not known whether the eggs of the Silver Hake float or sink. Couch states that the spawning season of the European Hake is from January 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 are caught in trawls, and a few with lines. When pilchards approach the shore the Hake follow them, continuing in _ incalculable numbers throughout the winter. . The Hake of Europe is always considered a coarse fish, and though great quantities are annually salted and dried it is not held in very high esteem. Many of the salted fish are sent to Spain. They are said to be quite common on the northern shore of the Mediterranean, where con- siderable traffic is carried on with them; they are packed with aromatic plants and sent to the towns remote from the coast. Storer remarks: ‘‘ Occasionally this species is brought to market, and wheu perfectly fresh is a very sweet fish, boiled, broiled or fried. It soon becomes soft and is preserved with difficulty. As it does not appear to be known abroad, and the fishermen consequently have no call for it, it is not cured, but is considered worthless. In the months of September and October the Whiting is used somewhat for bait for the dogfish and answers a good purpose.”’ The California Hake, AZerluctus productus, writes Prof. Jordan, is most commonly known along the coast by its Italian name, ‘‘ Merluccio,’’ pro- nounced merlooch. At Soquel and elsewhere it goes by the name of 364 AMERICAN FISHES, Horse-mackerel, a name used on our coasts with the greatest carelessness, being applied to E£lops saurus, Anoplopoma fimbria, and Merlucius pro- ductus, as well as to various scombroids and carangoid fishes. It reaches a length of about thirty inches and a weight of ten pounds, its average weight being five or six. It is found from the Island of Santa Cruz to Alaska, being very irregular 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 squids. The stomach is always filled almost to bursting. It spawns in the spring, and its arrival near the coast always precedes the deposition of the spawn. It probably then retires to deeper water. Its value as a food-fish is very little. It is scarcely salable in the mar- ket of San Francisco. Its flesh is very soft, and it is always ragged-looking when shipped. Nothing was learned as to the quality of its flesh, but it probably differs little from the Atlantic form Merlucius bilinearis. THE STRIPED MULLET, ei Ee WORE S: Still shall be heard the loons lone cry Upon the stream, and to their rest Long troops of curlews seaward fly, At sunset to their sandy nest. Still joyous from the sparkling tide With silver sides shall Mullets leap The eagle soar in wonted pride, And by their eyrie strong and wide On the dry oak beside the deep, Their watch shall busy ospreys keep. : WiLiAM J. Grayson: The River Coosa. N our eastern coast there are two species of MWwug7/, the differences be- tween which are sometimes, though not always recognized by fishermen. The most familiar is the Striped. Mullet, J/ug7/? albula; the other is the so-called ‘‘ White Mullet,’’? dZugzl brasiliensis, 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 precisely their geographical range. The Striped Mullet occurs in the West Indies, the Gulf, and from Lower Cali- fornia to Peru.