Till; ('<)!>: GEOGRAPHICAL DIST1MIM I'lON. 203 



out to seveuty-five fathoms and up to fifty miles and further, wherever any bank has beeu discov- 

 ered. Quite frequently they enter brackish water in pursuit of their natural food." 



Thomas Ray, of Parker's Island, Maine, says that small Cod have beeu caught in the 

 Kenuebec Eiver. 



Mr. M. A. Elauna, of Bowery Beach, says that they are sometimes caught in rivers at some 

 distance from the sea, where the water at the surface is quite fresh. 



These statements are confirmed by several other persons. The New York "Evening Post" of 

 February 6, 1877, says that a six-pound Codfish was taken on February 1 in the Hudson River 

 above Peekskill, New York. 



THE SCHOOLING OF THE CODFISH. Before taking into consideration the periodical move- 

 ments of the Codfish, it seems necessary to study the manner in which they assemble together in 

 schools. Mr. Earll, who has studied with great thoroughness the habits of the Codfish about 

 Cape Auu, writes as follows upon this topic : 



"In examining the Codfish lauded from time to time, one cannot but notice the great indi- 

 vidual variation in the species. But in addition to this seemingly accidental variation, that gives 

 every gradation to either extreme, there is a more constant difference in both form and color, due 

 perhaps to the peculiar habits and surroundings of the individual. This difference is so noticeable 

 that the fishermen can easily distinguish the one from the other, and they have come to call the 

 one a school fish in distinction from the other, which they call a shore fish or 'ground-tender.' 



"The school fish are supposed to be constantly on the move, remaining usually in the deep 

 water, where they are very active in the pursuit of their prey, consuming such quantities ;is to 

 keep them in excellent flesh. Such fish are usually very shapely, with small and very distinct dark 

 spots on a light background, and seem to have the head quite small in proportion to the body. On 

 the whole, they are just such fish as would be expected from continued activity and good living. 

 On the other hand, the shore fish, or ' ground-tenders,' live constantly among the rocks and sea- 

 weeds along the shore, where the water is less pure and the food less abundant. They seem to 

 lead solitary lives during a greater part of the year, being scattered along different portions of the 

 coast, living upon the little rocky spots, where they feed upon such animals as they chance to find; 

 or at times entering the shoaler water among the sea-weeds, where they feed upon the inollusks 

 and articulates that are often so abundant in such localities. They are generally in poorer flesh 

 than the school fish, having a relatively larger head in proportion to their bulk, with larger and 

 less distinct spots on a darker background. In addition to these large fish, that for some reason 

 seem to prefer the shore as a feeding ground, there are many young and immature that have not 

 yet joined the school fish in their migrations. These fish are the sole dependence of the boat fish- 

 ermen in summer, or from June to November, and one must know the grounds pretty thoroughly, 

 and row about from one feeding spot to another, in order to secure any considerable number of 

 them. During the months of June, July, and August the fishing is quite limited, being confined 

 to a few boat fishermen who row, or sail, out daily with hand-lines, returning in the afternoon with 

 from one hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds, which they usually sell at fair prices to 

 supply the fresh-fish trade. 



"Early in the fall the spawning instincts of the fish cause them to gradually gather from the 

 different parts of the shore to special rocky grounds, where they remain until they have deposited 

 their eggs. At such times, being more numerous in these localities, the fishing becomes more 

 profitable, so that many small vessels and a larger number of boats frequent these ^i omuls, and 

 by the middle of October the daily catch reaches about four hundred pounds per man. 



"Thus far the catch has been composed almost wholly of the young and shore fish ; but about 



