58 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



(ho docks. But still this is asserted by many. My cousin, Mr. Spiuuey, 

 who for uiany years was a j^ractical fisberman and a good observer, and 

 now the bead of a firm wbicb bandies thousands of cod everj^ month, has 

 examined them critically and compared tbem with deep-sea cod, and said 

 l>ositively that they were the same. The specimen sent by Mr. AVonsou 

 is G. morrhua. If you wish specimens in alcohol Mr. Spinney will ob- 

 tain any that you want upon receiving directions from you. Mr. Spin- 

 ney sees nearly all the cod which enter Gloucester, and upon being asked 

 if the gray cod was found at other points along tbe coast he said that 

 the only instance that he knew of was the case of a vessel which had 

 just landed 15 barrels of cod taken in sliallow water near Mount Desert. 

 I went to the wharf and found the fish, which proved to be morrhua^ 14 

 inches long. I obtained two specimens for the ISTational Museum. They 

 seemed to run about the same size, varying about 1 inch in length, and 

 correspond in size almost exactly with the specimens taken at Glouces- 

 ter. These may be a portion of the cod from Gloucester emigrating 

 i'rom their original home. As this was the only case which I could find 

 of the G. morrhua being found in shallow water, outside of Gloucester, 

 I am inclined to the opinion that they are but an oflshoot of the Glouces- 

 ter cod. 



Another recognized good caused by the Fish Commission while at 

 Gloucester is in regard to tbe reddening of fish. I was informed by 

 several fish-dealers who liave adopted your suggestion to use Trepani 

 salt instead of Cadiz, that not a single instance of reddening has oc- 

 curred during the past summer. The butts used for pickling the fish 

 exhibited a tendency to turn red only when they had j)reviously been 

 saturated with Cadiz salt. 



Washington, D. C, Novemher 12, 1883. 



33.— SOME OBSEKVATSOIVS OIV THE COW CJSff.I.-NET FISHERIES AND 



OIV PBESEKVATIVES FOK NETS. 



By J. 'W- COI.I.INS. 

 [From a letter to Prof. S. F. Baird.] 



In course of a conversation last evening with two young men who have 

 been engaged in the gill-net cod fishery- this winter, I gathered the fol- 

 lowing items of information: 



They stated that since the fishery closed in Massachusetts Bay, some 

 time in the early part of the winter, and the vessels had resorted to Ips- 

 wich Bay, nearly all the fish caught in the latter locality had been netted 

 on a small area that did not exceed three-fourths of a mile in diameter. 

 This piece of ground, which seems to be swarming with fish while the 

 adjacent bottom appears quite barren, is somewhat irregular in outline, 



