BtJLLfitiN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 40? 



it will be advisable to visit them at least once a week, for otherwise 

 there will be too much guess-work about the catch; besides, occasional 

 fish of unusual varieties should be watched for. — July 19, 1880. 



Mackerel. — The mackerel along tliis shore ap])ear to be increasing 

 in size. Among those from Kettle Island traps this morning there were 

 about 2,000 ]Sro. Is, some of them from 15 to 18 inches long, though not 

 fat. Mackerel taken by the seiners in Massachusetts Bay continue, 

 however, to be small. What large ones are found seem to be from the 

 traps. I hear to-day of two more traps set : one set yesterday or day 

 before, off Coney Island, near Marblehead ; the other off Folly Cove, on 

 the north side of Cape Aim.— July 20, 1880. 



Small mackerel. — Our harbor has been full of small mackerel to- 

 day. Three vessels have set seines inside of Eastern Point; and one oft" 

 Five-Pound Island, in the upper harbor, obtained 20 barrels. Upwards 

 of a hundred small boats are in various parts of the harbor, with boys, 

 getting as high as half a barrel ax^iece. I have examined the stomachs 

 of a great number and find nothing in them. I send herewith a small 

 lot of food from upwards of two hundred mackerel taken yesterday morn- 

 ing in Kettle Island traps. In a seine set off Ten-Pound Island this 

 morning, besides 70 barrels of mackerel, 1 noticed flounders, skates, 

 sculpins, and a wry-mouth or ghost-fish. I think that the mackerel are 

 kept in by schools of horse-mackerel. — July 21, 1880. 



Finback whale. — Eecently a carcass of a finback whale 55 feet long 

 drifted ashore on Long Beach, some two miles from here, opposite Milk 

 Island. I went to see it, and offered two men $10 if they would get the 

 skull bones out. They worked on it almost two days, and gave up the 

 job. Captain Martin and I went there early yesterday morning, and 

 worked three hours until high tide. We secured the lower jaw-bones, 

 and think that we can get the whole skull after the flesh has decayed a 

 little more.— July 23, 1880. 



Hatching monk-fish. — We put some monk-flsii spawn in one of the 

 Chester hatching-boxes, and it hatched out yesterday, just a week from 

 the time it was placed in the box. They are funny little fish, although 

 the experiment is of no practical value. — July 23, 1880. 



Mackerel. — First arrival from Saint Lawrence Bat. — The 

 first vessel to arrive here from the Bay of Saint Lawrence this season 

 came on Saturday. It was the schooner Mary Fernald, with 408 barrels 

 of mackerel, after being gone a month and a day. They report some 

 of the mackerel very large, though most of them are No. 2s and ^o. 

 3s. The trip was taken close to Prince Edward Island, between 

 Malpeque and Cascumpeque, all within the 3-miles limit. There were 

 mackerel farther off" shore, but mixed with herring. They report that 

 the mackerel had red feed in them, though they saw no other food. 

 The success of this vessel has started several more besides the four or 

 five Gloucester vessels already in the bay. One of the vessels which 

 take temperature and observations for us is among the number fitting 



