BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 409 



free from ice, and yet the weather was uuiisually windy, heavy winds 

 from the southwest often ])reventing- their fishing. Ho expected to find 

 other Gloucester vessels on the coast, but none were there. Last year 

 walruses were abundant; this year they are scarce ; sharks, however, 

 were plentiful, injuring a great deal of gear by biting off the hooks. 

 Captain Madson says he was the first who ever got a trip of fish from 

 Flemish Cap. This was in 1872. One other vessel, schooner Carrie S. 

 Dagle, went the same year. In 1871 a vessel, schooner George Peabody, 

 went there from Salem, but lost gear and anchor, and got no fish. In 

 1873 and 1871 trips were made there with other vessels. In 1875 and 

 187C no vessels from Gloucester fished there. In 1877 and 1878 he made 

 trips to Flemish Cap and Grand Bank. In 1879 he made half a trip to 

 Flemish Cap and finished up the season by going to Greenland. This 

 year he obtained, as above stated, 75,000 pounds of cod on Flemish Cap 

 and 80,000 pounds of halibut at Greenland. Two other vessels, the Con- 

 cord and Carrie S. Dagle, went to Flemish Cap this year. The Mary E. 

 is rather a small vessel, only 07.22 tons, and this makes a good season's 

 work for her. Capelin made their appearance on the coast of Green- 

 laud about a fortnight after the vessels reached there. — September 23, 

 1880. 



Puffing pig. — I have a puffing pig, caught in a net this morning. 

 It is a perfect specimen, 3 feet long, and weighs 38 pounds. — September 

 27, 1880. 



Tile-fish. — The schooner H. A. Duncan, about which I telegraphed 

 recently as ready for the trip to the Lopholatilus ground, arrived a few 

 days since from a week's trip. She stocked $512. — October 2, 1880. 



Hatching herring. — I have made a successful experiment in hatch- 

 ing herring in one of the Chester floating hatching boxes. On Satur- 

 day last I went to Kettle Island hoping to get some herring and procure 

 some ripe spawn. No herring were in the trap, but by hauling the trap 

 we found masses of herring spawn some half inch thick matted on the 

 bottom netting. We gathered some, brought it in a large tin bottle to 

 Gloucester, and put it in the hatching-box alongside the wharf. A 

 microscopic examination that day showed the e^gs entirely undevel- 

 oped, with yelks whole. On Monday the yelks in many cases were burst 

 and the fish developing. On Tuesday we could see the little fellows 

 alive in the egg, though very small. Ou Wednesday they were still in 

 the egg, larger and wriggling about as if trying to get out; under the 

 microscope we could see the heart beat. Thursday they were out of 

 the shell in considerable numbers. To-day a multitude of the cunning 

 infants are in the tank, thus showing that five or six days were required 

 to develop the fish. The temperature of the water on Saturday was 

 55° F. ; Sunday, 54° ; IVlonday, 5i° ; Tuesday, 55° ; Wednesday, 54° ; 

 Thursday, 50°; Friday, 53o.^Gctober 15, 1880. 



Cod, hake, pollock, and shore fisheries. — Capt. George Mar- 

 tin (son of Capt. S. J. Martin), of schooner jSTortheru Eagle, wishes to 



