BULLETIN 01 THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 305 



miles distant. At lhat time we hauled to, steering a S.SE. course, and 

 as there was some head sea and the wind had freshened, we took in 

 the balloon jib and staysail. 



The morning of Wednesday, the 20th, was fine, with a brisk breeze 

 from S.SW. About 8 o'clock, however, it was foggy, but soon after it 

 cleared off, and the weather continued fine throughout the day, though 

 the wind was somewhat variable, backing southerly for two or three 

 hours at a time, and then hauling back again. 



At sunrise all hands were called, and we began making preparations 

 for setting the gear, and during the forenoon we baited a cod and had- 

 dock trawl, each having 1,000 hooks. We thought it possible in the 

 morning that we might get to the tile- fish ground early enough to make 

 a set with the trawls, but the wind being moderate and variable in the 

 afternoon we did not reach deep water until 3.55 p.m., when we sounded 

 in 1 18 fathoms, our position at that time by dead reckoning being 40° 4' 

 north latitude and 70° 30' west longitude, about a mile from the position 

 where the Fish Hawk found tile-fish abundant August 23, 1881. The 

 day was too far advanced, however, for us to set the trawls, so we hove 

 to for the night. 



A short time before reaching deep water (shortly after 3 o'clock) we 

 saw several fin-back whales. A little after 4 o'clock we noticed three or 

 four schools of small fish, which were apparently about the size of a large 

 mackerel. At times they showed a ripple like mackerel or herring, and 

 very frequently many of them would spring from the water together, 

 making long dolphin-like jumps. We ran for the schools in hopes to 

 approach them near enough to find out what species the fish were, but 

 they sank before we got close enough to them, and a troll-hook which 

 we put out failed to catch any.* 



The evening was fine, with brisk SS.W. wind. We lay to under main- 

 sail and jib with head to the eastward during the first half of the 

 night, after which we jogged the opposite way. 



Thursday morning, the 21st, was overcast, with a moderate SS.W. 

 breeze, but after sunrise the weather cleared off beautifully with a slight 

 increase of wind. 



At daylight we set the trawls under sail, beginning in 160 fathoms 

 and running the gear northwardly towards shoaler water. After the 

 trawls were out we sounded at the lee ends, getting a depth of 135 

 fathoms, the bottom being mud, sand, and broken shells. Our position 

 was latitude 40° 3' north and longitude 70° 28' west. Captain Eed- 

 mond went in one of the dories (as he did during the whole time we 

 were on the ground), leaving me to manage the smack with the assist- 

 ance of the cook, while Mr. Phillips busied himself in taking notes on 

 this method of fishing, which he now saw for the first time. 



Being entirely unacquainted with the strength of the current in this 



* It is probable that the fish we saw were mullet. 



Bull. U. S. F. C, 82 20 April 3 9, 1883. 



