THE SQUETEAGUES. 119 



slow, Co., X. C. '' When we have extremely cold and c loudy weather, and I 

 believe also windy weather for three or four days, the Trout at the mouth of 

 New River are benumbed, and on the first sunny day rise to the surface, 

 and after a day or two die and sink to the bottom or are washed ashore. 

 As soon as they rise, there are generally hundreds of men ready with nets, 

 dip nets, gigs, and in some instances, nothing but their hands and boats, 

 to pick them up. They are sometimes washed ashore in long heaps, two 

 and three feet deep, for a considerable distance. When these ' numbs ' 

 occur, it is generally known through this and the adjoining counties, and 

 carts and wagons come for the fish by hundreds — sometimes from a dis- 

 tance of fifty or sixty miles. The New River is a wide and very shallow 

 bay for the distance of twenty miles from its mouth. There was a ' numb ' 

 in January, 1877, and another in the winter of 1S79, about the same time, 

 but they do not occur frequently." 



They prefer sandy and grassy bottoms, and are particularly fond of shal- 

 low water, four or five feet deep, especially in still waters and eddies. 

 Their favorite food is small mullet and other diminutive fish, as well as 

 still more largely shrimps and small crustaceans ; while, on the other hand, 

 they are eaten voraciously by Weak-fish, blue-fish, drum and porpoises. 



In market fishing, nets are generally employed, though some fish are 

 occasionally speared. They are taken in seines, usually having a mesh of 

 about one and one-half inches, made of No. 8 cotton twine, about one 

 hundred yards long and ten feet deep. When the fish first begin to make 

 their appearance the fishermen establish themselves in their boats, just out- 

 side the surf, and watch along the crest of the breakers. When the fish 

 are seen the net is paid out from the stern of the boat, one man leaping 

 overboard with a rope attached to one end of the net, while a man in the 

 boat pulls rapidly around the school so as to inclose it. The net is then 

 drawn carefully to the shore. The average catch of two men for a day 

 may be set at about three hundred pounds, although a much greater 

 amount than this could be taken if desirable. 



They are used when fresh, and sent up into the small towns in the in- 

 terior in large numbers. The flesh is of an excellent quality, much supe- 

 rior to that of the Weak-fish, being firm, white, and flaky, and will keep 

 well for three or four days, unless the weather be too warm. It is some- 

 times salted down for home use by the inhabitants along the coast, and 

 much esteemed. Dr. Yarrow estimates that about two hundred barrels 



