TAUTOG, CHOGSET AND PARROT-FISH. 295 



Mitchill also gives an interesting bit of folk lore in the following 

 account of the botanical mnenonics of the fishermen in the \i( inity of New 

 York : 



" The blossoming of the dogwood, Corrms florida, early in April is 

 understood to denote the time of catching black-fish. As soon as these 

 flowers unfold, the fishermen proceed with their hooks and lines to the 

 favorite places. If there is no dogw^ood, a judgment is derived from the 

 vegetation of the chesnut tree, Castanca vcsca. The people express this 

 sentiment in these coarse rhymes : 



" When chesnut leaves are as big as thumb-nails 

 Then bite black-fish without fail, 

 But when chesnut leaves are as large as a span, 

 Then catch black-fish if you can ? " 



As has been already stated, the Tautog on the coasts of the United 

 States is extremely sensitive to cold, and at the approach of the time of 

 hibernation, the vent becomes sealed, the fish thus becoming prepared for 

 a minimum consumption of its own fat during its winter sleep. 



In Brown's " American Angler's Guide," in the article on Tautog or 

 Black-fish it is remarked : 



" The Black-fish abounds in the vicinity of Long Island, and is a sta- 

 tionary inhabitant of the saltwater. He may be kept for a long time in 

 ponds or cars, and even fatted there. When the cold of winter benumbs 

 him he refuses to eat any more, and a membrane is observed to form over 

 the vent and close it. He begins to regain appetite with the return of 

 w'armth in the spring. 



" Now we know that Tautog hibernate among rocks near the coast and 

 in our rivers, and it has been stated by Mr. L. Tallman or Mr. Daniel 

 Church, that some years ago, after a very cold snap, not only many Tau- 

 tog were washed ashore frozen stiff, but afterward quantities were also 

 found dead among rocks off the coast. If, during the winter, they don't 

 feed as stated above, and this membrane closes them up, the conclusion 

 must be that they remain in a state of torpor or sleep during cold weather. 

 Now it happens that the scup, when first taken by traps, are in a state of 

 torpor ; they neither eat nor have any passage. It is probably sealed up 

 like the Tautog, and nothing in the shape of food is to be found \vithin 

 them. Some say they are blind, and they seem hardly able or willing 

 to move. 



" The inference, then is, that the scup have also been hibernating within 

 a short distance from the coast, in the same state as the Tautog. This 

 would account for the stray scup mentioned by Mr. Southwick as having 

 been occasionally found in March. A warm day wakes him up, and he 



