HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 381 



25. Auy depth, but usually in shoal water, ou the bottom. 

 2G. Lay on the bottom. 



27. In about six weeks after being' laid. 



28. They are in great abundance; saw more young fish in Narragan- 

 sett Bay last season than ever before, but their usual spawning-grounds 

 are south as far as Cape Lookout, mostly about the Potomac and Dela- 

 ware Bay and joining shores. 



20. Never saw the spawn running from the fish. We never catch 

 them with the purse-seine for the reason that they leave the body of tish 

 and scatter about. The spawning fish are among the first to arrive. 



30. Do not know as I ever saw menhaden spawn in auy other fish. 

 The pareut fish do not devour them. 



31. Have seen a small crab in the fish, just under the scales, with an 

 appendage about an inch long; never saw anything in or around the 

 mouth. 



32. They suffer to a great extent from blucfish, horse-mackerel, por- 

 poise, sharks, whales, dog-fish, &c. 



33. Never saw auy diseases about them. 



34. There are a great many caught in gill- nets in the first part of the 

 season, but not so many here as formerly. The nets are made of fine cotton 

 twine, about 4 inches mesh, and all set or anchored; the fish run into 

 them and put their heads through the mesh. They are about 20 fathoms 

 lougand 12 feet deep. 



35. The purse-seines here are made from 2C0 to 225 fathoms long 

 aud 100 feet deep in the middle and 70 at the ends made of fine cotton 

 twine. 



30. A small schooner of about 30 tons, with two or three open boats 

 carrying about 200 barrels each, two men in each boat. The crew live 

 on board the tender and lay on the fishing-grounds aud the boats carry 

 the fish to the works. The most of the fibh here are caught in steamers 

 of about GO tons, from 30 to 50 horse-power. The steamers work better 

 than sail gangs, on account of running in calm weather; there are 17 

 in the eastern fleet; they oarry from 500 to 1,200 barrels each. 



37. From 10 to 12 men to each gang. 



38. Usually in the morning, from daylight to ten o'clock, or just at 

 night. In calm weather all day. 



39. Rather better ou the rising tide. 



40. We cannot keep run of the fish as well when the wind blows. 



41. Fifty-four gangs, of from 10 to 12 men each. This comprises the 

 section between the Kennebec aud Penobscot Rivers. There is nothing 

 done in Maine outside of this section except bne or two gangs in Blue 

 Hill Bay, and the next fishing-grounds are at Narragansett Bay, west, 

 and around Long Island. 



42. Carried to the factories in this vicinity. 



43. The most are stock companies, but some are owned by individuals. 

 This question is answered in question 4. 



