
THE SEA FISHERIES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 69 
An excessive change of temperature, whether the change be to ex- 
treme heat or extreme cold, constitutes an important member of the 
agencies injurious to fishes. The latter phase, however, is the more dan- 
gerous, as while the fishes that belong to thecolder waters of the ocean 
are but seldom exposed to an unnatural degree of heat, those of the 
South Atlantic and the Gulf Coast of the United States are frequently 
killed at once by a severe turn of cold weather, hundreds of tons of 
fish frequently perishing within a limited district. This is quite a com- 
mon accompaniment iu the fall and winter of the severe northers on 
the Texas coast. Similar cases of death by cold or freezing are often 
observed on the shores of the New England and Middle States, although 
usually not so marked in their presentation. It is, however, quite com- 
mon to find in early winter numbers of scup, tautog, sea bass, and other 
species in a drying condition on the beach. 
Fish killed by cold.—l find among some manuscript notes communi- 
cated to me by J. Carson Brevoort, esq., that in 1849 many fish were 
killed in Massachusetts by the cold, 60,000 pounds of striped bass hav- 
ing been taken from Polk pound, and 120,000 pounds from Newton 
pound, Martha’s Vineyard, and sent to the New York market. He also 
records that on the 30th of September, 1844, the shores of Jamaica pond 
were covered with young pompanos, from 14 to 5 inches in length, sup- 
posed to have been killed by the cold. 
Dr. H. C. Yarrow reports that in the winter of 1870-1871, in the lat- 
ter part of December, great numbers of drum, flounders, small mullet, 
trout, and spots were frozen at New River (a prolific fishing ground), 45 
miles from Fort Macon. The trout, mullet, and flounders were piled on 
the shore knee high, and were carted all over the country as manure, 
selling at $1 per barrel. 
The samething happened ayear ortwo later. Thousands of fish have 
been frozen at the same place. Almost every winter during the last 
ten years more or less of the food-fishes have been destroyed by cold. 
In addition to the destruction of fish in large numbers by sudden 
chilling of the water, such as frequently takes place in the Gulf of 
Mexico and the eastern coast of Florida after a severe norther, many 
are killed by the action of anchor-ice. Thus, in the vicinity of Wood’s 
Holl, Mass., young herring and other fish are often found in the winter 
time floating in vast numbers, and also imbedded in the ice which forms 
at the bottom and floats to the top. 
OTHER FATALITIES.—A further exampie of the method by which 
large numbers of fishes and other inhabitants of the waters may have 
been destroyed simultaneously is given by Mr. Henry O. Forbes, of 
Aberdeen, Scotland, in his account of a visit to the Cocos or Keeling 
Islands in 1884. In this region, immediately after a cyclone, which oc- 
curred January 28, 1876, the water on one side of an adjacent lagoon 
was observed to be rising from a considerable depth and of a black- 
ened color. It continudd to flow for about fourteen days, had an inky 
