HISTORY or THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 77 



told the same story. In Jonesport it is said, 'Fogies used to iiiu into 

 all the coves and creeks. Of late years they do not appear to frequent 

 the shores as formerly.' Testimony of this sort might be multiplied; 

 but it is unnecessary. The fact is notorious. During the past season 

 (1874) they returned to some of their old haunts in great numbers, but 

 have by no means resumed their former habit in this respect. Of this 

 singular change of habit there are various explanations offered. Accord- 

 ing to some persons it is caused by the practice of seining; others lay 

 it to the oil and decaying matter from the oil-factories. Neither of these 

 causes appears sufficient to produce such a result. The desertion of the 

 coves is observed in localities far removed from those where the alleged 

 causes have operated. Perhaps, after all, the thing to be accounted for 

 is why the menhaden ever crowded into small bays as they used to. 

 Were they there in search of food, were they simply obeying blind 

 instinct, or were they driven in by hordes of hungry foes outside? The 

 latter supposition seems quite as probable as the others. We know that 

 small fishes sometimes rush ashore to escape pursuit; we know that 

 this happens with herring when flying from the pollock, and with men- 

 haden when flying from the bluefish and horse-mackerel. The presence, 

 outside, of a large number of predaceous foes, of whatever species, would 

 be ample to drive the menhaden in. This might happen year after year ; 

 while with the cessation of the cause the result would cease too, and the 

 menhaden would no longer crowd into the coves as before. If this view 

 be correct, then the recent absence of the menhaden from the shores 

 indicates an improvement in its chances of life, by the removal of its 

 destroyers. Lack of information forbids an attempt to point out the 

 species that have been most active in producing these movements of the 

 menhaden ; and indeed the theory itself is not proposed as one that has 

 much of i)ositive evidence in its favor, but just to show the possibility 

 of accounting for the absence of the fish from shore on the hypothesis 

 of the operation of causes purely natural, and not inimical, but posi- 

 tively favorable." 



The opinion of Mr. Maddoclcs. 



101. Still another view is advanced by Mr. Maddocks : '• The menhaden, 

 it is believed, does not of its own preference visit the coves and inner 

 harbors, for its food seems to be less abundant in such localities, but to 

 be driven into them by predaceous enemies. Upon the withdrawal of 

 these, either in part or in full, the menhaden may reoccupy their former 

 haunts at a remove from the shore, and thus disappear from inner 

 waters." 



I hardly think that the facts support this opinion. The habits of the 

 fish when undisturbed, as they may be studied on the thousand miles 

 or more of coast south of Cape Cod, are a safer guide than their habits 

 on the much-seined coast of Maine. 



302. Boardmau and Atkins record some very interesting facts regarding 



