HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 269 



7. Do the schools of fish swim high or low, and is their arrival known 

 otherwise than by their capture — that is, do they make a ripple on the 

 water ; do they attract birds, &c. ? 



8. By what route do these fish come in to the coast, and what the sub- 

 sequent movements ? 



9. Is the apj)earance of the fish on the coast regular and certain, or 

 do they ever fail for one or more seasons at a time, and then return in 

 greater abundance ; if so, to what cause is this assigned ? 



10. Does the use of nets, seines, &c., used in catching them, tend to 

 scare them farther from the shore, their usual feeding grounds'? 



11. What is the relation of their movements to the ebb and flow of 

 the tide ? 



12. What are the favorite localities of these fish ? 



13. What depth of water is preferred by these fish, and how low do 

 they swim ? 



14. Does the temperature of the water appear to affect them ? 



15. Do these fish come on to the breeding grounds before they are 

 mature, and do you find the one or two year old fish with the oldest ? 



16. Are young fish ever seen on the coast ; if so, when, and of what 

 size? 



17. When do the fish leave the coast, and is this done by degrees or 

 in a body ? 



18. By what route do they leave the coast ? 



19. Where do they spend the winter season ? 



D. — Food. 



20. What is the nature of their food ? 



E. — Eeproduction. 



21. Where do these fish spawn and when ? 



22. Can you give any account of the process, whether males and 

 females go in pairs, or one female and two males ; whether the sexes 

 are mixed indiscriminately, etc. ? 



23. Is the water whitened or colored by the milt of the males ? 



24. What temperature of water is most favorable for spawning ? 



25. At what depth of water are the eggs laid, if on or near the bot- 

 tom ? 



26. Do the eggs, when spawned, sink to the bottom and become at- 

 tached to stones, grass, &c., or do they float in the water until hatched ? 



27. When are the eggs hatched, and in what period of time after being 

 laid? 



28. Are the young of this fish found in abundance and in what locali- 

 ties? 



29. Is the spawn ever found to run from the fish when handled after 

 capture ? 



