HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 407 



23. Statement of Da del F. Loring, Uighland Light- Station, North Truro, 



Mass,, March 'J, 1874. 



1. They are called pogies. 



2. They are full as plenty from the last of April to the middle of May 

 as any fish that I know of; during that time they are passing in by the 

 cape into the bay, coming from the South. They follow the shore down 

 to the coast of Maine. Whether they go farther to the eastward than 

 the coast of Maine, I do not know ; but presume they do certain parts of 

 the year. 



3. Apparently not one-half as plentiful as they were ten years ago. 



4. There are very few taken at this part of the cape for their oil ; 

 about all that are taken are what the fishermen catch for bait for catch- 

 ing codfish, dogfish, &c. ; probably all that are taken by the fishermen 

 during the year at this place and Provincetown does not exceed 2,000 

 barrels. I believe there are a few establishments, for extracting the oil, 

 farther up the cape at Eastham and Dennis ; the number of them, and 

 the quantity of oil they get, I do not know. 



5. The opinion of people generally seems to be, that they will become 

 extinct in a few years if they continue to be taken for the oil. 



6. From the last of April to the middle of May. 



7. They first make their appearance in large schools on the surface 

 of the water. 



8. I do not know how far to the south they strike the coast when they 

 are coming to the North in the spring. They come in by Block Island, 

 and come through Vineyard Sound, or Martha's Vineyard (so called), 

 as they catch thousands of barrels in the fish-weirs that are built along 

 the north shore of the vineyard. After passing by the cape in the spring, 

 they frequently make their appearance in Cape Cod Bay, through the 

 summer, with the bluefish chasing them ; where they come from it is 

 impossible to tell. Whether they come from the eastward, or whether 

 they are new bodies come from the South, I do not know. I have seen 

 hundreds of barrels of them lying along the shore in the western part 

 of Provincetown Harbor that were driven ashore by the bluefish. 



9. I do not know as there is any great difference in the schools from 

 year to year, but they are decreasing because so many of them are 

 caught for their oil. I presume there has been years when they did not 

 make their appearance, but not within my recollection. I think they 

 are very regular in their habits. 



10. I do not think the use of set nets makes any change in their 

 movements, as they are used for catching the fish in the night } but I 

 think the use of the seine has a tendency to frighten them. I know 

 that seining does frighten mackerel, and do not see any reason why it 

 should not frighten pogies. 



11. Very seldom see them schooling on the ebb-tide; but as soon as 

 the tide turns flood they commence to school on top of the water. I 



