[3] SEA BIRDS AS BAIT FOR CATCHING CODFISH. 313 



shack bait, and as they could often be taken iu large numbers, it will 

 readily be understood their presence on the tishing banks often was of 

 material aid to the fishermen in securing their fares of cod. 



In these notes the writer expects to do nothing more than to give, in 

 an off-hand, and, perhaps, rather disconnected manner, the result of 

 his study of the habits and methods of capture of these sea birds, which 

 for many 3'ears were his almost daily companions; the chief Object be- 

 ing, of course, to convey some idea of the importance of several species 

 as a source of bait supply to our fishermen. 



The great shearwater, {Puffinus major).* 



This species, the " hagdon," or '' hag," of the fishermen is, perhaps, 

 one of the most interesting which is to be found on the outer fishing- 

 grounds; it is used for bait more than any other bird, and has many 

 peculiarities essentially its own. It has a wide distribution in the 

 western Atlantic, and I have myself observed it all the way from lati- 

 tude 390 50' N., longitude 71° 25' W., to north of the Grand Bank iu lati- 

 tude 47°, longitude SO^.f The place of its greatest abundance, however, 

 is probably from near Le Have Bank to, and including, the Grand Bank, 

 the latter locality seemingly being its favorite resort during the summer 

 season. There it occurs in remarkable numbers for several months of 

 the year ; indeed, so abundant is the species that, in many cases, as will 

 be shown further on, it has become of considerable importance as a 

 source of bait supply for the cod -fishermen on that bank. It apijears 

 on the fishing ground usually in the latter part of May or about the 1st 

 of June. In a daily journal kept by myself I find the following note, 

 under date of May 26, 1879 : " I saw a hag this morning, the first I have 

 seen this spring."| This bird was probably a straggler from the large 

 flocks, and very likely it reached the fishing-ground sooner than its com- 

 panions. Three days later, however, on May 29, when in latitude 43° 

 35' N., and longitude 59° 47' W., I saw several large flocks of these 

 birds, and shot one individual. The birds were at that time sitting on 

 the water, and had apparently just reached the locality. Their stay on 

 the Banks continues until about the middle or last of October (occasion- 

 ally later), when they gather in flocks, sitting around on the water for 

 a fev/ days before taking their departure. 



Occasionally, in midsummer, they seem to be scarce, but what the 



* It ia altogether possible, perhaps probable, that there may be other species of 

 I'uffinus which frequent the fishiug banks, besides the two I have named in these notes. 

 On several occasions I have seen birds of this genus which were much smaller than P. 

 major, aud which I then thought were the young of that species, but I now believe 

 they were a smaller variety. My object, however, is not to define the species, but 

 simply to give some idea of the habits of the birds. 



t Mr. Ridgway tells me that P. major is found as far south as Cape Horn or vi- 

 tinity. 



i Our position at that time was latitude 43° 10' ; longitude 62° 23'. 



