8 FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



and White Oak rivers, contain cat-fishes, minnows, pikes, perches, sun-fishes, 

 and basses. The large-mouth black bass abounds, and reaches a weight of 7 to 8 

 pounds. 



The only other lakes worthy of mention are Black and Bartrams, lying 

 between South and Cape Fear rivers, in Bladen county; and Waccamaw, on one 

 of the branches of Waccamaw River in Columbia County. 



In addition to the admirable facilities for fishing afforded by the smooth, 

 sandy outer beaches, there are important offshore fishing grounds along the 

 entire coast of North Carolina. Among the species thus taken are blue-fish, 

 especially north of Cape Hatteras in winter; menhaden, of which immense bodies 

 occur and are sought by steam and sail vessels, some belonging in the state and 

 some coming from points far to the north; and various bottom fishes, inhabiting 

 the submerged banks and caught chiefly with lines, among which are cod, sea 

 bass, grunts, and pig-fish. The most celebrated and most exploited of the off- 

 shore grounds are the "black-fish" banks lying off the Cape Fear River. 



THE RIVERS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST.* 



The rivers of North Carolina which drain into the Atlantic include some of 

 the finest streams on the eastern seaboard of the United States. The principal 

 ones rise on the slopes of the Blue Ridge, fiow across the Piedmont plateau region 

 and then traverse the wide coastal plain region, where they discharge, mostly 

 through wide estuaries, after pursuing a generally southeasterly course. The 

 rivers that merit separate mention are the Chowan, the Roanoke, the Tar, the 

 Neuse, the Cape Fear, the Yadkin, and the Catawba. 



The Chowan River rises in southeastern Virginia, flows through a wooded 

 swampy region, and enters the western end of Albemarle Sound. The chief 

 tributary is the Blackwater, in Virginia. That part of the Chowan which is in 

 North Carolina in about 50 miles long, and in the lower 20 miles of its course 

 is very broad and shallow. The Chowan is one of the most important streams in 

 the state for shad, alewives, and other migratory fishes, while black bass, crappy, 

 sun-fishes, yellow perch, pike, suckers, and cat-fish are among the permanent 

 inhabitants. The discoloration of the water by the decomposition of vegetable 

 matter in the c}-press swamps is quite marked and is generally regarded as 

 affecting the run of shad and alewives, which are attracted thereby. 



The Roanoke River is one of the longest streams of North Carolina. Its 

 headwaters flow from the slopes of the Alleghany Mountains in southeastern 

 Virginia, and it is formed by the union of the Dan and Staunton rivers in Mecklen- 

 burg County, Virginia. The Dan rises in Virginia near Buffalo Knob in Patrick 

 County, enters North Carolina, reenters Virginia, returns to North Carolina, and 

 then enters Virginia again and joins the Staunton. After pursuing a very tortu- 

 ous course in a southeasterly direction, the Roanoke debouches into the extreme 



*For a very full account of the water courses of North Carolina, reference is made to Bulletin No. 8 of the 

 North Carolina Geological Survey, comprising "Papers on the Water Power of North Carolina," by George F. 

 Swain, J. A. Holmes and E. W. Myers. Raleigh, 1899. 



