29 



Note on thr American Shad, 

 (r. l. ascroft.) 



The American Shad {Cliqyea sapidlssima) which is 

 nearly alhed to our Shad {C. alosa), but has no markings 

 on the back, is a native of the rivers of the Eastern States 

 and part of Canada. It is found from eastern Florida to 

 the entrance of the gulf of St. Lawrence. 



It is a fish of the herring tribe, but of far larger growth, 

 reaching a weight of eight pounds, and an average of four 

 pounds each. When the spawning fish are approaching 

 maturit}', and the temperature of the river waters have 

 reached 60° F., they migrate up the streams. If a freshet 

 caused by warm rains exists in a river it is followed by a 

 rush upward of many fish at the same time ; but if the 

 rise in the temperature is slow, the fish come in small 

 numbers at a time. If the waters on the flats, at the 

 side of a stream, are warmer than those in the main 

 channel, the fish will keep in the warmer waters. 



They mostly choose for spawning places sandy shores 

 or bars of sand, and during spawning a pair of fish swim 

 along together at the surface, the female emitting her 

 spawn and the male his milt. The fishermen on the 

 Potomac, at Washington, D.C., call it "washing." The 

 time is between sunset and 11 p.m. The number of eggs 

 averages 25,000 per fish, but sometimes a female has given 

 100,000. The eggs take from three to six days to hatch out, 

 and the young, although incumbered with a larger yolk sac 

 than young salmon, are, unlike them, quick, active, little 

 fish. The fry stay about six months in the river, growing 

 to 2j to 3 J inches in length, migrating to the sea when 

 the temperature falls below 60° F. 



Their food consists almost entirely of Crustaceans, such 

 as Copepoda, and as they grow they do not despise any 



