134 Notice of the Shad Fisheries of the River Delaware. 
Art. Xif.—Notice of the Shad and Shad Fisheries of the River 
Delaware; by Samvet Howe, M. D. 
(Communicated by Dr. Rrcuarp Haruan, of Philadelphia.) 
Anavoeous to the feathered tribes in their periodical migrations, 
are the shad of our Atlantic rivers ; and like some of these, too, as 
the Rail bird for example, we are as yet ignorant whence they come 
and whither they go. In this respect they afford a striking illustra- 
tion of the goodness and design of an all-wise Providence, in making 
it a law of their nature that they shall thus annually throw them- 
selves within the reach of man, at a season when they are in the 
greatest state of perfection, and when circumstances render it most 
‘convenient for him to appropriate them to his use. 
The shad usually make their first appearance about the middle of 
March ; in early seasons, however, they are occasionally taken in 
February. It is a singular fact that they are caught within a few 
days as early above the rapids, one hundred and sixty miles from 
the ocean, as at the lowest fisheries on the river. But although 
their advance guard would thus seem to move on with such celerity 
towards their place of destination, the main body evidently pursue 
their course more deliberately : and it is obvious from the operations 
of the successive fisheries, that their progress upward is slow, and 
that they do not move as fast as the tide would carry them, even 
admitting that they remain quiescent during the ebb. While they 
work their way slowly against the ebb tide, it would seem that they 
head about and rather stem the upward drift of the flood. This is 
proved by the fact that the drift nets or gilling seines, which catch 
them meshed on their lower side during their ebb drift, have them 
entangled on the opposite side when drifting upwards with the flood 
tide. While their general movement is upwards, for their final des- 
tination seems to be the clear shallow waters above the tide, their 
instinct instructs them to loiter by the way to enjoy their appropriate 
food, with which the turbid fresh waters of the river seem to abound. 
What this food is, is conjectural; they certainly are not a fish of 
prey, and their alimentary canal on dissection, discloses nothing but 
a greenish, earthy slime, which is probably strained through their 
fringed throats, as they suck in the water; we may fairly infer that 
MReRtrionent :< consists of the mucilage or matters held in solution 
by the waters. That they find congenial aliment in these waters is 
