440 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
As is elsewhere described, sponges are not distributed uniformly over the 
bottom, but are found only on the scattered bars or rocky outcrops and coral 
growths. Sometimes a score or more will be found in an area of a few square 
feet, and again the same number may not grow on an acre of bottom appar- 
ently equally favorable for their attachment. Knowing this, the sponging 
boats will draw together when one is observed to be making a catch and it is 
not unusual to see dingeys so close to one another that the hookers can hardly 
wield their poles without collision. _ 
In recent years, where the sponges are much scattered, or the bars small 
and irregularly distributed, the methods of hooking just described have been 
somewhat modified to meet the conditions. Instead of the sculling of the din- 
geys, these are towed by the vessel under shortened sail, sometimes as many 
as four, two astern and one on each side, from booms rigged well out forward. 
The hookers crouch in the sterns of the dingeys, scanning the bottom through 
their glasses, and when a sponge is seen a small buoy with a cord and anchor 
weight is dropped to mark the spot, the painter is cast off from the vessel, and 
the sponge is taken in the manner already described. Much larger areas can 
be systematically covered by this means than by sculling, and regions may 
be fished with some profit where the sponges have become too few and scat- 
tered for the usual methods to yield results. 
In the Key grounds the vessels usually anchor at night close to the spong- 
ing grounds, and in fair weather some of the larger vessels do the same on the 
Bay grounds; but the greater number run inshore at night and out in the morn- 
ing, thus losing much valuable time, especially when the morning winds are 
light and the conditions are best for work. 
The crews are paid on shares, the distribution of the proceeds of a trip 
being usually as follows: The ‘‘vessel” furnishes boats, apparatus, and food, 
and in return receives one-half of the product of the trip. The other half is 
distributed so that the hookers get one and one-fourth share and the captain, 
scullers, and cook one share each. The captain in addition draws ro per cent 
of the vessel’s portion and each member of the crew is usually assessed a small 
sum for the payment of the watchman at the crawls. 
The sponging industry of the United States was virtually introduced from 
the Bahamas, and so far as the spongers themselves are concerned, the fishery 
remained largely in the hands of the natives of those islands until the intro- 
duction of diving. In 1900, according to Cobb, of the 2,113 persons engaged 
in sponging, 1,268, or 60 per cent, were born in the British provinces, and of 
these 1,013 (80 per cent) were negroes. Of the 839 American-born spongers, 
343 (41 per cent) were colored. Taken as a whole, of the persons engaged in 
hooking, about 65 per cent were negroes. Until 1906 neither the numbers 
