PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 77 



within 80 yards, all small; I uever saw a shark over four feet long 

 dead. The cow-tish and eels were about the last to die. In regard 

 to the cause of their dying, I have made up ray raind it was caused by 

 the fresh water, as there was immense quantities of fresh water coming 

 down the bay, and the water here was uearl}^ fresh on the surface, while 

 the water underneath was perfectly" salt. JSTow, if the fresh water could 

 have passed ofl" into the Gulf without being disturbed by winds, and 

 it would have naturally spread out thinner and thinner as it would have 

 rolled on towards the Gulf Stream, and once it got there, then there 

 would have been no trouble. But on the 7th of October we had a heavy 

 gale from the southwest, and it continued to blow from the south and 

 west until the 11th of October, and a very heavy sea running at the 

 mouth of the bay, and it churned the fresh and salt water all up together, 

 and the strong southerly winds set this mixed water back and kept it 

 here for several days. I noticed, a few days before the lish commenced 

 to die, a peculiar smell on the water, something like the smell of bilge- 

 water, and the color of the water was a dirty green, mixed with small 

 sediment. I noticed the fish while they were dying, when they first 

 come in shoal water; they would act crazy, dart around in every direc- 

 tion, but in a short time would give up and float ashore. On examining 

 them I found their gills all glued together with a slimy substance and 

 of a whitish color,* and in a short time the gills would turn green and 

 the fish bloat very large. I cannot make any correct statement as 

 to the number that died, but thousands of barrels floated u]i on this 

 island. There are no fish dying now ; all we catch are fat and nice. I 

 should have written to you before, but I have been very busy. I've 

 had a new duty to perform, taking the tide every half hour. Any in- 

 formation I can give you at any time I will be happy to do so. 



jMy address is : Braidentowu, Manatee County, Florida. 

 Yery respectfully, 



CHARLES MOORE, Jr., 



Keeper of Egmont Light-Rouse. 



Ernest Ingersoll, 



TJ. S. Fish Commission, 



Washington, D. G. 



Along this region of the Florida coast are several establishments or 

 *• factories" devoted to the catching and salting of fish, chiefly the mullet 

 and its roe, and to the making of superphosphates. All of these were 

 obliged to suspend operations, and their winter's work has been ruined, 

 or at least all the profits are gone. One gentleman told me of a single 

 definite loss he had thus suffered of $800. 



To this part of the coast, also, comes a large fleet of smacks and 

 "smackees" every winter to catch fish for the Key West and Havana 



*I failed to find any other instance in which this thickening or heguniming of the 

 gills hud been observed. The dead fish were elsewhere reported as healthj"^ in appear- 

 ance, and iu one case, at least, were eaten without harm, or even indigestion occur- 

 ring. — E. I. 



