[19] HISTORY OF THE TILE-FISH. 255 



foregoing newspaper paragraph, shows what an interest was felt in the 

 sea-coast towns of aSTew England concerning this event, and demon- 

 strates most forcibly how the welfare of large communities engaged in 

 the fisheries might be affected were such a mortalitj^ to occur among 

 the species of fish most commonly sought for food : 



" Dear Sir : The inclosed paragraph was clipped from the Boston 

 Advertiser of to-day. I have heard nothing more about it than what I 

 read in this article. I call your attention to the matter with the thought 

 that you would cause such an investigation to be made as would give 

 you all the information obtainable. All kinds of ground fish have been 

 very scarce on this shore all the winter season, and our vessels that fish 

 on George's, Brown's, or Le Have Banks, have not found what they call 

 a school of fish for many months. 



" Gloucester, Mass., March 21, 1882." 



As the bark Sidon was one of the first to report the presence of the 

 dead fish at sea, the following letter to Prof. Baird, from the secretary 

 of the Boston Fish Bureau, Mr. W. A. Wilcox, containing many addi- 

 tional details, is of special interest: 



" Dear Sir : I have just seen the master of the bark Sidon, from 

 Cardenas, West Indies, to Boston. The captain, Ole Jorgensen, re- 

 ports as follows : 



" Tuesday, March 14, in lat. 40°, long 71°, from 1 p. m. until dark 

 they sailed through large numbers of dead fish floating on the water- 

 The weather was cold and stormy, with strong northwest wind. The ves- 

 sel was sailing from 6 to 8 knots an hour, equal to 40 or 50 miles, in 

 which they passed through the fish. They attempted to catch some of 

 them, but did not succeed. He judged the fish were from 1 to 4 feet 

 long — mostly from 1 to 2 feet. They could be seen in all directions as 

 far as the eye could reach, but only scattering, sometimes as many as 

 twenty being seen at a time near the vessel. The captain could form no 

 estimate of the numbers seen, and could only say it was many thousands. 

 As the sea was quite rough they could be seen only as they came up 

 on the crest of the waves. The next day, March 15, they had a gale, 

 accompanied by a snow-storm, and no fish were seen, although they 

 may have passed through them. 



"The bark Henry Warner is reported to have passed through the 

 fish in lat. 37°, long. 71o. I regret I could not see the master. The 

 vessel is now at Portland, Me., and I presume a letter will reach him 

 there. 



" If you can give me a description and some account of the Tile-fish I 

 shall be very much obliged. Our papers would like it and be pleased 

 to publish it, with your request for any information in regard to those 

 seen floating on the sea. Are they not the species taken by the Fish 



