288 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [52] 



was latitude 40° 3' north, and longitude 70^^ 28' west. Captain Ked- 

 mond went in one of the dories (as he did during the whole time we 

 were on the ground), leaving me to manage the smack with the assist- 

 ance of the cook, while Mr. Phillips busied himself in taking notes on 

 this method of fishing, which he now saw for the first time. 



Being entirely unacquainted with the strength of the current in this 

 locality, we put four buoys on each trawl — two on an end — to make sure 

 that the gear should not be lost by the submergence of the kegs. We 

 found, however, after the trawls were set, that there was only a moder- 

 ate tide setting to leeward in a northeasterly direction, and apparently 

 only at the surface. 



We began hauling the trawls at 8 o'clock a. m., and picked up the last 

 dory at 10.15. Only three fish were caught. These were a hake {Phy- 

 cis), a grenadier {Macrurns), and a whiting, or silver hake (Merlucius).* 



After getting the boats on board we ran to the westward, the men in 

 the mean time being busy in baiting the trawls, which we set again at 

 2.30 o'clock p. m. in from 130 to 150 fathoms,t our position being latitude 

 40O 2' north, longitude 70° 41' west. 



The gear was hauled late in the afternoon. We caught about twenty 

 hake (Phycis), four or five silver hake {Merlucius), several skates (Eaia), 

 of which we saved two specimens, and three handsome fish of a species 

 which I had not previously seen^ besides a limited number of inverte- 

 brates. All of the largest fish were iced, as well as one of the rare 

 ones, which we were in hopes might prove of special interest, and which 

 we preferred to keep in ice, so that it would retain its color. The other 

 two were put in alcohol, as also were the invertebrates.§ 



Owing to the fact that we were uncertain about the strength of the 

 current in the morning, and had so little time for the afternoon set, we 

 did not put out any of the lobster pots. It is, perhaps, proper to remark 

 here that fishing, as we were, under sail, and exerting ourselves to the 

 utmost to make as many trials as possible in a given space of time, 

 little could be done with lobster pots in deep water, though it is entirely 

 reasonable to suppose that they might be set from a vessel at anchor 



* These, with the exception of the first, were put in jars, with other material (in- 

 vertebrates), and labeled "Lot No. 1." 



t In all cases the trawls were set at right angles to the trend of the ground, which 

 here extends nearly east and west, sloping quite rapidly to the southward, so that a 

 trawl, being nearly a mile long, might be in 150 fathoms where its southern end lay, 

 while at the northern extremity there would not be more than 120 or 130 fathoms. 

 It seemed desirable to place the gear so that, as far as circumstances would permit, 

 various depths might be reached, since it often happens that some species of fish 

 which may occur in great abundance at a depth of, say, 130 fathoms or more, can be 

 rarely taken in shoaler water, while other kinds would be found most plentiful where 

 it was not so deep. 



t This species has since been identified as the Sebastoplus dactylopterus. Immature 

 specimens had previously been found on our coast, but no adults had been taken. It 

 also occurs in the Mediterranean and at Madeira. 



$Thi8 collection was labeled "Lot No. 2." 



