HISTORY OF TEE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 45 



of the fall, but the gill-nets often take tbem as late as New Year's. 

 Benjamin Tallman caught 1,000 barrels (400,000) on December 3.* 



Martha's Vineyard Sound. 



7G. At Menemsha Bight the menhaden appear from April 21 to May 

 10, according to Jason Luce & Co., and swim west. Mr. Marchant, of 

 Edgartown, thinks that they enter the Vineyard Sound from the south- 

 west. It is more than likely that both are right, aud the fish enter the 

 sound at either end indifferently. They are seen here in iSTovember. 



According to Captain Edwards, menhaden come to the vicinity of 

 Wood's HoU, Massachusetts, in May, and remain until October. Cap- 

 tain Hinckley, of the same place, states that they first appear to the 

 westward, striking Moutauk Point aud following along the coast exactly 

 like the scup, but going more into the bays ; they go in more shallow 

 water; he has seen them in 12 feet. A school looks reddish. He has 

 seen a school a mile wide and a mile and a half long. They frequently 

 swim near the surface and make a ripple that can be seen. The first 

 school swims rather deep, but as they become more plenty they can be 

 seen. They generally come in about the 10th of May ; in 1871 the first 

 were taken the 21st of April, about three weeks earlier than the aver- 

 age. But they strike off again for about a fortnight before they come 

 regularly. 



Capt. Isaiah Spindel, of Wood's Holl, took the first menhaden of the 

 season of 1870, April 23, and the first mackerel at the same time ; these 

 were only stragglers, and the best time for catching menhaden that year 

 "was about the 10th or 15th of May; in 1871 they came on the 21st of 

 April, when a' thousand were caught; a few stragglers had been taken 

 before, perhaps as early as the middle of April. In 1872 no menhaden 

 were seen after the 15th of October. 



In the autumn of 1877, which was unusually late and warm, the men- 

 haden lingered on the coast until very late. Vinal Edwards saw many 

 taken, November 28, by the North Truro fishermen, and himself found 

 them at Wood's Holl, December 1. 



A very definite idea of the date of appearance of the menhaden in 

 the Vineyard Sound may be gathered from a table given in the Eeport 

 of the Massachusetts Commissioners of Inland Eisheries for 1871, and 

 here reproduced with additions for convenience of reference. 



* Report of the U. S. Comiuissioner of Fish and Fisheries, 1873, p. 184. 



