niSTOEY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 269 



7. Do the scLools of fish swim bigb or low, and is their arrival known 

 otherwise than by their capture — that is, do they make a rii)ple on the 

 water ; do they attract birds, &c. 1 



8. By what route do these fish come in to the coast, and what the sub- 

 sequent movements ? 



9. Is the appearance of the fish on the coast regular and certain, or 

 do they ever fail for one or more seasons at a time, and then return in 

 greater abundance ; if so, to what cause is this assigned ? 



10. Does the use of nets, seines, &g., used in catching them, tend to 

 scare them farther from the shore, their usual feeding grounds ? 



11. What is the relation of their movements to the ebb and flow of 

 the tide ? 



12. What are the favorite localities of these fish ? 



13. What depth of water is preferred by these fish, and how low do 

 they swim ? 



14. Does the temperature of the water appear to affect them ? 



15. Do these fish come on to the breeding grounds before they are 

 mature, and do you find the one or two year old fish with the oldest ! 



16. Are young fish ever seen on the coast ; if so, when, and of what 

 size? 



17. When do the fish leave the coast, and is this done by degrees or 

 in a body ? 



18. By what route do they leave the coast ? 



19. Where do they spend the winter season ? 



D.— Food. 



20. What is the nature of their food ? 



E. — Reproduction. 



21. Where do these fish spawn and when ? 



22. Can you give any account of the process, whether males and 

 females go in pairs, or one female and two males; whether the sexes 

 are mixed indiscriminately, etc. ? 



23. Is the water whitened or colored by the milt of the males ? 



24. What temperature of water is most favorable for spawning ? 



25. At what depth of water are the eggs laid, if on or near the bot- 

 tom ? 



26. Do the eggs, when spawned, sink to the bottom and become at- 

 tached to stones, grass, &c., or do they float in the water until hatched ? 



27. When are the eggs hatched, and in what period of time after being 

 laid 1 



28. Are the young of this fish found in abundance and in what locali- 

 ties? 



29. Is the spawn ever found to run from the fish when handled after 

 capture ? 



