IIISTOSY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 381 



25. Any deptb, but usually iu slioal water, ou the bottom. 



26. Lay ou the bottom. 



27. Iu about six weeks after being laid. 



28. They are iu great abuudauce; saw more young fish iu Narragan- 

 sett Bay last season than ever bei'ore, but their usual spawuiug-grounds 

 are south as far as Cape Lookout, mostly' about the Potomac and Dela- 

 ware Bay and joining shores. 



29. Never saw tbe spawn running from the fish. We never catch 

 them with the purse-seine for tbe reason that they leave the body of fish 

 and scatter about. The spawning fish are among the first to arrive. 



30. Do not know as I ever saw meuhadeu spawn iu any other fish. 

 The parent fish do not devour them. 



31. Have seeu a small crab iu the fish, just under the scales, with an 

 appendage about an inch long; never saw anything in or around the 

 mouth. 



32. They suffer to a great extent from bluefish, horse mackerel, por- 

 poise, sharks, whales, dog-fish, &c. 



33. Kever saw any diseases about them. 



34. There are a great many caught iu gill-nets in the first part of the 

 season, but not so many here as formerly. Tbe nets are made of tine cotton 

 twine, about 4 inches mesh, and all set or anchored ; the fish run into 

 them and put their heads through the mesh. They are about 20 fathoms 

 long and 12 feet deep. 



35. Tbe purse-seines here are made from 200 to 225 fixthoms long 

 and 100 feet deep in the middle and 70 at the ends made of fiue cotton 

 twine. 



3G. A small schooner of about 30 tons, with two or three open boats 

 carrying about 200 barrels each, two men in each boat. The crew live 

 ou board the teuder and lay on the fishing-grounds and the boats carry 

 the fish to the works. Tbe most of the fish here are caught iu steamers 

 of about 60 tons, from 30 to 50 horse-power. The steamers work better 

 than sail gangs, ou account of running in calm weather; there are 17 

 in the eastern fleet ; they oarry from 500 to l,2l{0 barrels each. 



37. From 10 to 12 men to each gang. 



38. Usually in the naoniing, from daylight to ten o'clock, or just at 

 night. In calm weather all day. 



39. Rather better ou the rising tide. 



40. We cannot keep run of tbe fish as well when the wind blows. 



41. Fifty-four gangs, of from 10 to 12 men each. This comprises the 

 section between the Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers. There is nothing 

 done in Maine outside of this section except one or two gangs iu Bine 

 Hill Bay, and the next fishing-grounds are at isarragausett Bay, west, 

 and around Long Island. 



42. Carried to the factories in this vicinity. 



43. The most are stock companies, but some are owned by individuals. 

 This question is answered in question 4. 



