206 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



also exIracU'd by luuigiiit;' the jaws i\i the warm sunlight and pennii- 

 tiiig tlio oil to di-ip into cans placed underneath to receive it. About 

 half a pint of this oil maybe secured from each poi-poise; it is sold at 

 a very hiiih ]>rice for hil)ricatin<;- watches, clocks, and the like. Very 

 few of the Passannuiuoddy Indians ar<» now left, and these few have 

 almost entirely abandoned "porpusin" for otlier occupations. 



The " black-fish" {GJohioceplialus iiielas) occurs in many parts of the 

 Atlantic Ocean. Individuals vary in length from 8 to l*i' feet. They are 

 captured by the sperm-whalers, and also at irregular intervals thej^ are 

 secured when stranded on the shore, especially in Cape Cod Bay, 

 where they have gone in pursuit of food, the fishermen getting to the 

 seaw^ard of them and driving them ashore. They are likewise secured 

 on the rocky coast of Scotland and other parts of northern Europe. 



According to Capt. James Averj'-, of New Bedford, the sperm- whalers 

 take them at all seasons of the year and throughout the Atlantic, but 

 probably in greatest abundance on the west coast of Africa in 20° W. 

 longitude, and C° to 10° N. latitude. The number caught annually 

 has greatly decreased in the last fifteen or twenty years. In 1881 the 

 Eleanor B. Conivell caught 196, probablj^ the greatest number taken 

 in any one year by a single vessel. During the last three or four years 

 the entire whaling fleet probably has not captured more than 20 or 

 25 annually, yielding about 800 gallons of body oil and 50 gallons of 

 head oil, the former Avorth $280 and the latter $350 at fisherman's 

 prices. 



The black-fish are captured in much the same manner as very small 

 sperm whales, and for cutting-in they are hove up on deck by means 

 of lifting tackle. The blubber is nearly white, from 1 to 5 inches 

 thick, and is removed from the carcass in longitudinal strips 8 or 10 

 inches wide. These strips are cut in horse-pieces and minced in the 

 same manner as already described for whale blubber, the blood being 

 washed off the fat by dashing buckets of water over it. The" minced 

 blubber is then placed in the try-pots and cooked, and subsequently 

 treated precisely as that of the right whale. The product of oil ranges 

 from 5 to 120 gallons from each individual, averaging probably about 

 35 or 40 gallons. This is sometimes mixed with whale oil, although it 

 has a greater value, selling usually for sevei-al cents per gallon more 

 than that of the right whale. 



The head oil of the black-fish is taken from the melon oi- junk and 

 the jaw-pans. The melon is a fatty mass on the top of the head, 

 reaching from the spout hole to the end of the nose, and weighs about 

 25 pounds. This is washed free from blood, minced, and placed in 

 the try-pot. The lower jaw is cut ofl:, the jaw-i)ans cut out with a 

 knife, minced, washed, and placed with the cleaned jaws and the melon 

 in the try-pot. Some whalers cook the melon and the jaw materials 

 separately, but the above is the usual method. 



It is customary to cook the head matter of black-fish in fresh water. 

 About 15 gallons of fresh water is placed in the pot, the fat is then 



