IV.-NOTES ON SOME FISHES OF THE DELAWARE RIVER. 



By Dr. C. C. Abbott. 



A— THE LARGER ACANTHOPTEROUS FISHES OF THE DEL- 



AWARE RIVER. 



1. — INTRODUCTORY. 



Trenton, N. J., January 27, 1875. 



Dear Sir : In accordance with your request, made last June, I have 

 gathered into shape the various notes that I have made in tbe field 

 during the last fourteen years, pu the habits of our fresh-water acan- 

 thopterous fishes, omitting all reference to the Etheostomoids. Since 

 1860, I have availed myself of every opportunity to learn something, 

 however trifling, of the habits of even our commonest fishes. The re- 

 sults of my study in this direction, relating to the Cyprinoids, have 

 already been published ; and as I had, of late years, given them more 

 attention than any of the other families of fishes represented in our 

 waters, I was not aware, until I came to prepare my " notes" for you, 

 how little I really knew concerning the Percoids; sol fear you will 

 find nothing of value in what I send you now. 



I would take this opportunit3', however, to make a few general re- 

 marks, first, on the Delaware River as a valuable "food-fish" stream ; 

 and secondly, on the general character of the habits or life-histories of 

 our common fishes. 



There is reason to believe that there has been no material change in 

 the principal physical features of the Delaware River; and to show 

 what the river formerly was, as a food-fish stream, I will quote from a 

 letter written by Mahlon Stacy, at " Falls of the Delaware," Fourth 

 month, 26th, 1680. He says : 



" Fish in their season are very plenteous. My cousin Revell and I, 

 with some of my men, went last Third month (March) into the river to 

 catch herriugs ; for at that time they came in great shoals into the shal- 

 lows. We had neither rod nor net, but, after the Indian fashion, made 

 a round pinfold, about two yards over, and a foot high, but left a gap 

 for the fish to go in at; and made a bush to lay in the gap to keep the 

 fish in; and when that was done, we took two long birches and tied 

 their tops together, and went about a stone's throw above our said pin- 

 fold ; then hauling these birch boughs down the stream, where we drove 



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