﻿22G 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [10] 
  

  

  was 
  only 
  time 
  wasted. 
  We 
  managed, 
  however, 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  few 
  parrot- 
  

   tish 
  and 
  box- 
  fish 
  on 
  hooks. 
  

  

  Should 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  ever 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  importance, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  quantities 
  in 
  gill 
  nets 
  set 
  at 
  night, 
  but 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  many 
  large 
  

   predaceous 
  species, 
  among 
  which 
  sharks 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon, 
  would 
  

   compel 
  the 
  fisherman 
  to 
  watch 
  his 
  gear 
  with 
  a 
  never-failing 
  vigilance 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  its 
  destruction. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  that 
  porpoises 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  numerous 
  about 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  Cozumel, 
  and 
  Ave 
  frequently 
  saw 
  large 
  schools 
  of 
  them 
  close 
  

   in 
  to 
  the 
  laud, 
  passing 
  up 
  or 
  down 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  apparently 
  feeding. 
  

  

  For 
  reasons 
  already 
  named, 
  I 
  kept 
  no 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   fish 
  captured 
  at 
  Cozumel, 
  and 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  other 
  reports 
  to 
  sup- 
  

   ply 
  this 
  omission, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  details 
  as 
  to 
  date, 
  &c, 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  

   hauls 
  ; 
  the 
  latter 
  I 
  have, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  here, 
  and 
  properly 
  belong 
  elsewhere.* 
  

  

  3. 
  FROM 
  COZUMEL 
  TO 
  PENSACOLA. 
  

  

  Our 
  stay 
  at 
  Cozumel 
  ended 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  Thursday, 
  January 
  29. 
  

   On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  we 
  left 
  San 
  Miguel 
  and 
  steamed 
  down 
  

   the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  some 
  14 
  or 
  15 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  southward, 
  and 
  

   while 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  us 
  were 
  ashore 
  with 
  the 
  seine 
  making 
  hauls 
  on 
  the 
  

   beach 
  and 
  otherwise 
  engaged 
  in 
  collecting, 
  the 
  ship 
  made 
  some 
  dredg- 
  

   ings 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  water 
  outside 
  the 
  plateau 
  that 
  slopes 
  away 
  very 
  grad- 
  

   ully, 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  so 
  from 
  shore, 
  when 
  the 
  bottom 
  drops 
  

   suddenly 
  down, 
  like 
  a 
  mural 
  cliff, 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  100 
  or 
  1200 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  Our 
  seining 
  operations 
  on 
  this 
  occasion 
  were 
  conducted 
  under 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  difficulties. 
  Aside 
  from 
  the 
  trouble 
  that 
  arose 
  from 
  the 
  seine 
  

   being 
  almost 
  constantly 
  afoul 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  thus, 
  on 
  one 
  occasion, 
  at 
  

   least, 
  requiring 
  hours 
  of 
  incessant 
  toil 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  single 
  landing, 
  the 
  

   afternoon 
  was 
  excessively 
  hot; 
  the 
  sun 
  shone 
  in 
  unclouded 
  brilliancy 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  sending 
  down 
  a 
  burning 
  blazing 
  heat, 
  that 
  was 
  greatly 
  

   intensified 
  by 
  being 
  reflected 
  from 
  the 
  white 
  sand 
  beach, 
  and 
  which 
  the 
  

   light 
  air 
  of 
  wind 
  then 
  blowing 
  scarcely 
  modified 
  at 
  all. 
  It 
  was 
  almost 
  

   unendurable, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  we 
  were 
  nearly 
  blinded 
  with 
  the 
  glare 
  

   from 
  the 
  beach, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  Avith 
  the 
  perspiration 
  that 
  streamed 
  down 
  our 
  

   brows 
  and 
  filled 
  our 
  eyes. 
  However, 
  the 
  work 
  went 
  on 
  until 
  it 
  was 
  

   time 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  ship, 
  and 
  no 
  one 
  suffered 
  seriously 
  from 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   posure. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  day 
  after 
  leaving 
  Cozumel, 
  January 
  30, 
  avc 
  made 
  several 
  at- 
  

   tempts 
  to 
  catch 
  tish 
  with 
  hand-lines 
  on 
  Campeche 
  Hank, 
  that 
  lays 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  *As 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  privilege 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  others 
  to 
  report 
  upon 
  the 
  ichthyology, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  other 
  matters 
  relating 
  to 
  Cozumel, 
  it 
  seems 
  necessary 
  for 
  me 
  t<> 
  give 
  only 
  

   such 
  facts 
  as 
  pertain 
  particularly 
  to 
  fishing 
  ; 
  though 
  in 
  writing 
  of 
  a 
  place 
  so 
  little 
  

   known 
  and 
  so 
  interesting 
  on 
  many 
  accounts 
  as 
  is 
  this 
  island, 
  'there 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  temptation 
  for 
  one 
  to 
  stray 
  somewhat 
  from 
  the 
  subject 
  onemay 
  be 
  dealing 
  with. 
  

   This 
  I 
  have 
  tried 
  to 
  avoid. 
  

  

  