712 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [12] 



quantity of marine life, chiefly shells and crnstacea, was obtained from 

 the dredge, but when it was put out again, at 2.10 p. m., the net bag- 

 was torn open by the rocky bottom and nothing was taken. 



On October 9 two sets were made with halibut trawls on the Seal 

 Island Ground, the localities being as follows : First position, latitude 

 43^ 04' N., longitude 05° 54' 15" W.; depth, 50 fathoms; pebbly bot- 

 tom. Second position, latitude 43° OC K, longitude G6° 07' W.; depth, 

 40 fathoms; bottom, sand and gravel. 



Catch: First set, 39 dogfish, 10 skates, 15 cusk, and a few sea lemons. 

 Second set, 21 dogfish, 9 skates, and 5 cusk ; also 2 small sponges at- 

 tached to stones and gravel. 



At 4.40 p. m. the dories came alongside from hauling the trawls for 

 the second time and were hoisted on deck. At the same time the boat 

 dredge was put out, with 125 fathoms of towing line payed out on it. 

 Nothing was got in the dredge. 



The absolute failure which wo had met with in the various attempts 

 made to catch halibut in moderate depths convinced mo that there was 

 small probability of catching any fish of this species in shallow water, 

 unless we were prepared to continue our cruise several weeks longer, 

 for a new supply of bait would have to be obtained to start with, the 

 small quantity of herring we had left on board being then unfit for use. 

 Our ice was also exhausted. Besides this, little success could be ex- 

 pected so long as dogfish remained so abundant as we had found them 

 on Seal Island Ground, and we certainly could not expect to find them 

 less plentiful on Brown's Bank. For, not only will these pests of the 

 fisherman gather round a trawl when it is being set, to eat the bait off 

 or get caught, but their presence on a fishing ground is usually suffi- 

 cient cause for other species to leave, at least to such an extent that 

 other fish are seldom plentiful. 



Not considering it desirable to refit, I determined to return to Wood's 

 Holl. Therefore, as soon as the dredge was hauled, shortly after 5 p. 

 m., October 9, we filled away, and after a pleasant passage— most of 

 the time with unfavorable winds — we arrived at Wood's Holl at 9.45 

 a. m. on the 12th of October. 



No noteworthy incident occurred on the passage home, with the sin- 

 gle exception of falling in with three fishing schooners while beating 

 down the eastern side of Cape Cod, on the afternoon of the 11th. As 

 they were going in the same direction that we were bound, and all of 

 them some distance to the windward of us (from 4 to 10 miles), it was 

 a fair opportunity, at least a better one than had previously been af- 

 forded, of making a comparative test of the sailing qualities of the 

 Grampus wdieu beating dead to windward. Two of the vessels, a 

 large two-masted clipper schooner of about 150 tons register, and the 

 other a craft of perhaps 70 tons, we outsailed very much, beating them, 

 at the most moderate estimate, two kuots an hour, dead to windward. 

 The third vessel is reputed to be one of the best sailers in the Ashing 

 fleet. At 2 p. in., when we were 4 or 5 miles to windward of Cape Cod 



