American Fisheries Society. 91 



\\illi:iiii iliil.l.jird wriU's in his "Historv of New HiiglaiKl, 

 from the year Kit^ ) to the year 1(»80" (:Ma.<s. Mist. Soc, Collec- 

 tions 2nd Series ^' ) : "In the year lii23 they had but one boat 

 left, and tliat none of the best, wliieji then was the principal sup- 

 ]»<»rl (if their lives, for that year it lielped iheni for to improve a 

 jK't wlierewith tliey took a multitude of bass, which was their 

 livelihood, all that summer. It is a fish not much inferiour to 

 a salmon, that comes upon the coast every summer, pressing into 

 most of the great creeks every tide. Few countries have such 

 an advantage. Sometimes fifteen hundn'd of them have bren 

 stopped in a creek, and taken in one tide." 



Francis Higginson writing in 1(529 says: '"Whilst I was 

 writing this letter my wiffe brought me word that the fishers 

 had caught 1600 basse at one draught, whicli if tliey were in 

 England, were worth many a pound." 



In his "Xew England's Plantation" or "A Short and Trm- 

 Description of the Commodities and Discommodities of that 

 Country" (London 1630), he says, "There is a fish called a 

 Basse, a most sweet and wholesome Fish as ever I did eat, it is 

 altogether as good as our fresh Sammon, and the season of their 

 coming was Ijcgun when we came first to New England in June, 

 and so continued about three months s})ace. Of this Fish our 

 Fishers take many hundreds together, whicli 1 have scene lying 

 on the shore to my admiration; yea, their Nets ordinarily take 

 more than they are able to hale to land, and for want of Boats 

 and Men they are constrained to Id a many gw after they have 

 taken them, and yet sometimes they lill two Boats at a time with 

 them." 



1 lind in 'i'liomas Erince, "A Chronological History of New 

 England in the Foi'iu of Annals" (Boston 173(5), the following: 

 "Tn the Morning, some of the natives stand at a Distance look- 

 ing at us, but come not near till they had been a while in view; 

 and then one of "em holding out a Bass towards us. we sent a 

 Man with a Bisket and change 'em. After which they su])|)Iy 

 us with Bass, giving a Bass for a Bisket, and are very friendly." 



William Wood in ''Xew England's Trospect" (London 

 163.")), says: "The Basse is one of the best fishes in the Coun- 

 trv, and though men are soon wearied with other fish, yet aiv 

 thev never with Basse; it is a delicate, fine. fat. fast fisb. having 



