92 Thirty-Sectmd Annual Meeting 



a bono in liis head which contains a saucerfiill of marrow sweete 

 and good, pleasant to the pallate, and wholesome to the stom- 

 acke. When there be great store of them, we onely eate the 

 heads, and salt np the bodies for Winter, which exceedes Ling or 

 Haberdine. Of these fishes some be three and some foure foote 

 long, some bigger, some lesser, at some tides a man may catch a 

 dozen or twenty of these in three houres, the way to catch them 

 is with hooke and line; The Fisherman taking a great Cod-line, 

 to which he fasteneth a peece of Lobster, and throwes it into the 

 Sea, the fish biting at it he pvills her to him, and knocks her on 

 tlie head witli a sticke. These are at one time of the yeare (when 

 Alewives passe np the Elvers) to be catched in Elvers, in Lob- 

 ster time at the Eockies, in Macrill time in the Seas. When 

 they nsed to tide it in and out to tlie Elvers and Creekes, the 

 English at the top of an high water does erosse the Creeks with 

 long Seanes or Basse netts which stop in the fish ; and the water 

 ebbing from them they are left on the dry ground sometimes two 

 or tliree thousand at a set, which are salted up against Winter, 

 or distributed to such as have present occasion either to spend 

 them in their houses, or use them for their ground. They drie 

 them to keepe for Winter, erecting scaffolds in the hot sunshine, 

 making fires likewise underneath them, by whose smoake the 

 flies are expelled till the substance remaine hard and drie. In 

 this manner they dry Basse and other fishes without salt, cutting 

 them very thin to dry siiddenly, before the flies spoyle them, or 

 the raine moist them having a speciall care to hang them in their 

 smoaky houses, in the night and dankish weather," 



Thomas Morton in his "New English Canaan, or Xew Ca- 

 naan, Containing an Abstract of New England" (Amsterdam 

 1637), says: "The Basse is an excellent Fish, both fresh and 

 Salte one hundred whereof salted (at a market) have yielded 5 p 

 They are so large, the head of one will give a good eater a din- 

 ner, and for daintiness of diet, they excell the Marybones of 

 Beefe. There are such multitudes, that I have scene stopped into 

 the river close adjoining to my house with a sand at one tide, so 

 many as will loade a ship of a 100 Tonnes. Other places have 

 greater quantities in so much, as wagers have bin layed, that one 

 should not throw a stone in the water, but that hee should hit a 

 fish. 1 my selfe at the turning of the tyde, have scene siich mul- 



