American Fisheries Society. 93 



titudes })asse out of a pound, that it seemed to iiieo, thai one 

 might goe over their backs drishod." 



As early as 1G39 tlie Colonist*; seemed aware of tiie (hmgcr of 

 an extinction of their bass fishing, for it was ordered "At tlic 

 Generall Courtc, lioulden at Boston, the 22th of the 3th M°, 

 called May, l(i3!i .... 



"And it is forbidden to all men, after the 20th of tlie next 

 month, to imploy any codd or basse fish for manuring of ground, 

 upon paine that every pscm, being a fisherman, that shall sell or 

 imploy any such fish for that end, shall loose the said priviledg 

 of exemption from public charges, & that both all fishermen, or 

 others who shall use any of the said fish for that purpose, shall 

 forfect for every hundred of such fish so imployed for manuring 

 of ground twenty shillings & so yv/>ortionably for a lesser or 

 greater number ; yn-ided, that it shall hoe lawful to i;se tlie lieads 

 c^" otfal of such fisli for corne, this order notwithstanding." 



Edward E. Bourne tells us in his "History of Wells and l\en- 

 nebunk" (Portland 1ST.")), "Bass and shad were also very plenty 

 in Mousam river. They were taken in weirs which were built in 

 different places. The most noted place was near ihc mouth of 

 the river, a few rods above Hart's rocks, or near tlie old dam of 

 1792. But soon after the settlement was initiated at Keune- 

 bunk, the bass came to the conclusion that it was unsafe to at- 

 tem])t navigation in this river, aiid discontinued their visits to 

 it." 



Writing of IMyiiioiith in 1643 Samuel Davis in his "Xotes on 

 Plymouth, Massachust>tts ; in the Mass. Hist. Soc, Collections, 

 2nd Series III. (Boston 1815), says: "There is a creek at each 

 of these places (on the headland called Sayquish). when' bass 

 were fonnerly seined; a i)oint there, is still called "st<igi' point," 

 where Mr. William Paddy, about the year 1643, and Mr. John 

 Hewes erected fishing stages, with leave of the colonists. Places 

 where bass frequented would be called "Surkake." bene- the 

 "Skekets" at Capv Cod ; the word is d«"rived, as we conceive, from 

 "Kicous,*" the Algonkin generic term for fish; hence, in tbe Nar- 

 rao-anset bass are called -'niissuc-keke." "nuich fisb."" or "great 

 fish." as tbev are, comparatively, of the lakes: tinis from "Ke- 

 uonge." another generic term. "Hence we think, "Suekicag," 

 the name of Hartford, Conn. It is, doubtless, the little has-; 



