6 American Fishe7*ies Society 



that bear the name, but they differ from the true shad, 

 and, in strictness, the name should be given only to the 

 anadromous species frequenting the coastal waters and 

 streams of the Atlantic and their immediate descendants 

 on the Pacific side. In the waters tributary to the Gulf 

 of Mexico, are several species, such as the Alabama shad 

 and the Ohio shad, whose origin is uncertain. They may 

 have come from those planted by the United States Fish 

 Commission in southern waters, or they may be indepen- 

 dent species. There are some fishes commonly known 

 as shad, that are not herrings at all, such as the gizzard 

 or hickory shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), the mackerel 

 shad (Decapterus macarellus) and in some places even 

 the common white fish is known as the Lake Champlain 

 shad. The tendency on the part of people to carry fami- 

 liar names into new regions is seen very plainly in the 

 names given to new plants and animals, and the various 

 fishes known locally as trout, salmon, shad and the like, 

 show how little the common names can be trusted to 

 show true relationships. The present paper will give no 

 attention to these namesakes, however, for the true shad, 

 Alosa sapidissima, is the one whose preservation has be- 

 come a national problem. 



The natural history of the shad is but slightly known. 

 In the early winter the spawning fish appear in the 

 waters of Florida, and as the season advances, they enter 

 the streams of the more northern regions, seeking the 

 headwaters where they spawn. This migration seems 

 to be dependent on the temperature, for a cold spring 

 will markedly delay their appearance in a given stream, 

 but this is about all that is known in regard to it. There 

 is some reason to believe that the fish do not migrate 

 along the coast, but come directly in-shore from deep 

 water beyond the continental plateau, but as nothing is 

 known of their pelagic existence, this is uncertain. The 

 shad usually appear in the Chesapeake Bay and its tribu- 

 taries in April and May. In June they are apt to be 

 found on the New England coast, and then their run is 

 over. On the Pacific coast, Mr. N. B. Scofield of the Cali- 



