364: RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



Just as the larger fish feed upon shiners in the river, " at 

 the turn of the tide," so too do little rock-fish, scarcely 

 two inches in length, gather about still smaller shiners, 

 and capture them as dexterously, and devour them as 

 voraciously, as ever did an adult fish. Prior to the erec- 

 tion of the dam near the mouth of the Assunpink Creek, 

 at Trenton, the rock-fish ascended this creek, as I found 

 bones of this fish in considerable quantity in an Indian 

 shell-heap three miles above the outlet. It still passes 

 up Crosswicks Creek in large numbers, entering it at 

 Bordentown, and going as far as the dam at Groveville ; 

 and if I were not assured of the contrary, I would say 

 that these rock-fish spawned in this creek. It seems, 

 however, that such is not the case. In the course of a 

 day's ramble, March 2, 1879, I met with an experienced 

 fisherman, and questioned him closely about these fish. 

 Here are his words, taken down while he was talking : 



" The young rock fish are very common, from one to 

 three inches long, in shallow water along the river shore, 

 where they swim about with little minnies, on which 

 they keep a-feedin', sometimes eatin' a fish as big as 

 themselves. 



" The old rock-fish keep goin' up the river from early 

 spring until late in summer, and in October and Novem- 

 ber, accordin' as it is a late or early fall, come down the 

 river in large numbers. In winter, or very early in spring, 

 they are often found in deep holes in ' gangs.' In a 

 hole near Newbold's Island, with one drag of a net in a 

 deep hole, one hundred and fifty weight were taken, 

 rangin' from five to seventeen pounds weight. I never 

 saw a rock-fish with roe in it, as I remember, but young 

 ones are common so small that I'd a supposed they were 

 hatched here in the river. Perhaps they go down to the 

 bay, and the young come up from there, like as we see 



