FISHES OF NEW YORK 329 



States, congregating in schools in the open seas, where it is 

 prejed on by porpoises, tunny, bonito, cod, bluefish and other 

 predaceous animals. At Provincetown Mass., according to 

 Storer, large quantities are yearly thrown on the shore, but 

 they are considered worthless, while on other parts of Cape Cod 

 they are taken in immense numbers, and are considered very 

 nutritious food. 



The saury, or skipper, is migratory, arriving on our coast in 

 summer and departing on the approach of cold weather. It is 

 a surface swimmer and, therefore, is particularly liable to the 

 attacks of voracious fishes. Couch says: 



It is sometimes seen to rise to the surface in large schools and 

 fly over a considerable space. But the most interesting spec- 

 tacle, and that which best displays their great agility, is when 

 they are followed by a large company of porpoises, or their still 

 more active and oppressive enemies, the tunny and bonito. 

 Multitudes then mount to the surface and crowd on each other 

 as they press forward. When still more closely pursued, they 

 spring to the hight of several feet, leap over each other in sin- 

 gular confusion, and again sink beneath. ' Still further urged^ 

 they mount again and rush along the surface by repeated starta 

 for more than 100 feet, without once dipping beneath, or 

 scarcely seeming to touch the water. At last the pursuer 

 springs after them, usually across their course, and again they 

 all disappear together. Amidst such multitudes for more 

 than 20,000 have been judged to be out of the water together 

 some must fall a prey to the enemy; but, so many hunting in 

 company, it must be long before the pursuers abandon. From 

 inspection we should scarcely judge the fish to be capable of 

 such flights, for the fins, though numerous, are small and the 

 pectorals far from large, though the angle of their articulation 

 is well adapted to raise the fish by the direction of their motions 

 to the surface. Its power of springing, therefore, must be 

 chiefly ascribed to the tail and the finlets. It rarely takes bait; 

 and, when this has happened, the boat has been under sail, the 

 men fishing with a " lash," or slice of mackerel made to imitate 

 the living body. 



The skipjack is frequently seen springing above the surface 

 on our coasts, and no doubt at such times it is pursued by 

 bluefish, bonito and, probably, mackerel or cod. 



