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 iip from there, like as we see 



