FOOD OF Till: CI I.I' MKMIADKN. 577 



DOt eem to Suffer physical! \ frmn tin- company of this parasite, luil I h;i\ < fancied that il \\as to 

 jfl rid of them that tin- lisli visit fresh water. I have noticed no other punishes upon them. 



l.'r.iMiom t 'i i"N. -Tin- lirst traces of spawn arc I'oiinil in May. By . I ill v it lias become suffi- 

 ciently developed to be noticed by any pel-son unacenstonicd to the examination <!' such objeeta. 

 In the latter part of September or first of October, at which time they are last seen in abund- 

 ance, the ovarii-s are sufficiently grown to distend the fish's abdomen, yet not fully ripe. When 

 they are next caught, in November and December, on the sea-beach, they are without ovaries 

 anil show signs of having spawned. 



FOOD. "The ('nil' Menhaden are bottom-feeding fish, as their stomachs always contain soft 

 In-own mud, from which I suppose it extracts microscopic animal or vegetable matter. Some 

 believe that it gains its nourishment in the shape of animalcuhu from the water, as it swims along 

 \\ith its mouth open, straining water through its gills. It is not a food-fish. A few trials have 



been made to use tlielll as bait for deep sea fish, SUCU 88 red M,.ippei>. groupers, etc. Such 



experiments have proved successful." 

 37 K 



