﻿N. 
  E. 
  KicoLS, 
  Easton^ 
  Maryland. 
  

  

  1. 
  Have 
  fished 
  at 
  diiferent 
  periods 
  for 
  forty 
  years. 
  Have 
  

   never 
  fished 
  for 
  a 
  livelihood. 
  

  

  2. 
  In 
  the 
  Great 
  Choptank 
  River. 
  

  

  3. 
  Have 
  not. 
  Have 
  learned 
  more 
  from 
  practical 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  way. 
  

  

  4. 
  Spawning 
  commences 
  in 
  April, 
  but 
  greater 
  part 
  is 
  done 
  

   in 
  May 
  and 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  June. 
  Shad 
  are 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   from 
  middle 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  first 
  of 
  May 
  in 
  our 
  waters. 
  

  

  5. 
  Have 
  kept 
  account 
  sometimes. 
  Have 
  not 
  specially 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  or 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  winds. 
  

  

  6. 
  I 
  think 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  gradual 
  decrease 
  for 
  several 
  

   years, 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  wholesale 
  and 
  destructive 
  manner 
  of 
  

   fishing 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  Choptank 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  set 
  and 
  fyke 
  nets, 
  

   catching 
  up 
  the 
  female 
  shad 
  before 
  they 
  reach 
  their 
  spawning 
  

   grounds. 
  

  

  7. 
  Catch 
  more 
  shad, 
  herring, 
  rock 
  and 
  perch 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  

   kinds. 
  Catch 
  mostly 
  shad 
  and 
  herring 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  named. 
  

   Kock 
  and 
  perch 
  are 
  caught 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  throughout 
  the 
  season. 
  

   I 
  think 
  the 
  several 
  species 
  here 
  named 
  best 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  

   Choptank. 
  

  

  8. 
  Have 
  not 
  kept 
  account 
  of 
  number 
  caught. 
  Shad 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  bring 
  from 
  ten 
  io 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  ^oW'c\x'& 
  per 
  hundred, 
  

   herring 
  from 
  seventy-five 
  cents 
  to 
  one 
  dollar 
  on 
  shore, 
  and 
  

   large 
  rock 
  say 
  five 
  cents 
  per 
  pound. 
  

  

  9. 
  Have 
  caught 
  ripe 
  female 
  rock 
  in 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  April 
  

   and 
  first 
  of 
  May. 
  

  

  10. 
  The 
  male 
  always 
  predominates. 
  

  

  11. 
  The 
  largest 
  about 
  seventy 
  or 
  eighty 
  pounds. 
  Know 
  

   nothing 
  of 
  their 
  growth 
  per 
  year 
  ; 
  wish 
  I 
  did. 
  

  

  12. 
  The 
  female 
  rock 
  is 
  generally 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  male, 
  but 
  

   they 
  do 
  not 
  difier 
  much 
  in 
  shape. 
  Know 
  nothing 
  about 
  the 
  

   rate 
  of 
  growth. 
  

  

  13. 
  I 
  think 
  not. 
  

  

  A. 
  D. 
  Sessions 
  & 
  Co., 
  Baltimore, 
  Maryland. 
  

  

  1. 
  Have 
  fished 
  fcr 
  twenty-two 
  years 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  fishing 
  business 
  for 
  forty-eight 
  years. 
  

  

  