134 Notice of the Shad Fisheries of the River Delaware. 



Art. XII. — Notice of the Shad and Shad Fisheries of the River 

 Delaware; by Samuel Howell, M. D. 



(Commimicated by Dr. RrcHARD Harlan^, of Philadelphia.) 



Analogous to the feathered tribes in their periodical migrations, 

 are the shad of our Atlantic rivers ; and like some of these, too, as 

 the Rail bird for example, we are as yet ignorant whence they come 

 and whither they go. In this respect they afford a striking illustra- 

 tion of the goodness and design of an all-wise Providence, in making 

 it a law of their nature that they shall thus annually throw them- 

 selves within the reach of man, at a season when they are in the 

 greatest state of perfection, and when circumstances render it most 

 convenient for him to appropriate them to his use. 



The shad usually make their first appearance about the middle of 

 March ; in early seasons, however, they are occasionally taken in 

 February. It is a singular fact that they are caught within a few 

 days as early above the rapids, one hundred and sixty miles from 

 the ocean, as at the lowest fisheries on the river. But although 

 their advance guard would thus seem to move on with such celerity 

 towards their place of destination, the main body evidently pursue 

 their course more deliberately : and it is obvious from the operations 

 of the successive fisheries, that their progress upward is slow, and 

 that they do not move as fast as the tide would carry them, even 

 admitting that they remain quiescent during the ebb. While they 

 work their way slowly against the ebb tide, it would seem that they 

 head about and rather stem the upward drift of the flood. This is 

 proved by the fact that the drift nets or gilling seines, which catch 

 them meshed on their lower side during their ebb drift, have them 

 entangled on the opposite side when drifting upwards with the flood 

 tide. While their general movement is upwards, for their final des- 

 tination seems to be the clear shallow waters above the tide, their 

 instinct instructs them to loiter by the way to enjoy their appropriate 

 food, with which the turbid fresh waters of the river seem to abound. 

 What this food is, is conjectural ; they certainly are not a fish of 

 prey, and their alimentary canal on dissection, discloses nothing but 

 a greenish, earthy slime, which is probably strained through their 

 fringed throats, as they suck in the water ; we may fairly infer that 

 their nutriment consists of the mucilage or matters held in solution 

 by the waters. That they find congenial aliment in these waters is 



