Fishes of Massachusetts. 445 
fish, set their nets about the outer islands in the har- 
bor, each night, as they come up to the city, and ex- 
amine them in the morning, as they go out for the 
day’s fishing. Large numbers are thus taken; and 
such as are not used as bait, are sold to the poorer 
classes as food, for about 6 1-4 cents per dozen. It 
is also considered a very good bait for halibut. Be- 
ing a very oily fish, it is valuable as manure. It is 
computed that a single menhaden of ordinary size, 
is equal, in richness, to a shovel-full of barn-yard 
manure. In some places they are taken for this pur- 
pose only, by trailing nets towards the shore. At 
Sandwich, where they are very abundant, the inhab- 
itants strew them upon their lands by the cart-load ; 
and thus, for miles, immense quantities enrich the 
soil. From the following extract of a letter from my 
friend Dr. Forsyth, some idea may be formed of the 
numbers used. His letter is dated November 8th, 
1837. ‘For two or three miles below me, on the 
Barnstable road, the stench from the decomposing 
fish was a great nuisance to travellers passing along 
the road, so much so that I feared they might be in- 
strumental in the production of disease ; but whether 
they were so or not, I am not now prepared to say ; 
but certain it is, there have been more cases of au- 
tumnal fever and dysentery this season, in that dis- 
trict, than in all the rest of the town." Upon some 
portions of Cape Cod, menhaden are sold to the far- 
mers for $1 per thousand for manure ; they average 
about one pound each, and 2500 are considered a 
proper quantity for an acre. This species is getting 
likewise to be thought worthy of preservation as an 
