PLEADINGS. 205 



places, in great abundance, several years ago. Every one admits that 

 they did not get there by the way of Xew York and Hell-gate, but came 

 in around Montauk Point; so that with regard to these fish, the theory 

 that scup moved always toward the east was not true, as they went 

 icesticard. 



This belief has, at the present investigation, been still more strength- 

 ened by the honest and straightforward testimon\^ of Lorenzo Tallman, 

 who says that the trappers* theory is based solely on the ground that 

 scup are usually caught at Watch Hill before they are caught at New- 

 port, aud at Newport before being caught at Seaconnet. 



And further, he says that last season scup came in, to a breadth of 

 sixty miles, at or about one time, and that a vessel-load of scup from 

 Nantucjket was brought into jSTewport Harbor, and immediately after, 

 another from Seaconnet, before any were caught by the traps off New- 

 l^ort, and that the theor3' is completely upset. 



SPAWNING. 



In connection with and in order to understand all the bearings, it is 

 necessary to consider the manner of spawning. 



In the book called "Fishing in American Waters," we find considera- 

 ble general information, and I propose to cite a few passages from it, 

 not only in relation to scup, but with regard to some other fishes that 

 are the subjects of this inquiry : 



" These fish replenish their species by laying eggs, which are vivified by 

 the milt of the male, and then, after a time, the eggs hatch in the water. 

 This process is common to all egg-laying fishes ; but while eggs of the 

 Salmo genus require from three to four months to hatch, those of the 

 Clupea genus hatch in as many days. Seth Green hatched sliad artificially 

 on the Connecticut Eiver in forty hours from the time the ova and milt 

 fell into the hatching-boxes in the stream. (Page 41.) 



"The striped bass is eminently domestic in its habits. * * The fe- 

 male deposits her eggs in fresh and brackish waters, but never in the 

 sea. In November the bass shoal and congregate in brackish-water 

 ponds, or back waters of tidal rivers, or in the bays and bayous of riv- 

 ers which have an outlet to the sea, after which time it will not take 

 bait until the following spring, after having spawned and returned to 

 active waters. (Page 47.) 



"Upon the breeding-times of different fishes, and their resorts at cer- 

 tain seasons in the year to hibernate, there are no fixed data. (Page 406.) 



"Most white-meated fish spawn in the spring, yet the fish known as 

 the icliite-fisli spawns early in the autumn. All members of the genus 

 Salmo spawn in autumn. 



" Shad. — It winters in the ocean, dallies among the nets in the estua- 

 ries during spring, after which it lays its ova in the sand above the tide- 

 waters, and returns to salt water to recuperate. (Page 324.) 



"The porgee ('scup') is supposed to spawn. on the weedy banks, with 

 sea-bass audtautog, early in spring, when the last year's hatch leave for 

 the estuaries, purveying to the head of tide-waters." (Page 110.) 



According to the best information I have been able to obtain, I am 

 led to the conclusion that scup fiequent the mouths of, or in, rivers 

 into which fresh water empties, or in fresh- water streams, at the time of 

 spawning, and nowhere else, for the benefit they derive from the fresh 

 or brackish water, especially since it is shown by the experiments of the 

 Coast Survey that salt and fresh water or waters of different tempera- 

 tures do not readily unite. The Gulf Stream is an example of water of 



