FISHES. 193 



deeper waters of the ocean." Schools appear in the spring, and remain till fall, and 

 " their presence is nearly synchronous with the time when the water temperatures of 

 the harbor have reached a weekly average of 45 degrees." The " harbor temperatures 

 are several degrees — it is not known exactly how many — higher than those of the 

 open ocean at the same latitude." Mackerel " remain active and contented in a tem- 

 perature of 40 degrees, or even less," and there are well-recorded instances where 

 fishes have been taken " not only on the New England coast, but also in the Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence, in mid-winter." 



The principal food of the mackerel consists of such small crustaceans as abound 

 everywhere in the sea, and the movements of the fish are determined to a large degree 

 by theirs. " They also feed upon the spawn of other fishes, and upon the spawn of 

 lobsters," and even prey greedily upon the young of other kinds of fishes, as well 

 as upon pteropods, and jelly-fishes ; indeed the Gaspe fishermen call jelly-fishes 

 " mackerel bait." In short, they are — as the greed with which they feed upon the 

 minced menhaden bait evinces — not at all dainty in their diet, and will swallow with- 

 out hesitation almost any kind of floating organic matter. Cannibalism has also been 

 charged against them, and young mackerel three or four inches long have been 

 repeatedly found in the stomachs of full-grown individuals, but this, it has been ob- 

 served, is generally noticeable only in the fall, and the young fish are probably those 

 which have been hatched in the spring. The nature of the food is of some conse- 

 quence to the fishermen. Among the crustaceans are certain species which are known 

 to the fishermen as 'red-seed' and 'cayenne.' The so-called red-seed exercises a dele- 

 terious effect on the fiesh of the fish, and the fishermen have great trouble in keeping 

 fishes, which have indulged in such food, successfully, and dressing them properly, 

 for their bellies soften at once. It is said by Dr. Robert Brown to be of " special im- 

 portance to notice that very many, if not all, of these free-swimming creatures in the 

 sea, from invisible microscopic forms to the largest shrimp, sink to different zones 

 of water, or rise to the surface, with the variations in temperature and changes in the 

 direction and force of the wind. In fine weather, when the food is at the surface, 

 the mackerel, the herring, and other surface-feeders, with eager, staring eyes, and 

 mouth distended to entrap the floating prey, swim open-mouthed against the wind. 

 Mackei'el, when feeding in large schools, remind one of a swiftly moving ripple on 

 the water." 



The reproductive process of the mackerel is of interest. It has been ascertained, 

 as a result of reliable observation among the fishermen of our coast and the coasts of 

 the British Provinces, that spawning takes place in rather deep water all along the 

 shore from the eastern end of Long Island to Eastport, Maine, and along the coast of 

 Nova Scotia. The spawning season occurs in May in southern New England, in May 

 and June in Massachusetts Bay, and in June in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and on 

 the Bradley Banks and along the Magdalens early in the month, and, according to 

 Hind, on the north-east coast of Newfoundland toward the end of the month. "The 

 ova are shed in mid- water, and, after fecundation by the spermatozoa from the milt of. 

 the male, are carried to the surface of the ocean, where they are soon hatched. The 

 growth of the new-born young fish is rapid, and in about seven weeks, it is said, the 

 young fish are some four or five inches long. In the middle or latter part of the fall 

 they are six to seven inches long, and are then sometimes called ' spikes ; ' the next 

 year, when about a year old, they are known as 'blinks;' the following year, when 

 two years old, they are 'tinkers.' A year after, being then three years old, they 



VOL. III. — 13 



