56 FISIIEEMEN OF THE UNITED STATES. 



in the grisly hake he caught, nor considered the rubies the light-house scattered on the waves, or 

 how the moon sprinkled down silver before him. He did not mind the touch of the balmy wind 

 that blew across his weather-beaten face with the same sweet greeting that so gladdened us, but 

 fished and fished, watching his line through the short summer night, and when a blush of dawn 

 stole up in the east among the stars wound up his tackle, took his oars, and paddled home to 

 Nabbaye with his booty — his 'fare of fish,' as the natives have it. Hake-fishing after this pictur- 

 esque and tedious fashion is done away with now. The islands are girdled with trawls, which 

 catch more fish in one night than could be obtained in a week's hard labor by hand." * 



Powers op observation. — The fishermen of the present day are, mentally, broader and more 

 vigorous than those of former times. The management of the vessels requires more skill and 

 presence of mind ; the various labor-saving appliances in the rigging of the vessel, such as the 

 patent windlass and the patent blocks, and various other contrivances of the same kind, have 

 diminished the necessity for severe muscular exertion and the consequent exhaustion which, often 

 repeated, must have a tendency to sluggishness of mind. The training, already described, through 

 which a man must pass to become a successful fisherman, in a very large degree strengthens the 

 mental faculties and develops at the same time great readiness and promptness of thought. The 

 fisherman in a smaller vessel, to be successful, also needs to develop great powers of observation 

 to protect himself and his boat from sudden changes of weather, and to follow the changes in the 

 habits and motions of the fish from one season of the year to another. Many fishermen whom we 

 have met have exhibited great aptness as observers of nature. 



Fishermen as investigators. — We need only refer to the wonderful contributions to 

 science which have been made by the fishermen of the Gloucester fleet during the past three 

 years, to demonstrate the interest which they have taken- in matters which incidentally came 

 under their observation. More than thirty Gloucester schooners have habitually for three years 

 carried on their voyages a collecting tank full of alcohol, in which they preserved every unusual 

 species of animal which they obtained on their lines or from the stomachs of the fish as they 

 dressed them. Their interest in the subject is an intelligent one, and they soon learn to discrim- 

 inate between species and to save only those things which they recognize to be novel. Our lists of 

 donations by the fishermen to the National Museum are published weekly in the Cape Ann papers. 

 After specimens have been sent to Washington for identification they have anxiously awaited the 

 letters which announce the result of their examination, and, after they have learned their names, 

 adopt them into their vocabulary. They quickly become familiar with the English names which 

 are applied to certain species, and in some instances adopt the Latin nomenclature. The curious 

 fish known to naturalists by the generic name chimera, is also known to the fishermen by the 

 same name. There are at least a hundred men in the Gloucester fishing fleet who keep track of all 

 the new discoveries on the fishing banks, and are interested in learning the opinions of naturalists 

 on the subject. When a vessel has brought in a tank full of specimens, the majority of the crew 

 of ten to fourteen men are interested in knowing about their identification. Such an intelligent 

 interest as this, is by no means confined to Gloucester, for fishing vessels from several other ports 

 carry collecting-tanks. Some very important contributions to the natural history of the men- 

 haden, for instance, the discovery of the fact that this species feed upon floating crustaceans, a fact 

 which had long been sought after by trained naturalists, was brought to light last summer by J. 

 F. Fowle, the engineer of one of the menhaden steamers. One of the Connecticut vessels fishing 

 for the Charleston market, has rendered important service in collecting. Certain fishermen have 



* Thaxter's Isles of Shoals, ISTS, p. 76. 



