608 NATURAL fllSTOEY OP AQUATIC ANIMALS. 



varied as those of the river Herrings. The name "Mattowacca" is of Indian origin, and is per- 

 haps to be preferred. It is said by De Kay to have been derived from the Indian name for Long 

 Island, Mattowaka or Mattoicax. De Kay also gives the names of "Pall" Herring and "Shad" 

 Herring, and states that in the Connecticut Eiver they are called " Weesic/c," a name which from 

 personal knowledge we can state as having been long in disuse in that locality. The name "Hick- 

 ory" Shad is applied to this species on all parts of the coast from Cape Cod to Plorida. It is used 

 in the Chesapeake and in the Albemarle regions, and on the Ogeechee, Savannah, and Altamaha 

 Elvers, where it is familiarly called " Hicks." In the Saint John's River the name " Hickory" Shad 

 is also used, and in the Alabama River it is applied to this or to some closely related species. The 

 derivation of the name " Hickory" Shad cannot easily be traced. It may be that the word "Hick- 

 ory" is used in a derogatory sense, but a more reasonable explanation is that it refers to the 

 striped markings on the fish, which resemble those upon the coarse cotton fabric hnown in the 

 South as "Hickory," and frequently used by the fishermen. 



In the Potomac the species is called the "Tailor Shad," or the "Fresh -water Tailor," in con- 

 tradistinction to the blueflsh, which is called the " Salt-water Tailor." The comparison between the 

 bluefish and this species is doubtless due to a fancied resemblance between their jaws, those of 

 the "Tailor Shad" being very long and strong. The " Tailor Shad" may be distinguished from the 

 common Shad and from the river Herrings by the extreme projection and thickness of the lower 

 jaw. This species is in some rivers called a "Forerunner," from the fact that it makes its appear- 

 ance shortly before the Shad. 



It is the opinion of Mr. Perley ' that the so-called " Quoddy " Herring, taken in Passamaquoddy 

 Bay and vicinity, belongs to this species — a rather questionable decision and one which needs 

 confirmation. 



Geographical distribution. — The "Hickory Shad" is most abundant in the region 

 between the Chesapeake Bay and Altamaha Eiver and intermediate waters, ascending the rivers 

 as high as the Shad. In the Saint John's Eiver it is somewhat abundant, making its appearance 

 the first or second week in November, and shortly before the Shad. North of New York it has 

 not been observed to enter the rivers in any great numbers, and there is no record north of Cape 

 Cod of its having been seen in fresh water. In the fall small schools of them occasionally enter 

 the brackish estuaries and tideways of Cape Cod. Hickory Shad are taken to some extent by 

 the mackerel gill-net fishermen of Maine, together with young Shad and Blue-Back Herring, and are 

 doubtless found off the mouth of the Bay of Pundy ; although, as has already been stated, their 

 identity with the " Quoddy" Herring is by no means proven. There is no record of their presence 

 in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. 



Abundance. — In the Altamaha Eiver, Georgia, the catch of "Hickory" Shad is equal to that 

 of " Common " or " White " Shad, and in the markets they sell for more than one-half as much. In 

 the Saint John's Eiver they are not exceedingly abundant, and two "Hickory" Shad are equal in 

 value to one " White" Shad. In the Ogeechee and Savannah Elvers the proportion of the catch 

 of the " Hickory " to that of " White " Shad is about one to four. All taken here are used for local 

 consumption, and are sold at prices equal to about one-half of the White Shad. In the Albemarle 

 they are less abundant than farther south and are of less value. Here they are sold with the her- 

 ring for local consumption, two of them counting for one herring, or are used for manure. In the 

 Chesapeake region they are not highly esteemed, although great quantities are sold by hawkers, 

 especially in the cities, where people are not well informed, under the name of " Shad." At the 



' Fisheries of New Brunswick, 1853, p. 209. 



