[49] THE SCHOONER GRAMPUS. 485 



35. MISCELLANEOUS FISHING. 



The miscellaneous fishing carried on by the Grampus in the course of 

 her investigations embraces the adoption of various forms of apparatus 

 and methods. Generally speaking, however, hand-lines are most com- 

 monly employed, these ranging from the size of a mackerel line, which 

 is, perhaps, less than the thirty- second of an inch in diameter, up to a 

 line for catching sharks and other large fish. Besides these there are 

 the lines and harpoons adapted to the capture of sword-fish, porpoises 

 and whales. Red snappers, groupers, and other bottom-feeding species, 

 which frequent the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent waters, are taken with 

 hand-lines somewhat similar to those employed for the capture of cod- 

 fish. When red-snapper fishing, 4he vessel is generally hove to, as she 

 would be for mackerel. In making an investigation of the southern 

 fishing grounds she usually stands along on a given course for a distance 

 of five or ten miles between trials. If the wind is sufficiently moderate 

 a lead sinker, with baited hooks attached, is being constantly thrown 

 out, as is the practice on board of vessels engaged in the red-snapper 

 fishery, and in this way the presence of fish is determined. 



Squid are caught on the common form of squid jig by bobbing it in 

 the water at night, or in the day if squid are sufficiently abundant to 

 bite at that time. 



For the capture of sword-fish a pulpit is rigged on the jib-boom end, 

 where a man stands to harpoon the fish as the vessel approaches them. 



Porpoises are also harpooned from the jib-boom end or the head-rig- 

 ging, but as they usually "play" under the bow, it is not always nec- 

 essary to go far beyond the knight-heads to strike them. When one is 

 struck the vessel immediately luffs to, the line is veered out until the 

 vessel comes to the wind. As soon as her headway is stopped, the crew 

 pull in on the line and bring the porpoise alongside; by the assistance of 

 gaffs, or a strap and tackle, he is taken on board. 



36. COLLECTING FISH EGGS. 



To supply the hatcheries on the coast it has often been found neces- 

 sary to obtain eggs from cod that were caught by the fishermen. The 

 following description of this method is from a paper read by the writer 

 before the Biological Society at Washington : 



" It has frequently been found most advantageous to the work of the 

 Commission for the Grampus to collect eggs from the cod which the 

 fishermen catch, rather than to depend upon the procurement of eggs 

 from the fish she would be able to take herself. When carrying on this 

 work she generally has on board one or more expert spawn-takers. If 

 the weather is favorable for fishing, the Grampus gets under way in 

 the early morning, about the same time that the fishing vessels leave 

 Gloucester Harbor, and proceeds with them to the fishing grounds, from 

 5 to 40 miles distant. There she cruises about among the boats to as- 



