PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERIES. 65 



71. A tautog will not bite when it is closed up. 



4. Bather more plenty than scup. 



5. Much less plenty than formerly. 



8. Nine or ten pounds. The largest are caught in the spring, in the 

 fish-pounds. 



9. About three years in growing. 



10. The female is more plump, and a shorter fish than the male. 



11. We catch them at the head of the bay (west) before they are 

 caught here ; the best place is along the coast iu Buzzard's Bay. 



46. Among scattering rocks, or an eel-grass bottom. I have seen 

 them come in where there was not more than four feet of water, and 

 seen them spawn there. Sometimes two or three big fish are seen to- 

 gether. They come to spawn about the beginning of June, and stay about 

 a fortnight. 



52. The eggs are plenty, as large as those of the herring. 



14. They come in in schools, the first mostly large fish. 



2. They came this year on the 19th of April, and continued to come 

 more plentifully till the 25th of April. This was about two weeks earlier 

 than usual. 



19. They will not bite when they first come in. 



20. Sometimes they will bite just before they spawn ; and then, again, 

 right after. They almost always have one biting spell, just before 

 spawning, from the middle to the last of May. 



4G. I do not think they drop their spawn until the 1st of June. 



23. Sometimes the spawn runs out about the 1st of May, in the pound. 

 That depends upon the number, whether they are crowded or not. 



42. All the fish we take in. pounds we take before they spawn ; none 

 of them afterwards. 



21. Close to the bottom. 



30. About rocks and eel-grass, whether spawning or harboring. 



34. None that I know of. 



37. Crabs, muscles, and barnacles ; and I have caught them with lit- 

 tle lobsters in them. The hermit-crab is the best bait for them, and 

 sand-crabs. 



86. New York, particularly. 



82. No; it is not good. 



83. Not used for manure. 



84. The first caught brought $75 for four barrels, in New York. A 

 barrel averages 180 pounds, without ice. The lowest price was one and 

 a half cents a pound here. 



SQUETEAGUE. 



2. They are most plenty in August. 

 • 5. They are more plenty every year, while the blue-fish is getting 

 scarce. 

 2. We found them first this year about the 1st of June. 



6. They increase because the blue-fish diminish. 



8. The largest about nine pounds. 



9. They attain their growth in three years. 

 11. They come from the West. 



17. There are different sizes, but not so great as in scup. 



20. They are not caught here with the hook. In the bay they are 

 caught, and will bite menhaden for bait. 



37. I think they feed on the same as the striped-bass; that is, small 

 fish. 



S. Mis. 61 5 



