X— NOTICES IN REGARD TO THE ABUNDANCE OF FISH 

 ON THE NEW ENGLAND COAST IN FORMER TIMES. 



u An account of two voyages to New' England. A description of the country, 

 natives, and creatures. By John Josselyn Gent, 1675. 



[Reprinted in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 3d series, III., 1833.] 



"The Sea that Piscina mirabilis affords us the greatest number, of 

 which I shall begin first with the Whale, a regal fish, as all fish of ex- 

 traordinary size are accounted ; of these there are (as I have said in 

 another place) seven kinds — the Ambergreese Whale the chiefest. 

 Anno Dom. 1668, the 17 of July, there was one of them thrown up on the 

 shore between Winter-harbour and (Jape-porpus, about eight mile from 

 the place where I lived, that was five and fifty foot long. They are 

 Creatures of a vast magnitude and strength." — (P. 271.) 



" The Sea-hare is as big as a Grampus or Herrin-hog, and as white as a 

 sheet. There hath been of them in Black-Point Harbour, and some way 

 up the river, but we could never take any of them ; several have shot 

 sluggs at them, but lost their labor." 



" The sturgeon- is a Eegal fish, too; I have seen of them that have 

 been sixteen foot in length; of their sounds they make isinglass, which, 

 melted in the mouth, is excellent to seal letters." 



" The Sea-horse or Morse is a kind of monster-fish, numerous about the 

 Isle of Sables ; i. e., the Sandy Isle. An amphibious creature, killed for 

 their Teeth and Oyl ; never brings more than two at a birth ; as also doth 

 the Seal and Manate or Cow-fish, which is supposed to be the Sea- 

 monster." 



" The small Sword-fish is very good meat ; the Sea-bat or Sea-oicl is a 

 kind of flying fish."— (P. 272.) 



" The Mackerel, of which there is choicefull plenty all summer long ; 

 in the spring they are ordinarily 18 inches long ; afterwards there is 

 none taken but what are smaller." 



" The Herrin, which are numerous, they take of them all summer long. 

 In Anno Bom. 1670. They were driven back into Black-Point Harbour by 

 other great fish that prey upon them so near the shore that they threw 

 themselves (it being high water) upon dry land in such infinite numbers 

 that we might have gone up half-way the leg amongst them for near a 

 quarter of a mile. We used to qualifie a pickled Herrin by boiling of 

 him in inilk." 



"The Aleioife is like a Herrin, but has a bigger bellie ; therefore called 

 an Aleioife; they come in the end of April into fresh Eivers and Ponds ; 

 there hath been taken in two hours' time by two men without any Weyre 

 at all, saving a few stones to stop the passage of the River, above ten 

 thousand."— (P. 273.) 



"The Basse is a salt-water fish too, but most an end taken in Rivers 

 where they spawn ; there hath been 3,000 Basse taken at a set ; one 

 writes that the fat in the bone of a Basse's head is his braines, which is 

 a lye." 



