ABUNDANCE OF FISH. ON NEW ENGLAND COAST. 169 



(Northampton, 1863,) is a good article on " The Shad and Salmon Fish- 

 ery " in New England, (pp. 313-318,) containing notices of " great hauls" 

 in the Connecticut, and facts respecting early fisheries collected from the 

 records and other manuscript authorities. 



You will observe that Josselyn (New England's Earities, 1672, p. 96) 

 mentions the " Blew Fish, or Horse," as " common in New England, and 

 esteemed the best sort of Fish next to Rock Cod ;'" " as big usually as the 

 Salmon, and better meat by far." Elsewhere (p. 24) he catalogues " two 

 kinds" of " Blew Fish or Hound Fish," the " Speckled Hound Fish," [is 

 this the Weak fish, Otolithus f] and the " Blew Hound Fish, called Horse 

 Fish." I am inclined to think that Eoger Williams's " Osacontuclc, a fat, 

 sweet fish, something like a haddock," may be the Otolithus, though in 

 a note to the name, Key, p. 105, 1 suggested " pollack, whiting, or cusk." 

 Very truly, yours, 



J. HAMMOND TRUMBULL. 



Professor Spencer F. Baird, 



Washington, I). 0. 



Documents relative to the colonial history of New Yorlt, procured 'in Holland, 

 England, and France, by J. M. Brodhead. Quarto, vol. Hi, p. 182, 183. 

 Albany, 1853-1858. 



[Mr. Maverick to Colonel Nicolls.] 



New York, July 5, 1669. 



Now give mee leave to acquaint you a little how things goe heere at 

 Yorke. Tryalls have been made severall times this spring for cod fish, 

 w th very good success ; a small ketch sent out by y e Governour hath 

 found severall good fishing bancks ; amongst y e rest one not above 2 or 



" The bream and sturgeon, drum-fish, and gurnard, 1 

 The sea-bass, 2 which a prince would not discard, 

 The cod and salmon, cooked with due regard, 

 Most palatable. 



" The black and rock fish, herring, mackerel, 

 The haddock, mossbanker, and roach, which fill 

 The nets to loathing; and so many, all 

 Cannot be eaten. 



" And thus it happens here, that in the flood, 

 Which, rolling from the Fountain of all Good, 

 O'erwhelms weak, mortal man with royal food, 

 He is forgotten. 



" You've weak-fish, carp and turbot, pike and plaice ; 

 There's not a pool or tiny water-trace 

 Where swam not myriads of the finny race, 

 Easily taken. 



" Crabs, lobsters, mussels, oysters, too, there be, 

 So large, that one does overbalance three 

 Of those of Europe; and in quantity, 



No one can reckon. 



" The tortoise, seal, and shark; and, in your bay, 

 The mighty whale and porpoise, sporting, they 

 The power, aud wondrous Avorks of God display, 

 i For our beholding." 



1 "Gurnard." Murphy thinks this was certainly the " porgy." As the latter -was not. known in 

 Europe, Steedam used the name of the European species which most resembled it, (Trigla hirundo.) 

 It however more probably refers to the sea-robin, (Prionotus.) 



2 The name Zee-baars is now applied in Holland to the representative of our striped bass. 



