NATURAL HISTORY OF IMPORTANT FOOD-FISHES. 231 



out in the Gulf Stream, but in the spring commence their migration 

 either along the coast or from the deep seas toward the waters on the 

 south coast of New England. The latter supposition is the more proba- 

 ble, as no scup are taken on the southern coast of anything like the size 

 of the breeders that visit New England, making their appearance at 

 once in a huge body, extending, apparently, from Block Island to Mar- 

 tha's Vineyard. 



The western division of this army appears to strike first at Watch 

 Hill, to the west of Point Judith, and to make its way slowly along east- 

 ward, the smaller or eastern division moving through Vineyard Sound. 

 According to Captain Luce, the Menemsha pounds take the scup three 

 days or a week earlier than the pounds at Lombard's Cove, and nearly 

 two weeks earlier than at the guano-works at Wood's Hole. The 

 progress of this fish is at first very slow, scarcely exceediug a few miles 

 a day, and their movements appear to be largely regulated by the flow of 

 the tide, going forward with the flood, and partly retrograding with the 

 ebb. According to Mr. Whalley, (page 24,) of Narragansett Pier, it oc- 

 cupies about four tides, or two days, in moving from Point Judith to 

 Seaconnet Point. 



The precise period of their reaching the coast varies with the season, 

 although their abundance generally occurs from the 5th to the 12th of 

 May. In 1871 the fish appeared much earlier than usual, and were on 

 the shore before traps were down in readiness for their capture. Their 

 occurrence was about the 15th to the 25th of .April. Breeding-soup 

 were taken at Hyannis the same year on the 27th of April, at least two 

 weeks earlier than usual. They were taken in the fish-pound at Wood's 

 Hole on the 27th of April, but were most abundant on the 8th of May. 

 In 1872 the season was late, and a few scattering scup were taken at 

 Wood's Hole from the 10th to the 13th of May, but were most abundant 

 at a later date. On the 17th of May 10 barrels were taken, and 150 

 barrels on the 9th of June. Some of those captured in the middle of 

 May were of unusual size, weighiug 4 pounds and over. At Newport 

 they were most abundant on the 15th of May, or two days earlier than 

 at Wood's Hole. Here, too, the number of mature fish was less than 

 usual, but the average size greater. Over 1,000 barrels were taken in 

 Luce's pound, at Menemsha Bight. It is mentioned as an unusual oc- 

 currence, that iu the spring of 1872 large fish were caught in purse-nets 

 five or ten miles off the shore of Newport, mostly with spawn, although 

 very poor and thin. 



As already remarked, the fishermen on the coast distinguish three 

 runs of scup: the first, consisting of mature breeding fish, coming in from 

 the 10th of April to the 20th of May, according to the season, varying 

 in size from 1J or 2 to 4 pounds; these represent the fish of three years 

 old and upward. A second and separate run is said to be about ten days 

 later, (sometimes nearly simultaneous, ) and embraces fish of about a pound. 

 This run is the largest in point of numbers, and, as already stated, has 

 many spawning-fish in it, although not generally as many as the first run. 

 Both these runs, according to Mr. Church, of Tiverton, are character- 

 ized by the presence of well-marked dark bars, something like those of 

 the sheep's-head. The third run, according to the same authority, is 

 without stripes. This comes in about ten days later, and embraces 

 the scup weighiug from one-fourth to one-half of a pound, evidently fish 

 of the preceding year's hatching, and about twelve months old. These 

 fish, accordiug to Mr. Church, are not marketable, largely in consequence 

 of their heating through and spoiling before they can be iced. 



An apparently unusual occurrence in the history of the scup took 



