394 REPORT OF THE 



herring, either in the young or the adult stage, and the salmon is believed to subsist 

 chiefly upon this fish during its life in the sea. The young of the Sea Herring 

 is well known as the White Bait of England and the United States, although in 

 our country the young of other species are sometimes mingled with those of the 

 Sea Herring. At Cape Cod schools of large herring appear about October 15, in 

 a spawning condition, and remain until very cold weather sets in. By January the 

 young herring one-half inch long are taken in surface tow nets. By May i they are 

 I to 134^ inches long, and by August i they have reached the length of i^ to 3 

 inches. Young herring from 3 to 5 inches long are called Sperling. About June i 

 there is a large run of herring smaller than those in the fall run ; this lasts about 

 two weeks. The Sea Herring is called common American Herring by DeKay, who 

 states that the fish first made its appearance in Long Island Sound in 1817, and 

 "was mistaken for the European Herring." On April 30, 1896, some young herring 

 known as Shad Bait were brought from Gravesend Bay. The large Sea Herring 

 rarely occur there. Only about a hundred or two hundred are obtained in fall and 

 winter. Young Sea Herring were not seen in Great South Bay during the summer 

 of 1901, but a single individual, about 4 inches long, was found dead July 25, on 

 the ocean beach opposite Clam Pond Cove. 



50. Hickory Shad {Poiuolobits mcdiocris Mitchill). 



The Hickory Shad is referred to by Mitchill as the Staten Island Herring, which, 

 he says, grows very large for a herring, being frequently 18 inches long and almost as 

 big as a small shad. He also describes the same fish under the name of Long Island 

 Herring, which, he saj^s, is called the Autumnal or Fall Herring as well as Shad 

 Herring and Fall Shad. The length of the fish, according to this writer, frequently 

 reaches 2 feet, with a depth of 4I/2 to 6 inches. At the time of his writing the 

 fi.sh was taken in October and November in seines on the surf side of the beaches 

 fronting Long Island. 



Dr. DeKay mentions examples in the market early In July which are brought 

 from Connecticut, where they are called Weesick. He states that the specific name 

 bestowed upon it by Mitchill was derived from the aboriginal name of the island 

 Mattowaca or Mattowax. In Great South Bay the name Green Back is well estab- 

 lished for this fish. In the Potomac River and other tributaries of the Chesapeake 

 Bay the fish is called Tailor Shad. 



The Hickory Shad occurs from Maine to Florida, entering rivers except in New 

 England. It is much less valuable than the shad, for which it is often sold. Noth- 

 ing definite is recorded about its habits. 



