FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 469 



the same manner as the Menhaden and were at first supposed to be that species. 

 They seemed to be very timid for upon a very slight noise in the boat, they all 

 disappeared. 



Dr. Smith states that adult Pollack appear in Vineyard Sound and Great Harbor 

 in May following the run of Cod. They depart when the water temperature reaches 

 60 to 65 degrees. Many are caught in traps at Menemsha. Fyke nets set in the 

 harbor take Pollack 7 or 8 inches long in February and March. In April there is 

 a run of fish i to 1 3^ inches long ; by June these have attained a length of 4 inches. 

 The fish leave in June. In fall there is a small run of fish 7 or 8 inches long. The 

 average weight of the adults is about 10 pounds, the maximum being 14 pounds. 



222. Tomcod ; Frost Fish {Microgadus toiiicod Walbaum). 



The Tomcod occurs from Labrador south to Virginia, sometimes ascending 

 rivers. It is very common northward and is a very valuable food fish, although its 

 size is small, the fish seldom exceeding i foot in length. It is the smallest fish of 

 its family found on the shores of Long Island. 



Mitchill described the Tomcod under at least six different names, his description 

 in each case having been based upon New York specimens. The common names, 

 Tomcod, and Frost Fish, are given in his accounts. DeKay says the Tomcod is 

 found on the New York coast during the whole year; but in the autumn, after the 

 first frost (hence its name of Frost Fish) and the early part of winter, it becomes 

 very abundant. It is a savory fish, and is caught in large quantities with the 

 greatest ease. He knew it to be taken out of the water along the shores of Long 

 Island in great numbers with a commxon garden hoe. It ascends rivers even into 

 fresh water. He was informed that it appears at Albany in abundance at intervals 

 of 6 and 8 years. 



The Tomcod can be transferred suddenly from salt water to fresh without 

 inconvenience. It spawns in the early part of winter, and is present at this time 

 in such large numbers as to make its capture with dip nets comparatively easy. Its 

 spawning season at Woods Hole, Mass., begins in December. The fish is subject to 

 great variations in color. Dr. Mitchill enumerates among its varieties five forms, 

 the Brown, Yellow, Yellowish-white, Mixed Tomcod, and the Frost Fish. 



In Great South Bay many of the Tomcod have been found covered with a 

 lern?ean parasite. The same thing has been observed at Woods Hole, Mass., and 

 other northern localities. The fish was not found in Great South Bay at any time 

 during the summer investigations, but a few young individuals were seined in 

 Peconic Bay in July, 1898. 



