256 Field and Forest Rambles. 



hard, may be recovered by careful thawing. This may be 

 illustrated with any of the fishes which, after several hours' 

 exposure to a very low temperature, may be restored to life 

 provided the freezing is rapid after emersion and the thawing 

 very gradual. The Pike has not hitherto appeared in any of 

 our waters, although, as before noticed, it has been introduced 

 into the head-waters of the St. Croix River on the western 

 frontier, and is rapidly exterminating the cyprinids and fry 

 of the indigenous fishes. The most common eel of our fresh 

 waters is Anguilla tenuirostris of Dekay, which is said to go 

 and come from the sea regularly. This, however, seems 

 doubtful; at all events the majority are sedentary in the 

 lakes, and are there captured by the Indians by means of 

 baskets called eel-pots. The larger specimens seem to differ 

 considerably in the shape of the head, and some greatly 

 exceed the usual recorded dimensions of the fish. Whether 

 the A . Bostoniensis of Lesueur is identical with the former 

 I cannot say, but shall not be surprised if further comparisons 

 show more than one species inhabiting the rivers of this 

 province. 



It is a remarkable circumstance that, contrary to the re- 

 corded habits of the fish elsewhere, the American Hake 

 (Mer Incites albidus) frequents several lakes at the head- waters 

 of the great reaches communicating with the St. John near its 

 delta, and is captured in numbers through the ice with hook and 

 bait. Being essentially a salt-water species, its thus resorting 

 to inland fresh and brackish waters would seem to indicate 

 that it does so, if not for spawning purposes, for particular 

 food, which (according to persons who catch them) is the 

 young of the gaspereau. 



Many of the marine fishes are very interesting, and of great 

 economic value; but, as I have not had sufficient opportunities 

 of gaining a close acquaintance with this branch of the local 

 ichthyology, I will merely enumerate a few of the most im- 

 portant food fishes. Although not so plentiful as in the days 



