BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 227 
other observations. At 9 a. m. lowered mainsail and hove to on the 
starboard tack, under foresail and forestaysail. 
A few sea-geese (Phalaropes) were seen toward evening, but, although 
the weather cleared at 5.10 p. in., no vessels were seen. 
The wind continued fresh from south-southwest to north, with a rough 
sea, on the 24th, until the latter part of the day. 
At 5 a. m. we saw a fleet of fishing vessels, most of them to the north 
of us, all lying to under foresails. At 5.45 a. m. the schooners Augusta 
E. HerricJc and Nellie M. Davis spoke with us. From them we obtained 
the information that several fishing schooners had caught small fares 
of mackerel on the nights of the 20th, 2 1st, and 22d. As far as could 
be learned these fish were all small in size, and were marketed at New 
York. They were taken in lat. 37° 25' N. and long. 74° 29' W., approx- 
imately. The fish were caught in an area of several miles in extent, 
and the position given above would, perhaps, be about the center of 
the region where the mackerel were found. 
The wind having moderated about noon we got under way at 12.45 
p. m. and headed to the eastward. At 5.35 p. m. hove to, to “ raise” mack- 
erel with u toll-bait” (lat. 37° 34 / N.,long. 74° 26' W.), but caught noth- 
ing except dogfish. We then lowered and furled the foresail and set 
one mackerel and one herring gill-net, the former being sunk 3 fathoms 
below the surface, and the upper edge of the latter floating at the top 
of the water. 
The nets were hauled at 5.35 a. m. on the 25th, but nothing was 
caught in them. We then got under way and put out the large towing 
net, which was towed for thirty minutes; a few young fish and a small 
quantity of copepods were taken in the net. We then stood to the 
eastward about 5 miles, when we tacked ship and headed to the north- 
ward. 
At 3.15 p. m. I spoke with the fishing schooner Howard Holbrook (lat. 
37° 48' N., long. 74° 06' W., approximately), and soon after I w r ent on 
board of her. Her master, Captain Keene, said that on the night of 
the 10th of April he saw several schools of fish u firing” in the water, 
which he believed to be large mackerel, but as none of these fish were 
taken he could not be certain as to the species. These schools were 
seen in lat. 37°^50 / N., long. 73° 13' W., approximately. 
At 4.50 p. m. we hove to under foresail, the wind at that time blow- 
ing a fresh breeze, with threatening weather. During the night the 
wind blew a moderate to strong gale, and the sea was very rough. At 
6.30 p. m. the foresail was double-reefed, and we lay to under that sail 
during the night. 
There was a moderate gale, decreasing to a fresh breeze, during the 
forenoon of the 26th, with a sharp tumbling sea. At 12.50 p. m. we 
hoisted the head sails and mainsail and headed NW. by N., close-hauled 
by the wind. At this hour there were eight schooners of the fishing 
fleet in sight. At 3 p. m. I went on board of the schooner Common- 
