BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION, 231 
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Novelty, the latter being bound for New York with a fare of fresh mack- 
erel, taken recently in lat. 37° 48' N., long. 74° 35' W. This position 
is given as approximate, and may vary a few miles from the exact po- 
sition where the fish were taken. 
During the latter part of the day we continued our course to the 
southwest, the four fishing vessels which were in company with -us 
steering in the same direction. In the afternoon the weather was foggy 
with a moderate south-southeast wind. Between 8,20 and 9 p. m. we 
saw five schools of fish “ firing” in the water; the bright phosphores- 
cence caused by the movements of the fish in the water made their 
presence very clearly defined. By their movements I concluded the fish 
were mackerel. The position where these fish were seen was lat. 38° 
08' K, long. 74° 18' W. 
We continued on our southerly course until 1 a. m., on the 9th, since 
I was anxious to ascertain, as far as possible, the extent of area covered 
by the schools of fish we had seen on the previous evening, but the 
prevalence of foggy weather during the night prevented us from seeing 
schools of fish at any considerable distance from the vessel, and it is 
probable that if the conditions had been more favorable we might have 
seen many more schools than we did. 
At 1 a. m. we hove to. At 5.20 a. m. made a ‘‘trial” for mackerel 
with “toll-bait” but caught none. 
At 6 a. m. got under way and steered to the southward. At 7 a. m. 
sixteen fishing-vessels were seen ; most of them were headed to the 
eastward. Soon after we spoke with the fishing schooner Margaret 
Smith , of Portland. Her captain said that he had seen an abundance 
of mackerel during the past eight days ; the first in the latitude of 
Cape Henry, and about 50 miles offshore, and later he saw them in 
greater or less abundance, both night and day, on the ground which he 
had crossed over. He had, however, he said, found them extremely 
“ wild,” and difficult to catch with a purse-seine. 
We next spoke with the schooner Ralph Hodgdon , of Gloucester. Her 
captain told me that he had seen several schools of mackerel, during 
the previous night, in the vicinity of the position we were then in (lat. 
37° 48' N., long. 74° 15' W.), and he had also seen four large schools of 
fish that morning. He “ shot” his seine around one of these schools, 
but did not catch any fish. 
Captain Greenlow, master of the schooner Carrie U. Parsons , with 
whom I had an interview, said that this body of fish, which had so re- 
cently been seen, he believed to be the same that he met with on May 1 in 
lat. 36° 47' N., long. 74° 53' W. Since he met with these mackerel on 
the 1st, he said that he had cruised northwardly to his present posi- 
tion, a distance of about 60 miles, and during that time had seen large 
schools of fish nearly every day. 
He also declared that sea geese (Phalaropes) were so numerous during 
that time (May 1 to 8) that they were often exceedingly troublesome to 
