TAUTOG , CHOGSET AND PARROT-FISH. 
2 95 
Mitchill also gives an interesting bit of folk lore in the following 
account of the botanical mnenonicsof the fishermen in the vicinity of New 
York : ■ 
“ The blossoming of the dogwood, Cornus florida , early in April is 
understood to denote the time of catching black-fish. As soon as these 
flowers unfold, the fishermen proceed with their hooks and lines to the 
favorite places. If there is no dogwood, a judgment is derived from the 
vegetation of the chesnut tree, Castanea vesca. The people express this 
sentiment in these coarse rhymes : 
“ When chesnut leaves are as big as thumb-nails 
Then bite black-fish without fail, 
But when chesnut leaves are as large as a span, 
Then catch black-fish if you can ? ” 
As has been already stated, the Tautog on the coasts of the United 
States is extremely sensitive to cold, and at the approach of the time of 
hibernation, the vent becomes sealed, the fish thus becoming prepared for 
a minimum consumption of its own fat during its winter sleep. 
In Brown’s “American Angler’s Guide,” in the article on Tautog or 
Black-fish it is remarked : 
“ The Black-fish abounds in the vicinity of Long Island, and is a sta¬ 
tionary inhabitant of the salt water. He may be kept for a long time in 
ponds or cars, and even fatted there. When the cold of winter benumbs 
him he refuses to eat any more, and a membrane is observed to form over 
the vent and close it. He begins to regain appetite with the return of 
warmth in the spring. 
“ Now we know that Tautog hibernate among rocks near the coast and 
in our rivers, and it has been stated by Mr. L. Tallman or Mr. Daniel 
Church, that some years ago, after a very cold snap, not only many Tau¬ 
tog were washed ashore frozen stiff, but afterward quantities were also 
found dead among rocks off the coast. If, during the winter, they don’t 
feed as stated above, and this membrane closes them up, the conclusion 
must be that they remain in a state of torpor or sleep during cold weather. 
Now it happens that the scup, when first taken by traps, are in a state of 
torpor; they neither eat nor have any passage. It is probably sealed up 
like the Tautog, and nothing in the shape of food is to be found within 
them. Some say they are blind, and they seem hardly able or willing 
to move. 
“ The inference, then is, that the scup have also been hibernating within 
a short distance from the coast, in the same state as the Tautog. This 
would account for the stray scup mentioned by Mr. Southwick as having 
been occasionally found in March. A warm day wakes him up, and he 
