55. New York and Philadelphia.

57. Fifty cents per gallon.

58. We cannot see that it does diminish them.

57. Statement of James H. Bell, Mispillion River, Delaware Bay, January 23, 1875.

1. Oldwife, a corruption of alewife, is the name universally applied to the fish in this vicinity, and all along the western shore of Delaware Bay. 2. They rank equal to if not more abundant than the sea trout, and far exceed the number of any other fish; a thousand bushels of trout are sometimes taken at a haul; but the main fishing season does not last over a month, while menhaden are caught more or less during six months of the year.

3. No diminution is noticeable; the number seems to be about the same one year with another.

4. These fish are not sought in this vicinity for any purpose whatever; and when caught in seines laid for other fish by fishermen, are left on the beach to rot, or taken home and fed directly to hogs, or composted for fertilizing the soil, for which they are only valuable.

5. Quantity taken from the water never seems to affect the supply. 6. They are first seen here early in March, and continue to increase in number till about the 15th April, when the sea-trout frightens them off. They soon return in increasing numbers, however, till the middle or last of May, after which they begin to disappear in large schools until about the 1st August, when they again appear numerous, and continue so, if the weather is mild, until the latter part of September, when they begin to disappear.

7. High; by their capture at first, windy weather generally prevailing in March, renders the bay too rough for the ripple to be seen; sides, they are not inclined to show themselves about the surface till the water becomes warm, as in August and September; the fish-hawk and trout-gull follow closely in their wake, and destroy a great many.

8. The opinion prevails, that after entering the bay they follow the main channel, spreading toward the shore on either side as they advance, until arrested by brackish water. The western shore of this bay is very shallow, the tide near the beach seldom rising above six or seven feet. When the tide is three-quarters flood, the fish run in close to land, and are caught within twenty yards of the beach; as none are seen on the surface at such times, it is probable that they are then in pursuit of food; at slack-water to first quarter ebb, if it is calm, the water is spotted with the break or ripple; and as the tide recedes they float out with it to deep water.

9. Their appearance is as regular as the shad; an old fisherman remarked to me that he never knew it to fail, or a diminution in their

abundance for a single season; hence, no cause is assignable for a decrease when none is known.

10. No gill or haul seines frighten them if they are out of sight; but when sunning on the surface, any noise close by sends the school out of sight in an instant, to reappear not far off; if the object was to catch them, this is the most favorable time, and the purse-net is most likely to accomplish it.

11. In-shore on the young flood to feed, and out to deep water again when the ebb is not lower than four feet.

12. Sandy bottom predominates on this coast, and there is where most fish are found, although they are caught in numbers where the bottom is muddy. Some few fish are found considerable distances up the creeks at high water.

13. Most fish are found in 10 to 15 feet of water, or deeper; they are also caught in large numbers in water as shallow as 6 feet; sometimes when it is not deeper than 4 feet.

14. Not known, but am inclined to think they prefer warm water until arriving at full size.

15. Medium and small fish are found together, not probably in the same schools, but close enough together for the seine to catch fish ranging in size from 9 inches down to 3 inches.

16. Yes; immense quantities of them from about the 10th September to 1st October, in size from 3 inches up, and smaller ones, probably, but I have not seen any.

17. Toward the latter part of September they gradually disappear. 18. Run out to the main bay-channel; beyond that I have no knowledge.

19. It is impossible for me to say with certainty, but I think near the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, from the fact that this fish appears so partial to warm water.

20. I have not the least doubt that their food is something similar to that of shad, such as minute animalcula found in muddy bottoms; their digestion is evidently very rapid, as the contents of the stomach bear a nearer resemblance to black mud than to anything else.

21. But for what took place about the 7th of last November on this coast I should hesitate to give any opinion in reply to this query. After the last menhaden had disappeared from these waters, and as late as the 7th November, all at once from Cape May to Cape Henlopen, and up the bay 18 miles, to and above this station, the water was crowded with the largest size of this fish ever seen by any person on the coast, the largest being quite as big as medium-sized shad, extremely fat, and full threefourths of them pregnant with large and nearly matured roe; the shores of the bay from Lewes up this far were lined with dead fish, bitten to death by bluefish. Some of the latter weighed 25 pounds. Numbers of dead fish were without tails, and all were more or less mutilated by the teeth of the bluefish, or snapping mackerel as it is called at Cape May.

Whether they were exterminated by their enemy or driven back to the ocean is not known, but not one of them could be caught on the coast sixty hours after their arrival, and none have been seen since; nor were they ever known here before so late in the season, or of such large size, or containing the fully-developed roe, or, in fact, any roe at all. Such fish are entirely new to these waters. I am of the opinion that the ocean is their spawning element, and being attacked while spawning by immense numbers of very large bluefish, they flee before it till reaching shallow water, then, if all were not killed, turn and escape to sea. These fish were remarkable for uniformity in size, being over a foot long and about one inch and a quarter thick through the back. A gentleman remarked to me that he thought none of us had ever seen any full-grown "oldwives" before. Ordinarily this fish is not marketable, but so anx ious were the people after these large ones that $14 per barrel was offered for them salt. It seems to me that if spawning was the object of these fish they would have remained longer than two days and a half, and that some would have been caught in former years. From a critical examination and comparison of these with those common to the coast I can find no difference except in size. Finally, as the spawn of these fish appeared matured, I am of the opinion that they spawn in the ocean, and in the month of November. (Since the visit of bluefish, rock and perch, usually quite plenty, have entirely disappeared.)

22. Sexes are mixed.

23. No.

28. Yes, in thousands, near the shore from Cape Henlopen to above this river. It is a peculiarity of the young fish in a strong current to spring from the water, causing persons unacquainted with the habit-to remark that "the water is alive with fish." So it is to a certain extent, but it is difficult at such times to find any other kind of fish in it.

29. I saw a great many of the large fish handled, but in no instance did I see the spawn escape, nor do I think it ever occurs with this fish.

30. I have no knowledge of the destruction of spawn, and do not believe the parent fish capable of devouring either spawn or young fish, but instead obtain their food from the mud. The worst enemy of young

fish, by all odds, is the sea-trout. From one to three may be found in the stomach of almost every trout, and as trout remain here, more or less plentiful, till September, an immense number of young fish are de stroyed. Bluefish is the next most destructive enemy. Other kinds of fish trouble them very little compared with the two above named.

31. I have never examined the roof of the mouth, but have frequently noticed a little bug-like crab attached to the gills of medium sized fish. During August and September it is common to see a slender red worm or leech fast to the fishes' sides. The worm is largest at each end, is about one inch and a half long, and bears some resemblance to the angle-worm. As many as a dozen are found on some of the fish. Al

though the worm seems as frail as a strand of blood, it is strong enough not to break when its head is pulled away from the fish.

32. The larger fish appear to suffer most from bluefish, although porpoise, shark, and the fish-bawk destroy a great many.

33. None that I am aware of.

34. Mostly in haul-seines, many in gill-seines, but in neither seine is menhaden the object.

35. Seines are from 15 to 100 fathoms long, from 6 to 9 feet deep, and have 1-inch meshes.

36. None. Four-oared boats are generally employed to lay out and draw the seine ashore.

37. From eight to ten men are necessary to manage a boat and large seine.

38. Flood and high tide; sometimes on the ebb, but never at low

water.

39. Flood and high water are the most favorable times.

40. The fish usually works against the wind if there is much of it. 42. Some leave the fish on shore, others feed them to hogs, or compost them to enrich their land.

58. I am confident, from observation, that catching large numbers of any kind of fish in the spawning season will diminish them, but owing to this fish not spawning on this coast, I regard it next to impossible to decrease their numbers by any method of capture known to fishermen.

58. Statement of Benjamin Tice, Maurice River Light, January 11, 1875.

1. Known by the name of mossbunker or aldwives.

2. They are more abundant than any other kind.

3. Increased in numbers, I believe.

5. No establishment in this vicinity.

6. They come on early in the spring, and are thickest in August.

7. They swim high and make a ripple on the water.

16. Young fish are seen in the months of August and September.

17. Leave the coast late in the fall and by degrees.

31. I have seen worms attached to the outside.

32. They suffer from the attacks of sharks, porpoises, &c.

59. Statement of Joseph B. Benson, Bombay Hook, Del., January 18, 1875.

1. Mossbunker, old-wives, bug-fish, and green tails.

2. They are more plentiful than any other fish during July and August.

3. It has not.

4. There is no establishment on the west side of the bay.

5. It does not.

6. The last of April, July, and August they are about the same size. There are no certain intervals in the schools.

7. At times the surface of the water is covered for long distances, and at other times they swim deep. They attract fishing-hawks, which live on them.

8. They come on in the spring and leave in the fall.

9. They are certain to come, but if the season is very wet they are later.

10. It does not.

11. It does not make any difference.

12. Near shore.

14. They like it warm.

15. They are all alike.

16. In August and September there are large schools of them.

17. In October, by degrees.

18. By the capes.

20. It is not known.

21. Where the water is brackish.

28. Some seasons they are abundant near the shore and at other seasons there are none.

20. Rock. Taylor fish.

31. There is a bug found in the roof of the mouth.

32. They suffer to a very great extent.

33. I have not noticed any.

34. Gill-seines.

35. One hundred to 150 fathoms.

36. They are only caught for bait.

38. Whenever convenient.

39. No.

40. No.

41. There are none.

42. They are often taken for manure.

43. There are none.

44. There is none made.

58. It does not.

60. Statement of Hance Lawson, Crisfield, Md., January 22, 1874.

Not a report with reference to Atlantic coast.

1. Alewife.

2. Most abundant.

3. Diminished.

4. At Manokin factory 800 barrels of oil were made last Tangier Island about the same or less.

5. Yes.

6. They are first seen about May 1.

year. At