66. No steps have been taken to increase the abundance of this fish by artificial culture.

67. These fish have no protection from any source.

68. No epidemic or other disease has ever been noticed among them on the coast.

69. If such has ever taken place, the time and cause are unknown. 70. Worms and lampreys are found in the gills and about the fins of these fish.

71. The fish are caught in nets.

72. For ordinary purposes in set-nets of from 50 to 60 yards long, 14 to 12 inch mesh, and from 20 to 30 meshes deep. These nets are gen. erally set at night with both ends made fast, and remain in the water during the entire night, so the fish are caught in the night-time. But when they are caught for the purpose of manufacturing into oil and manure, they are hauled ashore at the inlet and on the sea-beach with large seines, or taken with purse-nets. This latter performance can be done more effectually in moderate weather when the fish are in schools. 73, 74. It may be taken in nets from the 1st of October to the 1st of December. They are never taken with hook.

75. One good seine, of proper size to suit the depth of water, might haul ashore in a day at least 100 barrels of fish along the beach. This is only at times when the tailors drive them in to the beach. In some seasons we might get ten, in others not more than two, good days' fishing.

76. A purse-net will take of a good day 15 to 20 barrels, while a set net only 4 to 5 in a night.

77. It is caught more on flood-tide than on ebb, for they go off shore on ebb-tide.

78. The fish caught are used on the apot, except occasionally some are taken at sea in purse-nets by vessels connected with some oil-factory on the northern coast.

79. It is an excellent food, fresh or canned and smoked.

80. It sustains its excellence as a fresh fish only a short time, owing to the temperature of the weather.

81. It is eaten to a great extent by the fishermen and others along the coast.

82. It is salted down in quantities only to save from one season to another.

83. It has been used for oil and manure to some extent, but there is no establishment of this kind on the coast at present.

84. These fish are not carried to market in any abundance, but when any are sold they are worth from $8 to $10 per thousand. The prices vary according to the quantity of fish in market.

85. These fish have never been exported from North Carolina.

86. The principal market of the fatback is in country places among farmers and freedmen.

67. Statement of A. W. Simpson, jr., Cape Hatteras, N. C., January 20, 1875.

During the past season the fishermen provided themselves with seines and boats in time to meet the first run of the bluefish. The seines were made of cotton marlin, and were about 100 yards long, 24-inch mesh, and from 40 to 50 meshes deep. The bluefish made their first appearance on the coast from the north. The menhaden passed about three days in advance of the bluefish. I do not think I ever saw so many of this species at any one other time or in any one other season. From the balcony of the light-house at least twenty-five schools might have been seen lying along the coast, both north and south of the cape. Each school seemed to cover many hundred yards of surface and to be moving south at the rate of from four to five miles an hour. This continued, and school after school followed, for ten days before the appearance of the blue-fish, aud when the blue-fish did appear there seemed to be more of the menhaden with them than had passed the station during the three previous days. Hundreds

of barrels, I think, were washed ashore, and were driven so close by the bluefish that they had not the power to resist the surf, which was quite rough and heavy, and they were consequently thrown ashore upon the beach. Only a very small quantity of these fish were saved, as the fishermen gave their attention more particularly to the bluefish; but some of them were saved and salted down, when they were sold to a good advantage. Some sold as high, in trade, as to bring ten bushels of corn, equal to $7 in currency, for one common fish-barrel of the menhaden. It has been generally thought by old, experienced fishermen here that the bluefish drive the fatback south in winter; but I have learned differently during the past season from personal observation, which the following fact strongly attests. The menhaden came three days in advance of the bluefish, and entered the sound at all the principal inlets, and made their way directly for the fresh-water rivers. They could be seen as numerous in the sound, heading north, as they were in the sea heading south. Furthermore, by a letter from a gentleman of Plymouth, N. C., I hear that they passed that place, eight miles above the mouth of the Roanoke, in five days after passing this station, and by another letter, from Windsor, 38 to 40 miles above the entrance, I hear that they arrived there as early as the 18th of December. Thus it may be readily seen that the bluefish are not the cause of the fatback coming south. I would sooner think that the fatback caused the bluefish to come south in winter, as they generally follow in the run and among the last of the run of the fatback.

Last year there were not so many of the menhaden, but there were millions of young spat-about two years old; however, this winter there was not a spat to be seen, but the gray trout came instead. These, too, were washed ashore in great numbers. I feel safe in saying that if

the fishermen had provided themselves with material for saving menhaden and trout, there might have been double the sum realized that there was by bluefish, although there were very many bluefish caught. There were engaged on the coast of Dare County twenty-five to thirty boats, each boat containing one seine and three men; these were scattered promiscuously along the coast, and, I think, from a rough calculation made since I wrote you last upon the subject, that the catch for the season averaged about two thousand to each boat and crew; making in all over fifty thousand bluefish. These fish sold for from fifteen to as high as fifty cents each. I have not heard of any being sold for less than fifteen cents cash. Many of them were traded off for corn, flour, and such other articles as this place does not produce. I think that there will be very extensive preparation made for this business next winter, and also for the menhaden. There is no needs of making any preparation for catching the menhaden; more will be driven ashore than can be saved.

1

68. Statement of A. W. Simpson, jr., Cape Hatteras, N. C., January 25, 1875.

1. Fat-back.

2. Heretofore only about one-third more abundant than any other species, but I have seen twice as many fat-back during the fishing season of 1873 as I ever saw of any other species on our coast.

3. It has increased.

4. Only about fifty barrels.

5. Neither capture nor the destruction of the fish on the coast by the bluefish seem to affect their abundance.

6. There are generally two runs; in other words, the fat-back comes south in spring, and some are seen in the sounds and rivers all the year; but when they come south for the purpose of spawning, they come sometimes in November and at others in December. In 1873, they were first seen on the coast about the 6th of December, and the main body arrived about the 10th of December. I did not notice any difference in the size of the fish in the different runs. There are generally more schools than one; many schools may be seen at one time. They seldom come near the coast in high winds and rough seas, but when they do, they swim so low that they are not seen from land.

7. The schools of fish swim high in moderate weather, and low in high winds and rough seas. Their arrival is generally known by the birds and by the ripple they make on the water. They are a great attraction for birds.

8. I do not know by what route they come into the coast north of this place; they come down along the coast from the north, enter the sounds at the principal inlets, and go up the rivers at once; they generally go from four to five miles an hour.

9. The appearance of this fish on our coast is certain, and they are

about the same as to abundance every year, when the spring run comes in; but the fall and winter run varies somewhat; some seasons not half so many are seen as at others. I do not know of any real cause for this difference.

10. Ouly for a short time; they will return to their feeding ground in less than two hours after having been scared away by a net.

11. In winter I do not think the ebb and flow of the tide affect their movements any more than they choose to run against the tide. More of them enter the sounds from sea on ebb than flood tide. In spring and summer they frequent deep water on the ebb and shallow water on the flood tide.

12. During spring and summer they feed in muddy slues and channels on the ebb and grassy reefs and shoals on flood tide; in moderate weather, during the day and at night, they seem to drift up and down the channels and sounds with the tide, either ebb or flow, and in high winds they are continually running.

13. They do not seem to be particular about the depth of water, as some at their feeding ground are in deep channels and others are in shallow slues. They swim on the top of the water in moderate and near the bottom in stormy weather.

14. They prefer the warmest water.

15. From what I have been able to learn they do not come on the breeding ground before they are mature. Some small fish are seen in large schools, but not as a rule; the one and two years old school are by themselves.

16. The young fish are seen in the sounds, creeks, and rivers all the summer, from oue to three inches long. I remember, one day during last August, twenty-five miles above New Berne, I could see 50 schools at once, from one to three inches long, and I noticed they were more numerous nearer the mouth of the river; these come down on the coast, and feed along the shores of the sounds and in the creeks until they are large enough to go to sea.

17. I think they have various ways for leaving the coast; some seasons they may be seen going to sea in large schools, and at other times they go off gradually. They leave by two runs; those that come in November or December leave about the middle of January, and the spring run leaves in October.

18. They return north by the same route they came south.

19. They spend a part of the winter in our principal fresh-water rivers, and in the sounds and creeks; where they go after going to sea I do not know.

20. Mud and scum from the surface of the water and insects which they find among the sea weed or grass is their principal food.

21. These fish spawn in the Neuse, Pamlico, and Roanoke Rivers some time during the month of January.

22. From what I can learn they are mixed indiscriminately.

23. The water is colored to some extent; it being already of a milky color, it is hard to ascertain; but it is colored some by the milt of the male.

24. I do not know the exact temperature.

25. The eggs are laid on the margin of the river, generally in from 6 inches to 2 feet depth of water.

26. The eggs float about the river; some of them are even seen to drift ashore, when the water falls away, leaving them dry; this destroys them.

28. The young are found is great abundance in the rivers, sounds, and creeks.

29. Fishermen on the rivers say that the spawn runs from the fish when handled after having been in fresh water two to three days; but it never happens while they are in salt water.

31. Lampreys are sometimes found attached to the gills, and a kind of a bug in the roof of the mouth; but I never heard of crabs being attached to them.

32. They must suffer to a great extent from the attacks of the bluefish, shark, and porpoise. I noticed that each bluefish caught on the coast this season had from one to three fatbacks in the stomach, showing that many thousands, and I might say millions, are destroyed by the bluefish alone.

33. I have never known of any epidemic among the fatback.

34. Drag-nets at the sounds, and set-nets at the rivers. These are made of gill-twine, No. 25 or 30, and cotton warp spun into cord.

35. The drag-net is from 75 to 100 yards long, having a mesh of from 1 to 2 inches, and from 25 to 35 meshes deep. The lower or lead line is kept on the bottom by sinkers made of lead for the purpose; and the upper or cork line is kept on the surface of the water by floats made of dry gum-root made for the purpose. The set-net is made of gill twine, of from 35 to 45 yards long, and from 18 to 20 meshes deep, the mesh being from 1 to 2 inches. A coarse selvage made of cotton twine, dipped in tar and then dragged or rolled in coarse pebbly sand, answers the purpose of lead sinkers. A cork line buoyed with gum-root corks keeps the net off the bottom. These are called fly-tale nets. They are placed in the water on the feeding ground in the evening, and allowed to remain all night.

36. Canoes (not tonnaged) are used; some of them are only 16 feet long by 3 feet wide, while others are 30 by 7.

37. Two men are sufficient to manage the small canoe, and three the larger ones.

38. Both day and night flowing water is preferred.

39. They are taken more plentifully in the flood-tide.

40. Moderate weather is preferred for fishing with the drag-net, and high winds for the set-net; as they are feeding in moderate and running in windy weather.