San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-11-23
choice as to their food. ,Harbut and

cod are attracted a great distance by
certain kinds of bait; herring, when
fresh and in good condition, are very
readily taken by cod, but when it has
become stale by long keeping IL win be
rejected; ,crustaceans, also, us Holsters
and crabs, are attracted by certain bait,
which leaves no doubt that they like
wise possess, some sense of smell,r A
curious fact may be mentioned in this
connection, namely, that although the
cod seems to swallow almost anything
that comes in his way--even stones,
wood and fragments Of nearly every.
thing thrown ovcrboard..a univalve
moliusk is never seenaini its stomach !;
the bivalve shell is found, and the bank
clam is very common in the stomach,
the shells being placed within, each
otherI in tho smost compsnt manner,
when there ore severalsof them in that
organ, In some other ground swim
mers, both bivalve and ,niyalve mol.
lusks are found. The paddock, ling,
catfish, and one species of founder, are
known to be great shell eaters. -
But a more remarkable phenomenon
remains to be spoken of, namely, the
changes which have inarked' the charac-
ter of some well-known species of fish.
EARLY accounts state that, up to the
year 1894, blue fish were very common
nortllcof Cape Cod, hut after that date
they disappeared. Observers who have
had great experience in connection, with
the fisheries state tint none of these
fish had been seen north OF the locality
named until 1887, those found at that
time being invariably small, the largest
weighing only about two pounds. In
1889, they were caught of Nantucket,
weighing eight or ten pounds; in two
or three years more, those coming north
of Cape Cod We're larger, and drove
away the mackerel and smaller fishes,
and completely filed Provincetown har-
Dor. Now, however, they are found in
great abundance, making their appear
ance in June, coming into the harbors
all at once, and driving away the mack
erel entirely; thus, on one occasion, they
came on the 22d of June-the day pre-
vious, some eight thousand mackerel
were caught in the harbor, but on the
22d not one could be traced. Their
habit is to leave the coast with the APP
pearance of the first cold northeast
storm, about the last of September. .
Since their great increase, the lob
sters have multiplied four fold, for the
natural enemies of their young have
been driven away by the blue fish on
the coast named. Formerly these fish
appeared in large shoals near the sur
face, constantly "founcing out" of the
water, and they were caught, as all are
aware, in sweepstakes and by the hook;
but now, though the blue fish come in
large quantities, particularly some years,
their preference seems to be for the
deeper waters.
The cod, upon the banks of New
foundland, appears likewise to have
changed its habits. Formerly ,all the
fish were caught on board of the YES
sells while lying at anchor, the. vessels
having crew of eight men, each using
two lines; when the fish were abundant
all the men would fish, but, usually not
more than half the crew; at times when
no fish could be taken, all the lines but
one would be taken in, and then they
would begin to be drawn abundantly
But, let two or more men begin to drop
their lines, and not an individual would
be captured, while, should all the lines
but one be again taken in, the supplies
would once more be frequent. This
suggested the plan of carrying small
boats with them, so that each man could
fish apart from the Others, and in this
they met with perfect success, the fact
being that generally, when all the fish
ermcn in the boats would catch them
plentifully, few or none could be taken
from on board the vessel. .....
Thought it Has a Skunk.
Dnt,oit Girl ,,icked M n new beau