NATURAL HISTORY. 



437 



they immediately set out in two fishing boats, one of which 

 carries the tuck sean and the other the stop sean. Guided 

 by signs from the master-seamen, they silently surround the 

 shoal with the nets, the larger of which is used to enclose 

 a large number of fish, and the smaller to pass within the 

 other net to bring the mass of fish into a small compass, and 

 finally to prevent them from escaping until the fishermen have 

 leisure to remove them to the boats. 



When landed, the pilchards are taken to the store houses, 

 salted, and after remaining in heaps for five or six days, are 

 pressed into casks by powerful levers. During the pressure, 

 which lasts about' a fortnight, fresh layers of fish being added 

 as the former are pressed close, an abundance of excellent oil 

 escapes from holes made in the cask for the purpose. The 

 entire refuse of the fish, consisting of the superabundant salt, the 

 scales and other rejected portions, is sold to the farmers as a 

 valuable manure. The refuse of each pilchard is calculated to 

 manure one square foot of land. 



CLUPEA. 



Hnrengus (Lat. the Herring]. 



The HERRING makes its annual appearance in the northern 

 parts of Scotland about June. This most valuable fish arrives 

 in enormous shoals, five or six miles in length and three or 

 four in breadth. Their advent is heralded by various sea 

 birds, such as the gannets and gulls, which constantly hover 



