244 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



subject to considerable modification, I think must be admitted by 

 every one who has given the subject any attention. 



In the months of November and December, herring with milt 

 and roe are met witli in many different stages of development; 

 these herring must therefore necessarily deposit their sjDawn at 

 times different from each other. Under these circumstances, it is 

 not unlikely that male and female herring draught off to spawn as 

 they arrive at the proper period. What may have given rise to 

 the belief that the herring leave for deep water immediately after 

 spawning is, that they often all disappear in a single night; but 

 fishermen Avith whom I have conversed on that subject affirm, that 

 spent and full herring are taken frequently together, which shows 

 that they do not always leave when they spawn, and suggests the 

 probability that many may wait for some time after, to collect 

 before finally leaving en masse. 



Near the close of last session (May 26th) I made some remarks 

 on the movements of a shoal of herring in Millport Bay; at the 

 time, I had only seen the herring at the surface where entomostraca 

 (Cetochilus septentrionalis) were in patches in excessive abundance, 

 and although the herring were to all appearance in the act of 

 pursuing and devouring the small animals, I had no direct proof 

 on that occasion that they were doing so. 



A week or so afterwards, I had a note from Mr James Macalester, 

 one of our members, saying that he had examined the contents of 

 the stomach of some herring, and found them all greatly distended 

 with entomostraca of the same appearance as those which I had 

 exhibited. A little later in the season I had some opportunities 

 of extending my observations on the same subject. 



At Tarbert, about the middle of June, I found the stomachs of 

 the herring generally packed with entomostraca, and nothing else. 

 The herring in this condition are called " gtit-pohe" herring It is 

 said that these herring do not cure well, and are wanting in flavour, 

 and that they often begin to decompose in a few hours after they 

 are taken. It has been stated that those caught early in the 

 evening are sometimes nearly useless when they are taken on 

 shore in the morning, owing to the belly of the fish becoming 

 soft, and fixlling open. This appears to arise from the rapid 

 decomposition of the small entomostracans contained in the 

 stomach. The process begun speedily extends to the adjacent 

 integuments. 



