THE NORWEGIAN HERRING-FISHERIES- 113 



the shape of the great herring, it will be found that the upper out- 

 line from the end of the head to the beginning of the back fin ^ 

 curved, while in the spring-herring it is straight. Its greatest height 

 also is, in proportion to its length, more than that of the spring-herring; 

 and if two equally large specimens are compared, it will be seen that in 

 the great herring the back immediately in front of the back finis much 

 broader than that of the spring-herriDg, and that the outline of the 

 belly in the latter is less curved. Boeck has not been able, except in 

 these respects, to discover any difference, although he was told that, 

 according to popular opinion, there was a great difference between these 

 two kinds of herring. Several years ago he was offered an opportunity 

 in Haugesund to examine and compare both kinds with great minute- 

 ness. A merchant from Nordland brought a quantity of great herring 

 to Haugesund to be exported. The government officials demanded the 

 usual spring-herring tax on these fish, which the merchant refused to 

 pay, as they were not spring-herring, and as he had already paid tax 

 on them in Nordland. The government officials wished in this case that 

 Boeck would furnish some sure and easily marked characteristics by 

 which the great herring could be distinguished from the spring-herring. 

 He found this at the time to be impracticable, although he examined a 

 great number of both kinds. But when he heard that several persons 

 considered themselves capable of determining in what the difference 

 consisted, he had an interview with them, at which one said that one 

 important difference was, that the membrane of the belly is white in the 

 great herring, but black in the spring-herring. This, however, was 

 found to be Only partially the case in some pressed and salted great 

 herring, while with all the others not the least difference could be dis- 

 covered. Another said there was a difference in the scales, but the cause 

 of this was that the great herring, by a less careful treatment, were de- 

 prived of its scales, while they were found in the spring-herring. There 

 was therefore not a single point by means of which these two kinds of 

 herring could be absolutely distinguished, with the exception of the cir- 

 cumstances mentioned above, and these were due simply to the superior 

 fatness of the great herring. Some time after this, however, a charac- 

 istic was mentioned by which both kinds it was thought could easily be 

 discriminated. It was affirmed that the great herring was destitute, it 

 was said, of certain bones in the back, which the spring-herring had. 

 Boeck, on hearing this, thought it highly improbable, as the structural 

 forms of the different kinds of herring had been carefully examined, and 

 the conclusion reached that they are entirely the same in most kinds 

 inhabiting the northern hemisphere ; while only a few exceptions are 

 found in those of the southern hemisphere. The "procesus spiwsus 

 superior" is double in the herring, which is not the case, for example, 

 with the haddock. On the sides of this bone there are seen „ two fine 

 bones, and the argument turns on the question whether these are found or 

 not. If we examine, however, a great herring minutely, these bones 



