the Salmon, Herring, and Vendace. 515 



in i lie use of microscopes of different focuses ; secondly, extended zoological knowledge 

 to avoid running into errors involving amazing absurdities, such as that of the practical 

 salmon-fisher, who had, or at least said he had, examined thousands and thousands of 

 salmon, and yet was so ignorant as to mistake the tape-worm for the food of the sal- 

 mon ! ! And, lastly, in the present instance, the possibility of mistaking the entomos- 

 traca present in the stomach of the herring for animals whose presence there was acci- 

 dental. I am aware that there are many, whose regard for accuracy in scientific 

 statements being extremely coarse and loose, will not only assert that they had ex- 

 amined the stomach of the herring, but had also seen its food. The sight of these per- 

 sons must have been amazingly acute, it being certain that they did not we a microscope ! 

 according to their account they have seen, with the naked sight objects which became visible 

 to others only by means of glasses of 120 powers ! But this is not all. Having seen 

 objects without microscopes which can only be seen through their aid, they, in the next 

 passage, assert that nothing of this kind exists, and mingle up their crude notions of 

 scientific matters with the strongly biassed notions drawn from trade. The result has 

 been particularly described by Mr BABBAOE in his admirable work on Manufactures, to 

 which I beg leave to refer the reader. 



Herrings are stated to have first appeared in considerable numbers in the Firth of 

 Forth about 1794. The herring-fishing managed by boats from Berwick, but a con- 

 siderable way to the south of that port, appeared, in 1832, to be very successful, and 

 was conducted with great activity. 



Spawning Season. The herrings brought to Edinburgh in the beginning of August 

 in 1833, and said to come from Dunbar, ought not to have appeared in any market ; 

 they were, without doubt, the first which had been taken off that coast ; they were, in the 

 mean time, actually spawning, many of them had already spawned, so that the taking 

 them was, to say the least of it, extremely improper *. 



The herring taken on the west coast of Scotland, in and about the lakes, are, so far 

 as I can learn, and in some true Lochfine salted herring, I have personally observed, in 

 a totally different state from those taken on the east. The feeding ground is evidently 

 at a considerable distance from the east coast ; whereas, on the west, it is by no means 

 improbable that the food of the herring may be found, either in the hikes or at no great 

 distance. Certain it is, that these herrings are very generally in prime condition, more 

 particularly when procured on the spot ; and when taken at the proper time, are in every 

 respect unlike those caught on our eastern shore ; on the latter locality they are, when 

 taken, nearly ready for spawning at the moment of their capture ; on the west coast the 

 organs of generation are but little developed. 



* Since reading my paper to the Society, I observe some attempts are making to improve, or vary 

 the mode of preparing, the herring for the market. I observe some offered for sale kippered, with 

 the whole viscera and organ of generation, &c. entirely removed ; hut these herring are not good 

 food, not being taken at the proper time and place ! It is a vile trick of trade, worthy of its inventor ; 

 and of precisely the same nature as the kippering of salmon during the months of October and No- 

 vember. 



VOL. XII. PART II. 3 U 



