BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FTSH COMMISSION'. 297 



were dissolved in warm water whose temperature varied between 30° 



and 00° Celsius. The dissolving process takes place in wooden vessels 

 with hair bottoms, and surrounded by poor heal conductors. After 

 having been allowed to stand in these vessels for twenty -four hours the 

 .solution of glue, which is still warm, is drawn oil' and placed in smaller 

 wooden vessels to cool, when it forms a clear and colorless jelly, which 

 is cut into tablets and dried on nets stretched out on frames, as is 

 done with the common cabinet-makers' glue. 



90— SPAWNING OF SPRING HERRING NEAR NORWAY. 



By S. A. BITCH. 



[From report to the Norwegian Department of the Interior, 1884.] 



As early as December 7, 1883, some specimens of herring were sent 

 to me from Ekersund. The 10 -specimens which I examined were all 

 spring herring. The sexual organs, whose average weight was 37.05 

 grams, were not yet developed ; so that it was not improbable that 

 considerable time would elapse before the herring would come close to 

 the coast. To judge from the specimens which I received, the majority 

 of these fish were females. 



Ten days later I received some specimens from Skudesnses, but they 

 consisted exclusively of so-called " blood-herring," which do not at this 

 time visit our coast for the purpose of spawning. 



On December 22 I received from Frederikshald 24 "Hvaloer herring," 

 which were said to be genuine average specimens of a large quantity of 

 herring caught in nets. Of these 24 herring 20 were of different age, 

 and but very few were ready to spawn. Only 4 were spring herring, 

 and had well-developed sexual organs (average weight 40.1 grams), 

 which certainly were somewhat larger than those of the " Ekeroe her- 

 ring ;" nevertheless these herring were by no means ready to spawn. 

 Of these herring 14 were females and 10 males. 



On December 24 some 'herring came from the Hvitings Islands. The 

 average weight of the sexual organs was 47.17 grams, hut they were not 

 fully developed, although more so than those which I had received pre- 

 viously. 



The herring which I had occasion to examine later I received be- 

 tween February 1 and the middle of March.. On February 1 I received 

 5 specimens from Kovser, all small herring, still firm and full. One was 

 a " blood-herring," and the rest spring herring, whose sexual organs 

 had an average weight of 25.75 grams. 



On February 5 herring that were ready to spawn were this year found 

 for the first time near Utsire. Some of the females had even cast some 



» (( 



VaarsiMens Gydning." Translated from the Danish by HERMAN Ja< 0B80N. 



