Class IV. HERRING. 339 



This inftinft was given them, that they might Spawning. 

 remove for the fake of depofiting their fpawn in 

 warmer feas, that would mature and vivify it more 

 affuredly than thofe of the frigid zone. It is not 

 from defect of food that they fet themfelves in mo- 

 tion, for they come to us full of fat, and on their 

 return are almoft univerfally obferved to be lean 

 and miferable. What their food is near the pole, 

 we are not yet informed ; but in our feas they feed Food. 

 much on the Onifcus Marinus, a cruftaceous infect, 

 and fometimes on their own fry. The herring 

 will rife to a fly. Mr. Low of Birfa in the Orknies 

 afTures me, that he has caught many thoufands with 

 a common trout fly, in a deep hole in a rivulet, into 

 which the tide flows. He commonly went at the 

 fall of the tide. They were young fifh, from fix 

 to eight inches in length. 



They are in full roe the end of June, and con- 

 tinue in perfection till the beginning of winter, 

 when they begin to depofit their fpawn. The young 

 herrings begin to approach the fhores in July and 

 Auguft y and are then from half an inch to two 

 inches long : thofe in Torkjhire are called Herring 

 Sile*. Though we have no particular authority Return. 

 for it, yet as very few young herrings are found in 

 our feas during winter, it feems mod certain that 

 they mud return to their parental haunts beneath. 



* The Suedes and Danes call the old herring 02'//; but the 

 people of Slefnx'Ukf from whence the Anglo-Saxoili came 3 call 

 She fry Sjkn, 



Z a the 



