340 



HERRING. Class IV. 



the ice, to repair the vafb deftrucYion of their race 

 during fummer, by men, fowl, and fifh. Some 

 of the old herrings continue on our coafts the 

 whole year: the Scarborough fifhermen never put 

 down their nets but they catch a few -, but the 

 numbers that remain are not worth mention in 

 comparifon to the numbers that return. 

 Bescrip. Herrings vary greatly in fize. Mr. Travis com- 

 municated to me the information of an experienced 

 fiiher, who informed him that there is fometimes 

 taken near Tarmouth, a herring diftinguifhed by a 

 black fpot above the nofe , and that he once faw 

 one that was twenty-one inches and an half long. 

 He infilled that it was a different fpecies, and varied 

 as much from the common herring as that does 

 from the pilchard. This we mention in order to 

 incite fome curious perfon on that coaft to a farther 

 enquiry. 



The eye is very large : the edges of the upper jaw 

 and the tongue are very rough, but the whole 

 mouth is void of teeth : the gill covers are very 

 loofe, and open very wide ; which occafions the 

 almoft inftant death of the herring when taken 

 out of the water, which is well known, even to a 

 proverb. 



The dorfal fin confifts of about feventeen rays, 

 and is placed beyond the centre of gravity, fo that 

 when the fifti is-iufpended by it, the head imme- 

 diately dips down : the two ventral fins have nine 



rays;, 



