168 



ADULT HERBINGS 



herring harvest is composed partly of fish spawned in autumn 

 and partly of spring herrings. Still, if Hjort and Lea estabhsh 

 their hypothesis in the case of the Norwegian spring spawners, 

 the apphcation of their method to British herring fisheries is 

 only a matter of time, and Mr. Storrow and Mrs. Cowan have, 

 in fact, since 1911 been conducting at the Dove Marine Labora- 

 tory, Cullercoats, an invaluable series of observations on 

 herrings landed by British vessels. 



Their operations from 1911 to 1914 are summarized by 



S years 

 8^ cms. 



6 years 

 90 cms. 



P years 

 33 cms. 





6 years 

 Si! 5 cms. 



P years 

 2. J cms. 



Fig. ] 9.— scales OF HERRING. (After Hjort.) 

 A. Norse spring herrings. B. Shetland herrings, spawning in autumn. 

 Note relatively large size of centre of scale. 1 cm. = -39 inches. The sizes 

 of the fish to which the scales belong are given in centimetres. 29 cm. = 

 11-3 inches, 30 cm. = 11-7 inches, 35 cm. = 12-9 inches, 24 cm. =9-3 inches, 

 25 cm. = 9-7 inches, 27 cm. = 10-5 inches. (From De-pths of Ocean.) 



Professor Meek on p. 75 of the Migrations of Fish. Professor 

 Meek tells us (p. 78) that the herring ' only feeds and grows 

 during the warmer months of the year, from about the beginning 

 of April to October ; from October to April growth is practically 

 suspended,' and that the stationary winter period is marked on 

 the scales by ' narrow transparent rings ' which he calls ' winter 

 rings '. 'In the case of winter and spring spawners,' he tells 



