53 



of fish (berriu^ and sprat); aud he also furnislied us with a method 

 with wbich this distiuctiou is to be performed witb mathematical 

 precision. 



I need not enter here in detail on tbis metbod of Heincke's 

 — moreover, it is not tbe study of races in general wbicb inte- 

 rests us most, but only tbe question , to settle if possible, wbat 

 kind of animal tbe Zuiderzee-berring is. 



In literature not mucb is to be found about tbis fish. Cornelis 

 Nozeman publisbed in 1761 a translation in Dutcb of Watson's 

 Animal World. Cbapter XV. p. 208 — 216 treats of tbe berring. 

 Tbere is a uote at tbe foot of p. 214 and 215 in wbicb tbe 

 translator says that tbe Zuiderzee-berring begins to sbow itself 

 about tbe same time tbat tbe Dutcb fisbermen catcb tbe berrinsr 

 near the Englisb coast; tbat tbe number of these Zuiderzee- 

 berrings increases very rapidly and does so in an incredible and 

 extraordinary way. In tbis year 1759, says Nozeman, I got of 

 these Zuiderzee-berrings already towards tbe end of September. 

 They enter the Zuiderzee (filled with roe and spawn) by the pas- 

 sages aud stay in this inclosed sea during little under six montbs; 

 all this time they are caught by tbe fisbermen of Overijsel, 

 Gelderland and Holland. They are smoked everywhere and in 

 different ways. When tbe catcb begins they are filled with roe 

 and spawn but they grow gradually more meager: they are still 

 taken in large quantities even when they begin to spawn. »There 

 is reason to believe, Nozeman says, that these berrings, wbich come 

 to tb^ Zuiderzee to spawn there, form the main part of tbat remnant 

 of berrings wbicb escaped the nets of tbe Northsea-fishermen. In 

 Marcb still millions of them are taken in the Zuiderzee, after 

 baving spawned tbere; the fishes inhabiting the deep sea visit 

 shallow waters to spawn there and as we observe every year 

 tbat the berring spawns in tbe Zuiderzee, from wbicb it returns 

 to the Nortbsea about April , we might perhaps conclude that 

 tbis inland sea of ours is the birthplace if not of all at least of 

 most of the berring sboals of the Nortbsea". 



Of course this theory of Nozeman is not to be accepted with- 



