18 
a very watery nature and shrinking to simply skin and bone in 
the salt. 
Spring spawning shoals about the Shetlands, north coast of 
Sutherlandshire (landed at Wick) and the Firth of Forth had much 
the same composition as in the previous year. The samples from 
the north coast of Sutherlandshire are particularly interesting 
as they show a comparatively high number of fish with four winter 
rings. An indication of this was shown in the sample of 26th 
February, 1921, from the same grounds but landed at Peterhead. 
At the time it was thought that the number of fish with three 
winter rings, equal to 17°5 per cent., might have been due to 
accidental sampling, as only one sample was examined from the 
fishery in 1921. It was to check the work of 1921 that three 
samples were examined this year. The third sample from Wick 
was caught off the Butt of Lewis. It consisted of spawning and 
spent fish, and its age composition was higher than the samples 
from the north coast of Sutherlandshire. 
The Lerwick sample of 4th March contained more of the 
older fish, and it is difficult to say if 19 per cent. with four winter 
rings in 1922 and 10 per cent. with three winter rings in 1921 * 
can be considered as large numbers from shoals in Shetland waters. 
A consideration of the samples examined in 1920 + points to these 
percentages being high, but the number of shoals about the Shet- 
lands needs more investigation before a definite statement can 
be made. 
The high percentage of fish with four winter rings in the 
Firth of Forth sample of this year points to the same shoal return- 
ing to the same grounds as last season, when the herrings examined 
gave 65 per cent. of fish with three winter rings. In both seasons 
there were small numbers of larger and older fish which probably 
represent what was left of the shoal which was sampled from the 
Forth, 22nd January, 1920.{ Fishermen have informed me that 
few of the larger herrings were caught during the past spring 
fishery, and Mr. Walker, of Newhaven, was unable to obtain a 
sample of any herrings different trom those examined. 
The samples from Girvan in February and March, and that 
from Lerwick from the west coast of the Shetlands, 7th June, 


* Report, New Series X., page 90. + Report, New Scries IX., page 43. 
t Report, New Series I[X., page 43. 
