June, and that from Kilkeel in October. Both these samples 
show a more rapid growth for fish of this age than the Howth 
sample of September, the growth data of which give no evidence 
of being influenced by the development of the fish. Sixteen out 
of the thirty fish with two winter rings in the Howth sample were 
immature fish in a spawning shoal, and the second year growth 
was as follows :— 
CENTIMETRES. 
16 17 18 19 20 21 Total 
Immature 2 22 4 3 4 1| 16 
Mature age 1 3 3 4 2 L 14 
There is agreement also between fish with three winter rings 
in the June sample from Ardglass and the Kilkeel sample for the 
size attained at the end of the third year, but it will be seen in 
Table III. that the second year growth of these fish differs, and that 
those in the Kilkeel sample were then smaller. 
The fish with three winter rings in the Ardglass August sample 
were larger fish, and had a more rapid growth in all years than 
the fish of the same age from the same port in June or from Kilkeel 
in October. This difference between the herrings of June and 
August is very like what has been found in the North Sea, and 
points to waves of immigrants coming into the Ardglass fishery 
during the season. 
Herrings with four winter rings in the Kilkeel sample had 
a small size and a slow growth when compared with fish of the 
same age in the Ardglass August sample and the sample from 
Howth. This difference in growth and the small number, eight, 
of fish with more than four winter rings in the Kilkeel sample 
point to the Kilkeel shoals developing and spawning on grounds 
which receive no additions from the spawning shoals of older 
herrings. 
Attention has been drawn already to the growth of the older 
fish. 
Growth data for the June sample from Downings and the 
December sample from Galway Bay will be found in Table III., 
as these are the first samples examined from these fisheries. For 
the same reason growth data are given for the Lerwick sample 
from 15 miles N.W. of Ramna Stacks, June, 1922. The Downings 
and Galway Bay samples both have a smaller growth than that 
