THE WHITEBAIT. 327 



The Whitebait is not, as it was formerly considered to be, 

 peculiar to the Thames, as I have found it to inhabit the 

 Firth of Forth in considerable numbers during the sum- 

 mer months. From the beginning of July to the end of 

 September they are found in great abundance in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Queensferry, and opposite Hopetoun House, 

 where I captured, in one dip of a small net of about a foot 

 and a half square, between two and three hundred fish, the 

 greater part of which were whitebait of small size, not more 

 than two inches in length ; the remainder were sprats, 

 young herring, and fry of other fishes. 



In their habits they appear to be similar to the young of 

 the herring, always keeping- in shoals, and swimming oc- 

 casionally near the surface of the water, where they often 

 fall a prey to aquatic birds. 



I have no doubt that the Whitebait will be found to ex- 

 ist in the Firth of Forth, throughout the whole year, in 

 considerable quantity, and that the fishermen would find it 

 a new source of income, equal or superior to the sperling 

 fishery, did they use the mode of fishing for whitebait that 

 is practised in the Thames. But, in consequence of the 

 large extent of the estuary, and of no means being used ex- 

 clusively for the capture of these fish, we can form but a 

 faint idea of the number that may exist there. 



" The whitebait net which is used in the Thames, -is not 

 large ; the mouth of it measures only about three feet 

 across, but the mesh of the hose, or bag end of the net, is 

 very small. A boat is moored in the tide-way, where the 

 water is from twenty to thirty feet deep ; the tail of the 

 hose, swimming loose, is from time to time brought into the 

 boat, the end untied, and its contents shaken out. The 

 wooden frame forming the mouth of the net does not dip 

 more than four feet below the surface of the water." In 

 the Solwav Firth, the whitebait is also found in great quanti- 



