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are able to take their toll with greater ease and in consequence it is nothing out 
of the way to find one with five or six herring in its stomach. The spring salmon 
and many others of the larger fishes at times, at least, find herring a satisfactory 
diet. 
The danger to the fish is not the only danger, however, as the spawn exposed 
at low tide is in position to suffer extensively. The effect of the weather has 
already been mentioned, but much greater destruction is caused by the animals 
that use spawn for food. In the Nanaimo district the various species of ducks, 
especially the surf scoter, take predominance in this regard. These may be 
seen by hundreds of thousands, and as each must get rid of millions of eggs per 
day, it would be hard indeed to estimate the damage done in a season in this 
way. I should have no hesitation in saying that I have seen sufficient numbers 
of ducks feeding within a radius of five miles to destroy more fish—in the embryo 
of course—in one day, than all the fishermen on the coast catch in a year. Many 
fish, including the herring itself, as well as shore species among the invertebrates, 
feed on this spawn, but all of these taken together must make a small showing 
when compared with that taken by the ducks. It is well that the embryonic 
life is short. If it were as long as that of the salmon, for instance, it would seem 
as though none of the eggs would ever get a chance to hatch. 
Nor is the danger ended with the hatching out of the eggs. When the fry 
are still young, in the alevin stage, they are rather helpless since they are usually 
found carried into large masses by the currents in such a way that they can 
readily be seen and seized, more particularly by the many species of fish that 
enjoy very young herring for breakfast. Here again the mature herring is one 
of the many offenders. 
The eggs when ripe are 1.4 to 1.6 mm. in diameter and in weight they run 
from 900 to 1,200 to a gram weight of ovary, and the number of eggs varies much 
with the age of the fish. Those spawning for the first time produce about 
12,000 eggs, while the oldest or largest fish produce about 35,000. The develop- 
ment of the embryo until the time of hatching has been described in the paper 
to which reference has been made. After the yolk is absorbed the activity is 
immediately increased. The individuals become more separated, but still 
remain in large schools, and growth takes place quite rapidly. 
The young herring just liberated from the shell membrane is 7 mm. long. 
When the yolk is all absorbed it is about 1 mm. longer. At this time the pectoral 
fins are present in the form of small flaps and the caudal fin is present, but the 
anal fin is not separated from it. These are not supported by fin rays. None 
of the other fins are distinct. Ata length of 12 mm. the dorsal fin appears as a 
slight elevation; at 14 mm. the dorsal fin rays begin to appear. At 18 mm. the 
end of the vertebral column, which up to this time has been straight, begins to 
turn up to form the urostyle. At 20 cm. the urostyle is completely turned 
upward, the dorsal and anal fin rays begin to show; the dorsal fin has 16 rays. 
At 22 mm. a slight protuberance indicates the beginning of the pelvic fins; at 
26 mm. these take definite shape; at 29 mm. the pelvic fin rays begin to appear. 
At 35 mm. definite pectoral fin rays appear. . 
Until now the young fish looks little like the older herring, but about this 
109 
