THE COD FISHERIES NEAR THE LOFFODEN ISLANDS. G41 



longing to different varieties, just as little essential difference can bo 

 noticed between the "Cbristiania herring" and the "middle herring" and 

 the " merchants' herring." We have, therefore, before us all the succes- 

 sive stages of the spring-herring: (1) this year'syoung ones, ^.sya ; (2) the 

 young ones of the preceding year, Christiania herring', (3) the young 

 ones of the year before that, middle herring ; (4) the young ones of the 

 year preceding the one last mentioned, merchants'' herring ; and, finally, 

 the young ones of the fifth year, the genuine spring-herring or " Graahen 

 herring.''''* This must not be understood in this way, that all the fish 

 called " Christiania herring" are of one and the same year, those called 

 " middle herring" from another, and those called " merchants' herring" 

 from a third year. It is well known that all the transition-stages are 

 found among these different kinds of summer-herring (thus there are 

 small and large "Christiania herring," small and large " middle her- 

 ring," small and large "merchants' herring") which has its natural 

 cause partly in the fact that the spawning of the spring-herring and, 

 consequently, also the development of its young, is extended over a 

 considerable part of the winter and spring, partly in the fact that 

 not all fish reach the same size in the same given time. A fish, e. g., 

 which, according to its size, ought to be counted among the " Christi- 

 ania herring," may be just as old as another which, to judge from its 

 size, would pass in trade as a " middle herring," &c. But as a gene- 

 ral rule the herring caught during summer can be classed under the four 

 above-mentioned heads.t Of these neither the "J5sja" nor the " Chris- 

 tiania" herring will be able to propagate during the following spring, 

 which may be supposed, if one sees how little developed the generative 

 organs are. Of the " middle herring" only very few are found with whom 

 such a thing is possible ; but of the " merchants' herring" a larger num- 

 ber may by this time have become capable of propagating. It will then 

 make its appearance at the same time as the spring-herring, and as in 

 that case it will, like the spring-herring, have fully developed roe and 

 milt, it will not generally be considered a fat herring, as formerly. It 

 will then pass for young spring-herring. It is quite probable, however, 

 tha-t on closer examination, especially when these young herring, spawn- 

 ing for the first time, are found in large numbers among the older 

 spring-herring, some difference will be discovered, caused chiefly by the 

 circumstance that they have not yet become familiar with life out in the 

 open sea, to which the older spring-herring are accustomed, and which 

 they will not try until the spawning is over. It is also possible that the 

 spawning of these younger herrings does not agree entirely with that 

 of the older herrings in point of time, but that it possibly takes place 



*See, with regard to these names, Sars's correction in the report for 1873, p. 41, foot- 

 note. 



t Of these fonr different classes I have preserved excellent specimens in spirit-of- 

 ■wine, and sent them to the Zoological Museum of the Christiania University, labeled 

 in accordance with my views as given above. 

 41 P 



