﻿402 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  inches 
  above 
  the 
  surface, 
  ofteu 
  thus 
  evading 
  capture 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  times 
  

   before 
  they 
  finally 
  succumb 
  to 
  their 
  pursuers. 
  To 
  capture 
  such 
  prey 
  

   requires 
  some 
  address 
  ou 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lierring; 
  they 
  frequently 
  

   throw 
  themselves 
  almost 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  their 
  splasliings 
  at 
  

   such 
  times, 
  though 
  not 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  a 
  school 
  of 
  pollock, 
  are 
  

   audible 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance. 
  

  

  When 
  feeding 
  upon 
  copepods 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  are 
  less 
  

   impetuous. 
  They 
  swim 
  open-mouthed, 
  often 
  with 
  their 
  snouts 
  at 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  crossing 
  and 
  recrossing 
  on 
  their 
  tracks 
  and 
  evidently 
  straining 
  

   out 
  the 
  minute 
  crustaceans 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  their 
  branchial 
  sieves. 
  As 
  

   their 
  food 
  drifts 
  the 
  fish 
  follow 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  often 
  appears 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  whole 
  

   school 
  were 
  carried 
  along 
  at 
  the 
  mercy 
  of 
  the 
  tide. 
  When 
  feeding 
  at 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  whether 
  upon 
  shrimps 
  or 
  coijepods, 
  they 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  

   "schooling," 
  a 
  i^henomenon 
  more 
  common 
  at 
  night 
  than 
  during 
  the 
  

   day, 
  and 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  more 
  prevalent 
  upon 
  moonlight 
  

   nights 
  than 
  during 
  dark 
  or 
  cloudy 
  ones. 
  

  

  After 
  they 
  have 
  passed 
  the 
  stage 
  known 
  as 
  "brit" 
  (2 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  long) 
  

   the 
  herrings 
  appear 
  to 
  feed 
  principally 
  at 
  night, 
  or 
  if 
  they 
  do 
  so 
  to 
  any 
  

   considerable 
  extent 
  during 
  bright 
  daylight 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  depth 
  that 
  

   they 
  escape 
  observation. 
  I 
  have 
  commonly 
  observed 
  them 
  schooling 
  

   at 
  sunrise 
  and 
  an 
  hour 
  or 
  two 
  before 
  sunset, 
  but 
  rarely 
  at 
  midday 
  even 
  

   when 
  surface 
  food 
  was 
  abundant. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  uncommon, 
  however, 
  to 
  

   observe 
  brit 
  disporting 
  themselves 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  at 
  all 
  hours 
  of 
  the 
  

   day, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  summer 
  and 
  early 
  fall 
  of 
  1895 
  immense 
  schools 
  of 
  

   these 
  tender 
  young 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  daily 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  Passage 
  and 
  

   adjacent 
  waters. 
  

  

  At 
  night 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  possible 
  to 
  note 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  at 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  several 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  at 
  such 
  times 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  them 
  swimming 
  

   back 
  and 
  forth, 
  apparently 
  screening 
  the 
  water, 
  their 
  every 
  movement 
  

   traced 
  by 
  a 
  phosphorescent 
  gleam, 
  evoked 
  perhaps 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  

   organisms 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  consuming. 
  As 
  stated 
  above, 
  they 
  are 
  

   more 
  often 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  at 
  night 
  than 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  their 
  presence 
  

   being 
  made 
  manifest 
  to 
  both 
  eye 
  and 
  ear. 
  

  

  By 
  watching 
  a 
  school 
  of 
  herring 
  feeding 
  upon 
  Thysanopoda, 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  

   evident 
  that 
  they 
  follow 
  their 
  prey 
  by 
  sight, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  these 
  

   schizopods 
  possess 
  phosphorescent 
  spots 
  may 
  explain 
  the 
  apparent 
  

   ability 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  to 
  catch 
  them 
  at 
  night. 
  When 
  feeding 
  upon 
  

   such 
  minute 
  forms 
  as 
  copepods, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  uses 
  its 
  

   vision 
  but 
  little, 
  as 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  pay 
  no 
  attention 
  to 
  individuals, 
  but 
  

   merely 
  to 
  swim 
  open-mouthed 
  and 
  take 
  its 
  food 
  en 
  masse. 
  

  

  The 
  fishermen 
  state 
  that 
  when 
  both 
  shrimps 
  and 
  copepods 
  abound 
  

   the 
  former 
  is 
  preferred 
  — 
  a 
  statement 
  corroborated 
  by 
  my 
  own 
  observa. 
  

   tioiis. 
  Frequently 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  school 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  will 
  contain 
  

   copepods 
  while 
  the 
  vast 
  majority 
  are 
  gorged 
  with 
  shrimps, 
  and 
  some- 
  

   times 
  they 
  will 
  all 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  condition 
  when 
  the 
  tow 
  net 
  

   demonstrates 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  copepods 
  in 
  abundance. 
  When 
  brit 
  and 
  

   larger 
  herring 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  weir, 
  the 
  former 
  — 
  too 
  small 
  to 
  

  

  