42 THE SILVERY HOSTS OF THE NORTH SEA. 



minds; but, however interesting the results of the 

 few scratches made by the dredge here and there at 

 the bottom of the waters thousands of miles away 

 from the haunts of man may have been, they could 

 not equal in interest and value those which might 

 be gained by a thorough investigation of the North 

 Sea, if carried out upon a scale adequate to the 

 interests in view. The area known to fishermen 

 within which they find herring for a very brief period 

 is comparatively small ; and with all the experience 

 inherited, fishermen yet largely depend upon the 

 enemies of their wealth to show them where to find 

 it. Herring are migratory in the limited sense of 

 dwelling in one place and spawning in another ; the 

 knowledge that is wanted is, where do they dwell 

 after completing this operation ? While preparing 

 for this, herrings take little or no food ; so that when 

 they have emptied themselves of their burden, the 

 long, lean, hungry creatures, enfeebled by their 

 labours, must needs seek the friendly shelter of 

 deeper waters, where they quickly recover form, 

 when they would be again a valuable reward to the 

 fisherman. 



If we draw a line from the Norwegian coast to 

 the Shetland Isles, and follow the coast lines of 

 Britain, France, Holland, and Jutland, carrying the 

 line along the Norwegian coast to the starting point, 

 we have a large basin which is a home of wealth 

 far beyond many gold fields. For want of informa- 

 tion, we fish but a small portion of this basin beyond 

 the Dogger Bank and its neighbourhood, and what 



