CHAP, vi.] YAIIRELL'S ACCOUNT OF THE HERRING. 231 



Mr. Mitchell and other authorities on the geographical distri- 

 bution of the herring, that that fish has never been noticed as 

 being at all abundant in the Arctic Eegions ; and the knowledge 

 accumulated from recent investigations has dispelled many of 

 what may be termed the minor illusions once so prevalent 

 about the life of the herring and other fish. People, however, 

 have been very slow to believe that fish were subject to the 

 same natural laws as other animals. In short, seeing that 

 the natural history of all kinds of fish has been largely mixed 

 up with tradition or romance, it is no wonder that many have 

 been slow to discard Pennant's pretty story about the migratory 

 instinct of the herring, and the wonderful power of sustained 

 and rapid travelling by which it reached and returned from 

 our coasts. Even Yarrell, as will by and by be shown, wrote 

 in a weak uncertain tone about this fish ; indeed his account 

 of it is not entitled to very much consideration, being a mere 

 compilation, or rather a series of extracts, from other writers. 



It was not till the year 1854 that anything like an 

 authentic contradiction to Pennant's theory was obtained. 

 Before that time one or two bold people asserted that they had 

 doubts about the migration story, and thought that the herring 

 must be a local animal, from the fact of its being found on 

 the British coasts all the year round ; while one daring man 

 said authoritatively, from personal knowledge, that there were 

 no herrings in the Arctic seas. During the year I have men- 

 tioned, a paper, which was communicated to the Liverpool 

 Meeting of the British Association by Mr. Cleghorn of Wick, 

 directed an amount of public attention to the herring-fishery, 

 which still continues, and which, at the time, was thought sure 

 ultimately to result in an authentic inquiry into the natural 

 and economic history of that fish. Such an investigation has 

 now been made by persons qualified to undertake the task, 

 and the result of their inquiries has been summed up in a 

 most interesting report, which, along with the evidence taken 



