THE HERRING FISHERIES. 19 



and Caspian Seas. The Persians call their herring royal 

 fish. It is a familiar favourite on all parts of the British 

 coast, through Europe, and all parts of the northern 

 hemisphere. 



Large quantities of special cured herring are exported 

 direct to our Australian colonies, and it is an expressed 

 wish from the Antipodes that some effort for introducing 

 the Clupea harengus be made. 



Abundant as the herring is, there is good reason to 

 believe that it may be made a common commodity 

 wherever the conditions necessary to its habits exist ; these 

 conditions do exist particularly around the British coast, 

 and very specially in the western islands of Scotland. 



The herring is most abundant on the British coasts, in 

 comparison to any other coast throughout the world, and 

 perhaps this is the cause above all others why Great 

 Britain possesses the best herring fisheries in the world. 



PART II. 



IN the district of Girvan there is a small village named 

 Ballantrae, and the fishing-bed is on the " Ballantrae banks." 

 Upon these banks the herring come regularly, and have done 

 so for centuries, during the month of February, as a rule. 

 This year (1883) has been the culminating point in the 

 records of that district. Clouds of gannets darkened the 

 immediate vicinity, or forced attention as they swooped 

 to the surface of the water, and, rising with their captured 

 fish, made way for others to repeat the process, in their 

 journeys to and from " Ailsa Craig." 



For the week commencing February 28th and beginning 

 E. 21. D 



