THE HERRING FISHERIES. 39 



10,000 barrels floating for our port ; but the stocks of 

 Scotch herrings are not all large here, in fact, considerably 

 smaller than last season, the consumption having been 

 very satisfactory." 



The herring is known as fry or sil, matties, fulls or full- 

 herring, and spents or shotten herring. 



The matties are the finest condition of the fish, when all 

 the food goes to form the fattening properties of the fish. 

 A full herring is a later stage with the milt or roe fully 

 developed, which is not the case with matties ; and, as the 

 name implies, a spent or shotten herring is one that has 

 spawned. 



The herring is a very symmetrical fish, and its dis- 

 tinguishing features are the head and the belly. Although 

 there are no eyelids, yet the eyes are large and extremely 

 beautiful. It possesses all the characteristics applying to 

 such fish as were enjoined as edible food in the Scriptures. 

 It has seven fins, and the number seven is the perfect 

 number in Scripture, and these fins are respectively 

 dorsal, I ; pectoral, 2 ; ventral, 2 ; anal, I ; and caudal, i. 



Strange markings may be seen beneath the delicate- 

 scales, which are compared by fishermen to a herring-net ; 

 indeed, some assert that the idea was conceived from this 

 as to how a net should be constructed ; fancy might rather 

 attribute this to the first herrings which escaped from the 

 nets, and the impressions they received would be indented 

 in their whole being, and handed down to future genera- 

 tions. And when the mouth closes, so as to allow the 

 cheeks to overlap the lower jaw, certain well-defined out- 

 lines are seen on each side, which fishermen say resemble 

 a fishing-boat with the mast in the very position it should 

 be when the men are engaged in fishing operations. The 

 air-bladder is joined both to the vent and stomach. The 



