THE HERRING FISHERY. 



tained no organ of hearing. If this be the case the other 

 senses must be very acute, as at the slightest noise they 

 will swim away, though it be a gun fired at a considerable 

 distance. The same appearances are, of course, looked for 

 by drift-net fishermen. 



It is in the evening that herrings generally " mesh," 

 before the " fire," as the fishermen term it, comes into the 

 water. The reason of this is that herrings notice the nets 

 by the phosphorescent light and avoid them. If the fishing 

 is light and the night long the fishers generally haul in 

 their nets and look somewhere else for herrings, so that 

 they may have another chance before the break of day. 

 It is different altogether when there is moonlight, as then 

 herrings often net all night. Hence the line in the old 

 song, " The herring loves the merry moonlight." Drift- 

 net fishermen have many enemies which prey on the 

 herrings caught in their nets. During some seasons the 

 " dog-fish " is very plentiful, and very destructive, doing 

 great damage to the nets as well as abstracting the 

 herrings. Porpoises too, in large numbers, frequent our 

 waters, and, when they discover nets well-fished, the fisher- 

 Nets attacked, men have but a poor chance, as the nets are cleaned by 

 them faster than they can be hauled. There are many other 

 enemies among the large fish which do a great amount 

 of damage, but the most destructive of them all is the 

 It visits our coasts in the 



beginning of summer and leaves at its close. Fishermen 

 Destruction of greatly dread this monster, as it often carries away their 

 among nets, nets when it gets entangled in them, or if the nets are left 

 they are so badly torn that they seldom can be mended. 



In the be g innm g of this century the harpooning of the 

 basking shark was common on our coasts, and it is said to 

 have been very remunerative, as an immense quantity of 



Herring 

 having no 

 organ of 

 hearing. 



Morning 

 fishing. 



Fishers 

 change their 

 positions. 



Moonlight 

 fishing. 



Enemies of 

 fishers. 



Dog-fish. 



Porpoise. 



The basking basking shark o/ sunfish. 

 shark. 



