The River- Herring. 75 



than in anatomical details. Hence, for all practical 

 purposes, the sea- and estuary- herring of our district may be 

 regarded in the light of two different races, notwithstanding 

 tlijit we cannot define distinctive bodily points of variation. 



As to Yarrell's separation of the Thames February spawning 

 herring into a species his Leach's herring (Clupea LeacMi) 

 this cannot be maintained ; but Cunningham's suggestion of 

 there being a spring spawning brackish-water herring seems 

 quite justified. It is, however, not alone confined to the 

 Thames, as we shall proceed to show. 



Regarding its distribution we may refer to a herring fishery 

 which formerly existed in the Medway. Witnesses before the 

 Sea Fisheries Commissioners, held at Rochester 14th November, 

 1878, stated that up to near 1860 some 20 to 30 boats, with 

 two men and an apprentice in each, used to seine for " river- 

 herrings " every October, November and December.* A lastf 

 was then not unusual to be obtained ; but they dwindled away, 

 so that later on not a tenth of the numbers were caught. 

 Latterly this Medway river-herring fishing has practically 

 been restricted to irregular catches of only a few. About the 

 same period there was a regular herring-fishing on the Essex 

 coast, namely, the Pont herring fishery. This we understand 

 was carried on by the Wyvenhoe, Brightlingsea, and par- 

 ticularly the Tollesbury and Mersea fishermen generally. 

 From the descriptions given us of these short, plump her- 

 rings, they doubtless were of the same estuarine breed as the 

 Medway fish. Short drift-nets were used for their capture, 

 and the men used to blow horns to warn off the spratters from 

 their drift-nets (Baxter). The herring frequented the Pont or 

 estuarine bight of sea at the mouths of the Colne and Black- 

 water ; the fish, it is said, running up the latter to as far as 

 Osea Island. This fishery, we understand, still continues, but 

 the number of boats engaged are fewer (French). 



* At Rochester, called by the fishers " White herring." 



t In the North Sea fisheries a " Last" of herrings is nominally 10,000, but practi- 

 cally 13,200. What numbers were in the Rochester men's last we cannot s&y. Theirs 

 only seems a broad expression. 



