$3tctt0irar of Ztnimtittls $atur*. 313 



far are they from being migratory to us 

 , that Herrings visit the 



from the North only, 



west coast of the county of Cork in Augus 

 I which is earlier than those which come dow 

 i the Irish Channel arrive, and long befor 

 they make their appearance at other plao 

 much farther north. ' In former times, tl. 

 fishery on the east coast did not commenc 

 till that on the west had terminated. It i 

 remarkable also that the eastern fishery ha 

 become so abundant as quite to have ob 

 scured the western.' And Dr. M'Culloch 

 from other examples, confirms a stattmen 

 previously made, that the fishery has com 

 menced soonest on the southern part of th 

 shore ; and what is also remarkable, tha 

 for some years past it has become later ever 

 year. The Herring is in truth a most capri' 

 cious fish, seldom remaining in one place 

 and there is scarcely a fishing station roum 

 the British islands that has not experiencec 

 in the visits of this fish the greatest varia- 

 tions both as to time and quantity, withou 

 any accountable reason." 



Herrings are full of roe in the end of June 

 and continue in perfection till the beginning 

 of winter, when they deposit their spawn 

 The young Herrings begin to approach the 

 shores in July and August, and are then 

 from half an inch to two inches long. The 

 Herring was unknown to the ancients, being 

 rarely, if ever, found within the Mediterra- 

 nean. The Dutch are said to have engaged 

 in the fishery in 1164. The invention of 

 Pickling or salting Herrings is acribed to one 

 Benkeb, or Benkelson, of Biervliet, near 

 Sluys, who died in 1397. The empercr 

 Charles V. visited his grave, and ordered a 

 magnificent tomb to be erected to his me- 

 mory. Since this early period the Dutch 

 have uniformly maintained their ascendancy 

 in the Herring fishery ; but, owing to the 

 Reformation, and the relaxed observance of 

 Lent in Roman Catholic countries, the de- 

 mand for Herrings upon the Continent is 

 now far less than in the fourteenth and 

 fifteenth centuries. The mode of fishing for 

 Herrings is by drift-nets, very similar to 

 those employed in the pilchard fisheries : 

 the fishing is carried on only in the night ; 

 the most favourable time being when it is 

 quite dark, and the surface of the water is 

 rurHed by a breeze. 



Though there are some other species of 

 Herrings, none of them are of the same com- 

 mercial importance as the Common Herring, 

 already described, which so abundantly visits 

 our shores ; a slight notice of one of them, 

 therefore, is all that will be necessary. 



LEACH'S HERRING. (Clupea Leachii.) 

 'The Herring," says Mr. Yarrell, " which I 

 now refer to, is found heavy with roe at the 

 end of January, which it does not deposit 

 till the middle of February. Its length is 

 not more than seven inches and a half, and 

 ts depth near two inches. It is known that 

 Dr. Leach had often stated that our coast 

 produced a second species of Herring ; but 



am not aware that any notice of it ha 

 :ver appeared in print. In order, however 

 o identify the name of that distinguished 

 '.aturalist with a fish of which he was pro- 



bably the first observer, I proposed for it the 

 name of Clupea Leachii." The flesh of thi 

 species is said to differ from that of the 

 Common Herring in flavour, arid to be much 

 more mild. 



A family of Lepidop- 

 terous insects, corresponding with the Plebei 

 Lrbicoli of Linnaeus, and in many respects 

 approaching to the Moths. The six feet are 

 of uniform size in both sexes, the hinc 

 tibise having a pair of spurs at the apex, and 

 another pair near the middle of the limb 

 the antennas are wide apart at the base, and 

 are often terminated in a very strong hook ; 

 the maxillae are fery long ; and the lower 

 wings are generally horizontal during re- 

 pose. All the known caterpillars belonging 

 to this family are cylindrical without spines, 

 with the anterior segments narrowed, and 

 the head very large : they roll up leaves, in 

 which they construct a slight silken cocoon, 

 herein the chrysalis form is assumed ; this 



entire, without angular prominences, and 

 attached by the tail as well as girt round 

 the middle. 



These Butterflies have a peculiar, short, 

 erking kind of flight, which has obtained 

 for them the name of Skippers. The species 



re of comparatively small size, and of ob- 

 cure colours, but some are ornamented with 

 right transparent spots, and others have 



HZSPERIA [PAMPHILi] 8YI.VANU3. V. 



he hind wings furnished with long tails. 

 They have a robust body ; and frequently 

 ettle on flowers, leaves, and branches. 

 There are a few British species, descriptions 

 f which will be found in the works of Ste- 

 hens and Humphreys. The " Genera of 

 Jiurnal Lepidoptera " of Doubleday and 

 iewitson will be found to contain much 

 nformation on this family, which in foreign 

 ountnes abounds in species and genera. 



HESSIAN FLY. (Cecidomyia destructor.) 

 his far-famed fly, as well as the " wheat- 

 y, which are common both to Europe and 

 America, are small gnats or midges, and 

 aelong to the family called Ceculomyiadee, 

 T gall-gnats. The insects of this fam'ily are 

 ery numerous, and most of them, in the 

 naggot state, live in galls or unnatural en- 



