MIGRATIONS. 181 



of casting its spawn in its native waters; however, they 

 are more desultory in their movements than either of 

 these fishes/' 



"From their first arrival in July they keep along 

 both the east and west coasts of Scotland; and in Octo- 

 ber, after many erratic movements, they fix their resi- 

 dence where they mean to spawn. In these places they 

 continue till the end of February (sometimes, but rare- 

 ly, longer), and constitute what we call our winter fish- 

 ing. In the Frith of Forth, for these several years 

 past, this has been a very productive fishery ; and dur- 

 ing the present winter, 1814-15, the numbers of herrings 

 there taken and brought to Edinburgh markets have 

 yielded a most abundant supply of nutritious food for 

 the poorer class of the inhabitants of the city and its 

 neighbourhood. " 



In like manner the late Dr Fleming, author of " Ich- 

 thyology " in the same Encyclopedia, writes : " It is 

 now clearly established that the herrings, like all the 

 other fishes that reside in deep water, approach the 

 neighbouring shores when they are ready to spawn, and 

 return to their favourite haunts when the process of re- 

 production is finished. The food of the herring consists 

 of the smaller Crustacea, and of young fishes, even of 

 their own species." Similar statements are made by 

 Sir Humphry Davy in 'Salmonia,' and by Mr Yarrell in 

 his 'History of British Fishes.' The latter author states 

 that "three species of herring are said to visit the Baltic, 

 and there are three seasons of roe and spawning. The 

 stromling, or small spring herring, spawns when the ice 

 begins to melt ; then a large summer herring ; and, last- 

 ly, towards the end of September, the autumn herring 

 makes its appearance and deposits its spawn." The 

 same distinguished naturalist has discovered what he 

 thinks a second species of British herring : it is found 

 heavy with roe at the end of January, and does not 

 spawn till the middle of February. 



So far from Mr Mitchell being the first to " solve the 



