186 THE HERRING. 



when the period at which the fish reaches maturity is 

 only guessed at by reduplicated peradventures, we are 

 not " perhaps," but positively of opinion that our know- 

 ledge of the natural history of herrings requires enlarge- 

 ment ; and we know of no mode of attaining this desi- 

 deratum so effectually as by so placing the procreant 

 fish that they shall constantly be watched by intelligent 

 observers. Until its reproductive processes were studied 

 in rearing-ponds and boxes, how little did we know 

 about the salmon ! what nonsense was written about it, 

 too, hurrying to and fro between the arctic seas and 

 those of Great Britain ! We are persuaded that similar 

 experiments on the herring may be made with little dif- 

 ficulty ; and this department of our fisheries being one 

 in which Government already interferes, it is much to 

 be desired that it should forthwith institute a piscicul- 

 tural establishment, charged with the duty of specially 

 investigating the natural history of the herring, alike 

 in its natural habitats in the ocean, and in others select- 

 ed for the convenience of scientific observation. It is 

 all very well in my Lords of the Privy Council for 

 Trade to send circulars to the fishing- stations, soliciting 

 replies to queries anent herrings. We wish they may 

 get them ! The Dutch Government acts more intelli- 

 gently, and with more patriotism, when authorising the 

 Koyal Meteorological Society of Holland to obtain infor- 

 mation regarding the natural history of the herring ; 

 and so important is the information given in a work 

 published by authority of that Government, that the 

 British Board of Trade has caused it to be translated into 

 English. The British and the Dutch have had many a 

 tough battle about fisheries ; and now that we are such 

 good friends as to interchange books about fish instead 

 of hard blows, we hope there may be a reciprocity in 

 the interchange of information, and that we shall not 

 be humbled by the Dutch continuing our superiors in 

 ichthyological investigations, to engage in which we 

 have such special inducements. 



