132 BRITISH FISH AND FISHERIES. 



On the appearance of the herrings off our 

 coastj the fishery commences, and the nets of an 

 active, busy class of men are in full requisition. 

 It is, however, only at night that the great 

 work goes on. The nets used are termed 

 drift-nets, suspended at different depths in the 

 water, according to the distance below the sur- 

 face of the water at which the shoals are pur- 

 suing their course. During this season count- 

 less thousands are taken by man. Porpoises 

 and large fishes prey unceasingly upon them, 

 and sea-birds join in the feast ; among these 

 latter, gannets and cormorants are conspicuous. 

 Buchanan calculates, that the gannets of St. 

 Kilda alone (to say nothing of those of the Bass 

 Rock and other places) destroy annually one 

 hundred and five millions of herrings ; yet, 

 neither the destructive operations of man, nor 

 of sea-birds, nor of large fishes, all combined, 

 perceptibly diminish their numbers. How 

 wise are the provisions of the Divine Creator, 

 who careth for the wants of all his crea- 

 tures ! 



Young herrings in shoals are abundant 

 around our coast during the whole of the 

 summer, tenanting the shallows, and roving 

 about from place to place as instinct prompts 

 them. They continue during the autumn and 



