238 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



myriads not far off, but no trace of their presence. 

 They may be very deep down, or mid-way; and as, 

 like armies, 1 they go in advance- and rear-guards, 

 companies, regiments, and battalions, there may 

 be miles of ocean between without a single fish. 

 Another difficulty is that the nets may not always 

 hit any great quantity. 



Frank Buckland thought that " the progress of 

 an army of herrings through the water might be 

 illustrated by a flock of birds flying through the 

 air." Now, supposing a net were floated hap- 

 hazard in the air, on the chance of catching 

 them, the birds might strike the net in a body 

 at the middle of the net, while portions of the net 

 to the left and right of it would catch compara- 

 tively few. So with the herring. If no indications 

 exist of their whereabouts in the sea the nets 

 would float purely at haphazard. 



But our skipper was an old hand, and many of 

 the boats were eagerly watching the Mary Anne 

 to see when she would shoot her nets, so that they 

 might follow suit, and share in the spoil. 



Suddenly in the distance a solitary gull made a 



swoop down, and flew away with a herring. That 



was enough ! Changing our course, away we went 



and found the surface water looking as though 



1 Herring. Dutch Hcrr, an army. 



