JULY. HERRING AND COD FISHING. 249 



fresh herrings through the country is but scanty. 

 The fish are, with as little delay as possible, packed 

 in casks with brine, and in this state are exported 

 to all parts of the kingdom. The barrels are made 

 principally of birch. Fir will not answer the pur- 

 pose, as it gives a taste of turpentine to the whole 

 contents of the barrel. I have been out in a her- 

 ring-boat during the fishing ; and a very beautiful 

 sight it is to see the nets hauled in with thousands 

 of herrings, looking in the moonlight like so many 

 pieces of the brightest silver flashing in the calm 

 water. When not employed with the nets, the men 

 generally fish with hooks for cod, halibut, etc. ; all 

 fish caught in this manner being the perquisite of 

 the man who catches them ; and frequently they 

 make a good profit by this, as the cod collect in vast 

 numbers about the herring fishing -grounds, and 

 are caught as quickly as the hooks can be dropped 

 into the water. Sometimes the cod, their great in- 

 distinctly-seen forms looking like the pale ghosts of 

 fish, come close to the surface round the boats, and 

 seize the bait as soon as it touches the water. 

 Hauling these heavy gentry up from the depth of 

 several fathoms is very severe work for the hands. 

 The herrings seem the most persecuted of all the 

 races of living creatures. From the moment when 

 the great shoals of them appear in the north and 



