252 THE COMMERCIAL SEA FISHES OF 



AmmodyteSy some of which were up to 2\ inches in length, 

 and as many as 19 were inside one herring, while the sand- 

 launces in their turn were full of the remains of Crustacea. 

 A month later, from the same place, and captured at about 

 8 miles off shore, the food had again changed and con- 

 sisted almost entirely of the young of a very rare gobioid 

 fish, Crystallogobius Nilssonii, the largest of which was i 

 inches long ; there were likewise a few young herrings and 

 sand-launces. 



Goodsir (Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, July, 

 1843) gives the result of his examination of the maidre 

 or food of the herrings in the Firth of Forth, with which 

 the stomachs of the fish were found to be filled. Cirripeds, 

 Crustaceans, and Acalepha were detected, of which crus- 

 taceans were in the largest number, and consisted of masses 

 of Amphipoda and Entomostraca. Among the Acalepha 

 the different species of Beroe were seen in the greatest 

 numbers. 



Off the Lofotens Sars found the sea swarming with micro- 

 scopic animals, especially small crustaceans termed "herring 

 food," Calanidce, chiefly Calanus finmarchius, and Temora 

 longicornis. 



Carpenter, writing upon what they consume in North 

 America, remarks that their food sometimes consists of 

 smaller fishes, but generally of more minute animals, 

 especially Entomostraca and Radiolaria, of which small 

 reddish-brown aggregations are often found floating in the 

 waters which they frequent. 



Breeding herrings do not feed to the extent the 

 others do. 



For several reasons these fish are difficult to obtain for 

 an aquarium. Mr. Stevenson (Mansion House Street) 

 hatched some ; the spawn was taken from the fish Novem- 



