THE HERRING FAMILY l6l 



the eleventh day of age the larval herring began to. die off, and 

 those which lived did not grow very fast. Food was found in 

 the intestines of some specimens, and consisted of the minute 

 larvae of common bivalve and univalve molluscs. On the forty- 

 seventh day after the fertilisation of the eggs the survivors 

 measured only f inch, while the free larva: in the Schlci 

 measured inch. The water up to this time had been poured 

 in through a cloth, to keep out animals which might feed on the 

 little herrings, but after this it was poured in directly and then 

 the young herring obtained more food, eating the small Crustacea 

 in the water, and at the end of five months were as large as the 

 young fish of the same age in the Schlei. The lengths observed 

 were as follows : 



With regard to the growth in the second year, Meyer first of 

 all considers the size or length at which herrings spawn for the 

 first time. According to his own experience the smallest ripe 

 herrings were 7*9 inches long, and since at a year old they were 

 not so large as this, but only 5^ to 6| inches long, he considers 

 that they begin to spawn at two years of age. This, although 

 a probable conclusion, can only be regarded as a preliminary 

 conjecture, and a thorough investigation of the question, based 

 on a large number of observations extended over a consider- 

 able time at one place, has yet to be made. 



A few observations on young stages of herring in our own 

 country are worth mention, as giving some, although not very 

 complete evidence on the history and growth of the fish. It is 

 well known that the whitebait caught for the London market in 

 the lower reaches of the Thames has been fully proved to be a 

 mixture of young herrings and young sprats in varying propor- 

 tions. In the Fourth Report of the Scottish Board is contained 

 a paper giving the results of an examination of samples of 

 these whitebait. These results are shown in the following 

 synopsis : 



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