18 On the British Fishes of the Subfamily Clupeine. 
of growth in the Black Sea may be slower and that a greater 
age may be attained ; they measure 135-155 mm. in length, 
and their scales have 3 to 6 winter rings (PI. III. figs. 8, 9). 
According to Cunningham (‘ Marketable Marine Fishes,’ 
p. 168) Sardina pilchardus breeds at the mouth of the 
Channel from June to October. It might, therefore, be 
expected that the first winter ring would be formed at a 
smaller size than in the Mediterranean race, and this proves 
to be the case ; in the scales that I have seen it corresponds 
to a length of 90 to 110 mm. (PI. III. figs. 2, 6); specimens 
200-220 mm. long have from 5 to 8 winter rings. Scales of 
S. pilehardus from Santander and Corujia (PI. III. figs. 4, 5) 
are essentially similar to those from Cornwall. 
Kishinouye has given a most interesting account of the 
biology of the Japanese pilchard (S. sagax). According to 
him the breeding-season is from February to May, and the 
young fish may attain a length of more than 120 mm. by 
the end of the year and 150 mm. in the second year ; this 
is confirmed by the scales that I have examined (PI.?III. 
figs. 10, 11), but not his conclusion that the maximum size 
of 250 mm. may be reached in four or five years. In other 
parts of its range the growth of S. sagax appears to be much 
the same as in Japan, and S. neopilchardus (PI. ILI. fig. 12) 
is essentially similar. 
The fact that the structure of the scales conforms so well 
to what is known of the rate of growth of the species may 
be regarded as confirming, if any confirmation were necessary, 
the soundness and accuracy of the methods used by Lea in 
his researches on the herring. 
The fishes of the genus Sardina are of great economic value. 
Sardina pilchardus is the basis of the sardine industries of 
France and Portugal and the pilchard fishery of Cornwall. 
The Japanese, who rival the Norwegians in their utilization 
of the resources of the sea, regard Sardina sagax as their 
most important fish. According to Kishinouye it is appre- 
ciated as a nutritious and palatable food, and enormous 
quantities are pressed for oil or dried for manure ; also the 
immature fish are tinned in oil and exported as “ Japanese 
sardines.’ In California the same species is canned and 
sold as “ Californian pilchards.” 
Hitherto very little use appears to have been made of the 
pilchards of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, 
although they are very abundant; perhaps in the future 
sardine industries will become established in those parts of 
the British Empire. 
