52 HERRING FISHERY. 



white, nor even in the red manner. As they arc 

 ready fooner than the red herrings, they find pur- 

 chafers, and would be very delicate, if they were 

 made of good herrings, and attention paid to the 

 curing of them. They are called Bouffis (fwelled), 

 becaufe the fmart fire they are put to fwells them. 



It is not allowed to fait the herrings, that are to 

 be cured as red herrings, in the brine of the white 

 ones ; but, on the contrary, it is ufual to make 

 ufc of this brine for faking the herrings we are 

 now treating of. For they fay, that new fait 

 would make them crack, which indeed is not pro- 

 bable. Be this as it may, this method of curing 

 hcrrirgs is entirely left to the women. 



According as the women receive the herrings, 

 they put them into large tubs, containing a quan- 

 tity of brine, without prefling them againft one 

 another. Many of them are falted enough in the 

 courfe of twenty-four hours ; but the iliotten her- 

 rings as they difcharge more blood than the full 

 ones, are left in the brine for feveral days, and 

 there is no danger of their taking too much fait. 

 When they are taken out of the tubs, they are 

 filed upon fwitches, or rods, and then hung up in 

 fmall (loves, that may contain five or fix thoufand 

 herrings. It is not ufual to let them drip ; but, as 

 foon as the laft rows are placed, the fire is lighted. 

 However, at firft they put up only one half of 

 them, and keep the fire going for fix hours, after 



which 



