294 FISHES. 



boats from Fife, but he adds that so many of the skippers and 

 seamen were killed at the battle of Kilsyth, that the trade 

 died out. 



Low writes that for many years no herrings had been caught 

 in Orkney, though, he adds, not from the want of them. He 

 heard of them as far up in the sounds as Scapa Bay, and says 

 that at certain seasons these sounds swarm with the fry, and he 

 himself caught numbers in the fresh (?) water at the mouth of 

 Loch Stenness. 



At the commencement of this century herrings were so 

 scarce in Orkney that it was not worth the natives' while to 

 prosecute their fishing, although these fish were abundant off 

 both the Shetland and Caithness coasts. 



During the last two years herrings have been fished just 

 outside the west of the Pentland Firth, the great bulk of the 

 fish being landed at Scrabster, though a certain amount come 

 into Stromness. Those herrings that are caught early in the 

 season are used principally as bait for the long lines. 



Mr. Moodie-Heddle writes us that he has known herrings 

 caught off Walls (Hoy) with bare tin hooks on July 18th, 

 1849. 



Engraulis encrasicolus (L.). Anchovy. 



In a note to a letter from Mr. Moodie-Heddle that gentleman 

 says : "By the way, I daresay you know there were lots of 

 Anchovies all over Orkney this winter, in the inner sounds." 

 This, taken in connection with their recent appearance in East 

 Coast waters, is not so very surprising. 



Family MURENIDJE. 



Anguilla vulgaris, Flein. Sharp-nosed Eel. 

 Numerous everywhere. 



