210 



THE OPAL SEA 



Herrings 

 and por- 

 poises. 



Hfenhaden 

 and their 

 destruction. 



They follow the prey like packs of wolves; and 

 in turn are followed, band succeeding band, in- 

 creasing in size as they decrease in numbers. 

 The herrings eat the smaller fish, even their own 

 young, they are harried by the bluefishes until 

 a trail of blood stains the water, while follow- 

 ing the bluefishes come the insatiate porpoises. 

 Nothing saves the weaker ones but breed. 

 Many thousands of eggs are spawned that a 

 dozen or more may be hatched and brought to 

 maturity. Billions are lost; yes, but millions 

 survive. The herrings move on the sea in un- 

 countable numbers, in banks that are miles in 

 length and width, in windrows so vast that 

 they perhaps keep passing one given point in 

 unbroken succession for months at a time. 

 Just so with the menhaden. A catch in a 

 purse-net of half a million is not infrequent. 

 Such numbers are sufficient to withstand all 

 the ravages of the natural enemy. The bass, 

 the haddock, and the pollock may kill to their 

 heart's content, and still the menhaden will 

 hold their own. They cannot, however, with- 

 stand the great destroyer — man. When whole 

 shoals of them are caught at one fell swoop 

 and dumped into the hold of a vessel to be tried 

 out for oil, nothing but destruction to the spe- 

 cies can result. That, however, does not seem 



