64 BRITISH IND USTRIES. 



from the east coast come south as far as Yarmouth in 

 October and November for the herring fishery, which 

 is then in full work in that neighbourhood, and the 

 Yarmouth men begin their fishing in July very much 

 farther north than the coast of Norfolk. The old 

 theory of the migration of the herring is now alto- 

 gether out of date ; and such evidence as has been 

 obtained of the habits of this fish, leads to the belief 

 that the only definite changes of locality it makes are 

 from deep water, more or less distant from the land, to 

 shoaler water near the shore, or the reverse. The 

 object of these movements has yet to be explained. 

 Where there is very deep water not very far from the 

 land, herrings are likely to be found more or less at 

 all times of the year, as seems to be the case par- 

 ticularly at the Outer Hebrides. There are certain 

 months, however, in which they regularly make their 

 appearance, and are successfully fished for on a great 

 part of the coast of the British Islands. The fishery 

 season, although not at the same period in all parts, 

 is tolerably regular for each district ; and this, taken 

 in conjunction with the fact that certain districts are 

 commonly visited by fish having particular characters 

 of size or appearance, which according to many of the 

 salesmen are sufficient to enable them to speak with 

 some confidence as to where they were. caught, con- 

 firms the growing opinion that herrings do not move 

 very far from their native waters. 



Enough is known of their movements, to justify the 

 belief in two very distinct arrivals of these fish on 

 many parts of our coast, wherever they may come 



