3S IN STARRY REALMS. 



been thus imprisoned between air and water, the slaughter 

 is truly prodigious. 



The voracity of enemies is not the only danger to 

 which young herrings are exposed ; often they are left 

 on the beach by the falling tide, and may be seen lying 

 in hundreds along the sea margin. I purposely leave out 

 of account all mere human enemies. The efforts of man in 

 catching herrings are quite insignificant in comparison with 

 their more numerous and incessantly voracious destroyers. 

 Indeed Professor Huxley states that the codfish caught in 

 our seas each season would, if they had not been caught, 

 have eaten as many herrings during the next season as 

 those which have actually fallen to the nets of the fisher- 

 man. The survivors of this fearful massacre are natu- 

 rally objects of interest. How is it that they have 

 been spared when so many myriads of their brothers and 

 sisters have been annihilated ? No doubt their safety is 

 partly due to the chapter of accidents. They happened to 

 be out of the way when the mackerel made a fatal rush. 

 The sea-gull had eaten so many that when it came to 

 their turn , he positively could not eat any more. They 

 got into the middle of the shoal afterwards and escaped 

 the fish that preyed on its margin. But, making every 

 allowance for the benefit of the accidents, I think we must 

 credit the surviving herrings themselves with some share 

 in their success. The few that have survived were on the 

 whole certainly not the most stupid. They must have had 

 quick sight, they must have had nimble fins, they must have 

 had vigilance and activity. They must have been skilful 

 in procuring food as well as alert in avoiding danger. 

 They had no maternal solicitude to watch over them. 



