THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING. 9 



vember, and it is for two or three months previous to this, 

 when they assemble in immense numbers, that the fish- 

 ing is carried on, which is of such great and national 

 importance." 



Now, this " common or summer herring," which visits 

 the eastern coast of Scotland in summer, spawns about 

 the end of September and beginning of October. But 

 other large shoals, the winter herrings, visit our Scottish 

 coast in November and December, and spawn in February 

 and March. Therefore our coasts have both summer 

 and winter herrings ; and but for the uncertain or tem- 

 pestuous nature of the winter season, it might yield as 

 large supplies as the summer fishery. The Chtpea Leacliii, 

 which Mr Yarrell describes as being only 7J inches in 

 length and 2 inches in depth, with pale yellow irides, is 

 altogether unknown on the Scottish coasts. 



Mr M'Culloch, in his " Dictionary of Commerce," gives 

 Pennant's strange theory of the herrings " coming in vast 

 shoals from the icy ocean ;" we shall prove, however, that 

 there is no foundation for this statement. He then says, 

 that " the Dutch have uniformly maintained their ascen- 

 dency in the herring fishery since the earliest period." 

 Now, on the slightest inquiry, Mr M'Culloch would have 

 found that this is an error. The Dutch herring fishery 

 has gradually declined, and the Dutch do not now cure 

 above 20,000 barrels ; while the Scotch cure annually 

 about 500,000 barrels, which obtain an equal price with 

 the Dutch in every continental market. He then states, 

 that " owing to the Eeformation, and the relaxed obser- 

 vance of Lent in Eoman Catholic countries, the demand 

 for herrings on the Continent is now far less than in the 

 fourteenth and fifteenth centuries." This is also a pal- 

 pable error. The Eoman Catholic countries not only still 



