12 IMPORTANCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF 



the judicious regulations and superintendence of the 

 Fishery Board and its officers. 



We shall now notice another work, which we consider 

 of still greater authority than M'Culloch's " Commercial 

 Dictionary." We allude to what has lately issued from 

 the press (1857) of the last edition of the " Encyclopaedia 

 Britannica." The author of the article " Ichthyology" 

 also adopts Pennant's erroneous theory as to the herrings 

 " coming from the Icy Ocean" to this extent, that he 

 quotes it, and says, " In truth, we are not furnished with 

 sufficient data to decide the question ; but in the mean- 

 time we do not feel inclined entirely to reject the gene- 

 rally received opinion, that the herrings migrate from 

 north to south in summer and autumn ;" and he then 

 proceeds to describe the " vast troops" which Pennant 

 so fabulously mentions. He says, " The shoals are gene- 

 rally preceded, sometimes for days, by one or two males," — 

 a very difficult fact to ascertain that " one or two males 

 preceded, sometimes for days, the said shoals." And he 

 then says, that " the largest generally go first," and that 

 they " act as guides." Surely it is impossible for any 

 human being to know the truth of this statement from 

 actual observation. He then says, " it is generally be- 

 lieved that the herrings captured far north are larger, 

 fatter, and of a better quality than those of the south ; 

 and for this reason, in the month of July our fishermen 

 go out to meet the shoals as far as Orkney and Shetland." 

 This is a most extraordinary statement to be published 

 at this time at Edinburgh, the headquarters, we may 

 say, of the Scottish herring fishery. It is not generally 

 believed " that the herrings captured far north are fatter 

 and richer." We do not know any individual of any 

 practical acquaintance with the subject who believes this ; 



