50 FOOD OF THE HERRING. 



morning returned generally with from 2000 to 3000 her- 

 rings. 



It will here be useful or interesting to give the opinions 

 of some of the most eminent naturalists on this hitherto 

 doubtful subject. 



Lacepede says, The food to which its quality is owing, 

 consists commonly of the eggs of fishes, small crabs, and 

 worms, " La nourriture a laquelle il doit ses qualites con- 

 siste communement en ceufs de poissons, en petits crabes 

 et en vers." {Laceijede, vol. v.) 



Scoresby says, " These (the herrings) subsist on the 

 smaller cancri, medusas, and animalcules." {Account of 

 the Arctic Regions, vol. i. p. 546.) 



Mr M'Kenzie, in his Essay on the Herring, published in 

 the second volume of the Highland and Agricultural So- 

 ciety's Transactions, 1808, in mentioning that herrings 

 are sometimes taken by unbaited hooks, says (p. 314), '"' It 

 seeras certain, therefore, that the herrings take these hooks 

 for such animalcules as they at least sometimes feed on." 



Eondeletius says, " The herrings feed largely on the 

 sea-caterpillar." 



And another author says, " Their food is insects" (Sha- 

 ron Turner's Sacred History, pp. 317-18), meaning, of 

 course, small Crustacea. 



Neucrantz, an author who wrote an able work, " De 

 Harengu," and who died in 1671, states, " that he had 

 frequently ascertained the nature of the food from per- 

 sonal observation, and had counted in one herring up- 

 wards of sixty minute squilhe or shrimps, and that when 

 the spawning was complete, there was less food found 

 in the stomach of the spawned herring." {Neucrantz de 

 Harengu, p. 28.) 



Leuweuhock, who minutely examined the stomach of 



