' CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 303 



their precious freights, all at the mercy of the elements, 

 having not even a narrow sheltered creek to which fifty 

 of them could fly in the event of a storm at low water, or 

 even a couple of hours thereafter."* 



In the year 1857, by direction of the Board of Trade, 

 first one set of queries, and then a second set of queries 

 were issued through the British Herring Fishery Board 

 to their officers, as to the appearance of the herring at the 

 various localities, and which we insert : — 



QUESTIONS FOR A SERIES OF OBSERVATIONS TO SOLVE THE 

 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING, ORDERED BY THE 

 LORDS OF THE COMMITTEE OF PRIVY COUNCIL FOR TRADE. 



It is desirable to ascertain : — 



A. Whether the shoals of herrings appear at different 



localities on the North Atlantic seaboard succes- 

 sively or simultaneously. In the former case, in 

 what order ?— whether this order is constant or 

 variable ? Whether, in the latter case, the varia- 

 tion can be traced to meteorological conditions ? 

 &c. &c. 



B. Whether there are or are not races of herrings 



peculiar to special regions of the "herring area" 

 (and there is much reason for believing this to be 

 the case), which merely shift their position from 

 the deep to the shallow part of each region, and 

 vice versa. 



C. Whether there are or are not, besides these indi- 



genous races, others which are migratory, either 

 as a regular habit, or in consequence of variations 

 in the food, climate, &c. of their proper region. 



* Northern Ensign, June 1857. 



