342 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



the deposit was about three-fourths of an inch thick, and 

 was attached to a cake of the rough shells and sand. 



The divers thereafter proceeded to search under water for 

 spawn between Craig Leith and North Berwick in 9 fathoms 

 water, the ground being rough shelly sand, and also again 

 in the Fluke Hole, but found no appearance of spawn. 



Various other places were tried at various times, and 

 no spawn found, excepting in the places already men- 

 tioned ; and three weeks after the spawn was first dis- 

 covered to have been deposited, the ground where the 

 spawn had been found was examined, and it was then 

 without any spawn. 



The divers say that they several times saw, when look- 

 ing up, or around them, fishes of the size of herrings 

 moving about, but they could not see them so distinctly 

 as to be able to assert that they were herrings. 



An intelligent member of the Royal Physical Society 

 having obtained some of the spawn which had been dredged 

 up, put it into glass-bottles, or cans, with salt water, and 

 exhibited them alive at a meeting of said Society ; nothing 

 in the form or appearance of these minute fishes could 

 warrant the assertion that they were undoubtedly young 

 herrings, although there is every probability that they 

 were. Several other gentlemen tried to breed the young 

 which had escaped alive from the spawn, but none lived 

 in the aquarium longer than four weeks. Attempts were 

 also made to breed them by placing the spawn in boxes 

 or cans in the sea, but the attempt failed, in consequence 

 of these having been accidentally removed or destroyed. 



In addition to the statement of the fishing of the Forth, 

 we subjoin an instructive statement of the fishing at Wick, 

 in 1862, prepared by the editor of the " Northern Ensign." 



