ISO MARKETABLE BRITISH MARINE FISHES 



transparent, the vent is nearer to the tail than to the yolk-sac. 

 The larva grows greatly in length, and remains very slender 

 until its transformation takes place. 



The Herring {Chipea harengus). 



Principal Characters. — The pelvic fins behind the commence- 

 ment of the dorsal, which commences midway between the tip 

 of the snout and the base of the tail ; nine rays in the pelvic 

 fin. Scales of moderate size, thin, and deciduous ; spines on 

 the belly weak, and the edge of the belly rather blunt. No 

 radiating lines on the gill-cover. Small easily detached teeth 

 on the jaws, on the roof of the mouth, and the tongue. The 

 hinder end of the upper jaw is beneath the middle of the eye. 

 The colour a more distinct greenish-blue on the back than in 

 the sprat. Seventeen inches is the greatest length recorded ; 

 the largest occur in the north — Iceland and Shetland ; in Britain 

 they seldom exceed 12 J inches. 



The points of difference between the herring and sprat in 

 specimens of 2 inches long or less require some attention and 

 care to distinguish, although they are perfectly certain and con- 

 stant ; in whitebait the young of the two kinds are usually 

 mixed together. Besides the above points, the number of 

 vertebrae in the sprat is never more than forty-eight, in the 

 herring never less than fifty-four. 



Habitat. — From the White Sea to the Bay of Biscay, absent 

 from the Mediterranean. It occurs also on the American side of 

 the North Atlantic, but not in the Pacific. It is abundant all round 

 the British and Irish coasts, but chiefly in the North Sea and 

 along the east coast of Scotland. In the English Channel the 

 fishery is of less magnitude, and the quality of the fish inferior. 



Breeding. — The proportional numbers of the sexes have been 

 found in herrings to be very nearly equal, but there is a slight 

 excess on the side of the males — namely, ninety-nine females to 

 one hundred males. The sizes have not been compared with 

 sufficient accuracy, but the testes were found to be on the 

 average heavier than the ovaries, so that it is probable that there 

 is a slight excess in size on the side of the males. 



According to the careful calculations of Dr. Fulton, the herring 



