THE COMMON HERRING. 101 



shore with the first of the Herrings, and perished 

 there. 



The principal of the British Herring fisheries are 

 off the Scotch and Norfolk coasts ; and in our seas 

 the fishing is always carried on by nets stretched in 

 the water, one side of which is kept from sinking, 

 by means of buoys fixed to them at proper distances; 

 and, as the weight of the net makes the side sink to 

 which no buoys are fixed, it is suffered to hang in a 

 perpendicular position like a screen; and the fish, 

 when they endeavour to pass through it, are entan- 

 gled in its meshes, from which they cannot disen- 

 gage themselves. There they remain till the net is 

 hauled in, and they are shaken or picked out. 



The nets are never stretched to catch Herrings 

 but during the night, for in the dark they are to be 

 taken in much the greatest abundance. When the 

 night is dark, and the surface of the water consider- 

 ably ruffled by the wind, the fishermen always as- 

 sure themselves of the greatest success. Nets 

 stretched in the day-time are supposed to frighten 

 the fish away. 



In order to strengthen the nets, and render the 

 threads more compact, they are all tanned. For 

 this purpose a quantity of oak-bark is boiled : the 

 liquor is then strained off and further boiled, till it 

 has attained such a consistence that, when a little 

 is dropped on the thumb-nail, it will become thick 

 as it cools. The nets are then put into a large ves- 

 sel, and this liquor is poured, while hot, upon them. 

 They are suffered to lie four-and-twenty hours, 

 when they are taken out and dried. The same pro- 



