102 THE COMMON HERRING. 



cess is repeated three times. Nets that have under- 

 gone this operation are supposed to last thrice as 

 as Jong they would do without it. 



Herrings die almost the moment after they are 

 taken out of the water; whence originated the adage, 

 in common use, as dead as a Herring. They also be- 

 come very soon tainted after they are killed. In sum- 

 mer, they are sensibly worse for being out of the 

 water only a few hours : and, if exposed but a few 

 minutes to the rays of the sun, they are perfectly 

 useless, and will not take the salt. 



When the fishermen on the Scotch coast have 

 plenty of salt, Herrings sell for about six shillings a 

 barrel. As their salt is expended, the price falls to 

 five, four, three, two, and one shilling per barrel, 

 sometimes even to six-pence or eight-pence; below 

 which prices the men will seldom shoot their nets s 

 as a less price is not sufficient to indemnify them for 

 the trouble of catching them. But it sometimes 

 happens that a barrel of fine fresh Herrings may be 

 purchased for a single chew of tobacco. A barrel 

 contains from six hundred to sixteen hundred fish, 

 according to their size*. 



After the nets are hauled, the fish are thrown 

 upon the deck of the vessel, and each of the crew 

 has a certain task assigned to him. One part is em- 

 ployed in opening and gutting them ; another in 

 salting, and a third in packing them in the barrels 

 in layers of salt. The red Herrings lie twenty-four 



* Anderson. 



