AMBROSE— ON ST. MARGARET'S BAY FISHING GROUNDS. 75 



wind sets in southerly, and drives these little bait-fish towards 

 the shore, the herring always follow them. Several years some- 

 times pass by without a visit shorewards from these bank herring, 

 but they are sometimes plenty, as many as twenty barrels being 

 taken in a single night by a "fleet of nets," — i. e., two nets 

 listened together, and making a total length of forty fathoms, 

 with a depth of one hundred and fifty meshes. The north wind 

 causes these fish to seek bottom, and move oif the coast. When 

 shrimp are driven on shore by the winds and currents, these 

 herring strike in in large schools. The tide and currents exercise 

 a stronger influence over the shrimp bait than the wind. About 

 the latter part of May, immense quantities of shrimps are some- 

 times driven ashore in our outer coves. 



The next run comes in July, and consists of what are called 

 "shore herring." They are of smaller size than the "bank 

 herring," and are fat. This run heads westwardly. They trim 

 the shore, and a west wind is the most favourable for their visits. 

 In calm weather they generally keep to bottom, depositing their 

 spawn on the smooth sand, but when the weather is rough, they 

 run nearer the surface. By the first or middle of September, 

 their spawning season is over, and the fish are poor. Scattering 

 fish are found all through the year, with spawn in them. In 

 November, about the last of the month, they leave the Bay for 

 a time, but revisit it during the winter. Considerable numbers 

 are taken in nets during winter, in coves with muddy bottoms. 

 In the latter part of January, and throughout February of this 

 year, herring were observed schooling in the bay, and grampuses 

 in considerable numbers, gave sure evidence of the presence of 

 their favourite food. 



But in summer the dog-fish appears to be the principal dis- 

 turber of the herring's designs. These voracious creatures are 

 very gregarious, and are mostly found in a well-arranged host, 

 either inside or outside of the school of herring. Fishermen 

 say that the north wind is poison to a dog-fish. If, therefore, 

 the dog-fish are between the herring and the shore, the north 

 wind will cause both hosts to leave for deep water. And so, on 

 the other hand, if the dog-fish be outside of their prey, a south- 

 erly wind will briDg both in shore. 



