152 ORKNEY AND SHETLAND ISLES. 



nected with (he natural history of the herring, for (he 

 principal part of which I am indebted to my friend Dr. • 

 HalHday of Edingburgh, (now Halesworth in Suffolk). 



I am aware that Dr. Anderson, in his Agricultural 

 Recreations, has rendered it highly probable that the 

 herrings, instead of rendezvousing near to the North Pole, 

 as was formerly imagined, only retire a little ivay from our 

 coasts, or sink deeper in the sea, at particular seasons. He ^ 

 remarks, that the fishery commences sooner in some southern 

 bays, than in others that are more northerly : that the 

 return of the grand shoal to the northward is never ob- 

 served : that from peculiarities in the shape and size of the 

 herrings at different fisheries, it is evident that the 

 They breed herrings of the same breed, or partial shoal, return annually 

 «ear the coasts, to the same shores : and, that they do not retire towards 

 the North Pole to spawn, as was formerly imagined ; but 

 on the contrary, are taken on our coast, both when full of 

 roe, and immediately after spawning, when the fry are seen. 

 This last observation of the Doctor's is undoubtedly cor- 

 rect. The fry is, at particular seasons, seen in the Orkney 

 and Shetland seas in incredible numbers : it is then called 

 the herring-soil, and is accompanied by thousands of the 

 smaller gulls and divers. 

 , The growth of the fry is very rapid ; it has been watched 



▼cry fast. by Dr. Halliday, who informs me, " that on the western 



shores of the Isle of Mull, he has observed, in the rnonUis 

 of March and April, the herring-spawn which was acci- 

 dentally entangled by the cod-lines, to be vivified ; the two 

 eyes and head of the herring being then discernible ; and 

 that this spawn was raised by those lines only, which were 

 set on the banks at some distance from the shore. In a 

 fortnight, however, he observed the fry, about an inch in 

 length, in great swarms close by the shore ; and in six weeks 

 they were three inches long." — Hence Dr. Hallidy con- 

 cludes, that it is possible the herring may attain its full 

 growth in one year, instead of requiring three, as Dr. 

 Walker and others have supppsed. 

 They do not Dr- Halliday further informs me, that he has observed 

 go very far that the herrings leave the western shores of Mull when 

 from land. ^^^^^ ^j^ weeks old, and steer to the northward : but that 

 they do not go many leagues from land, he considers as 



beyond 



