THE HERRING AND ITS ALLIES. 383 
does not enter the Mediterranean, though it is abundant in the North 
Sea and in the Baltic. 
The temperature preferred by the Herring has been more carefully 
determined in Europe than here. The observations of the Scotch and 
Dutch meteorological societies have demonstrated that the temperature 
of the water most favorable to the summer Herring fisheries of their 
respective countries is about 55°.4 F., though during the Scotch winter 
fisheries the temperature ranges from 4o’.1 F., and during the Norwegian 
spring Herring fisheries it ranges from 37°.4 F. to 39°.2 F. 
Discussing the causes of the movements of the Herring schools, Prof. 
Baird in 1877 wrote as follows. 
‘¢ Although the movements of the Herring appear to be very capricious, 
they are doubtless governed as much by well-defined laws as any other 
portion of creation, although we are yet tar from understanding fully the 
conditions which control their actions. They sometimes frequent a por- 
tion of the European coast for many successive years, and then abandon 
it gradually or suddenly, presenting themselves usually at the same season 
in some far remote locality. Sometimes a wind blowing on shore will 
favor their inward migration ; at other times it appears to have a directly 
opposite effect. Even when they reach the portion of the coast for which 
they are bound, the facilities of their capture depend upon meteorological 
conditions: and the Scottish Meteorological Society has been engaged for 
several years in ascertaining what these are, and how they may be best 
applied by the fishermen.’’ 
So far as is known, the abundance of Herrings in the Western Atlantic 
has been constant during the past two centuries; at the same time so 
little is our fishing population dependent on the Herring fisheries when 
compared with that of Northern Europe that variations in abundance not 
being regarded as national disasters would, except perhaps, in the case of 
Newfoundland, scarcely have been placed definitely upon record. 
Prof. Baird’s remarks concerning the periodicity of the Herring supply 
in Northern Europe, may be found in the Quarto Fisheries Report. 
There are several interesting series of observations upon the spawning 
habits of the Herring, the hatching of the egg, and the development of 
the young ; all of which may be found in the later volumes of the Report 
of the United States Commissioner of Fisheries, and in Prof. Huxley’s 
lecture on the Herring. 
In the spring of 1878 the first successful experiments in the artificial 
