596 THE OCEAN WORLD. 
it was time to take stock. We found that the boat had floated quietly 
with the tide till we were a long distance from the harbour. The 
skipper had a presentiment that there were fish in his net; and the 
bobbing down of a few of the bladders made it almost a certainty ; 
and he resolved to examine the drifts. By means of the swing rope, 
the boat was hauled up to the nets. ‘Hurrah !’ exclaimed Murdoch 
of Skye ; ‘there’s a lot of fish, skipper, and no mistake!’ Murdoch’s 
news was true ; our nets were silvery with herrings—so laden, in fact, 
that it took a long time to haul them in. It was a beautiful sight to 
see the shimmering fish as they came up like a sheet of silver from 
the water, each uttering a weak death-chirp as it was flung into the 
bottom ofthe boat. Formerly the fish were left in the meshes of the 
net till the boat arrived in the harbour ; but now, as the net is hauled 
on board, they are at once shaken out. As our silvery treasure 
showers into the boat, we roughly guess our capture at fifty cranes— 
a capital night’s work.” 
But there is a reverse to this medal. Wick Bay is not always 
rippled by the land-breeze as on this occasion. ‘The herring fleet 
has been more than once evertaken by a fierce storm, when valuable 
lives have been lost, and thousands of pounds worth of netting and 
boats destroyed, and the gladdening sights of the herring-fishery have 
been changed to wailing and sorrow.” 
The Yarmouth boats are decked vessels of from fifty to eighty 
tons, with attendant boats, costing about £1,000, and having stowage 
for about fifty lasts; nominally, 10,000, but, counted fisherwise, 13,000, 
herrings, besides provision for a five or six days’ voyage. Leaving a 
hand or two in charge of the vessel, the majority of the crew are out 
in the smaller boats, fishing. 
The Dutch herring fishery is usually pursued during the night. 
When the nets are in the water, the boat is left, as we have seen in 
Dr. Bertram’s excursion, to drift in the meantime. Each boat is 
furnished with a lantern, which serves the double purpose of attracting 
the shoals of fish, and preventing collisions with other boats. The 
herring fishery is extremely capricious in its results; one or two boats 
have been known to carry into port the whole takings of a night. 
Valenciennes witnessed the capture of 110,000 herrings in less than 
two hours. The nets are hauled in when moderately charged with 
fish by the crew ; but it is often necessary to have recourse to the 
capstan in the process. Some of the hands are stationed to detach 
the fish from the nets ; others detach the nets from the buoys ; while 
others again fold up and stow away the nets for future use. 
On the coast of Norway the electric telegraph is applied to the 
