CONTENTS. XV 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE NATUEAIi HISTORY OF THE HERRING. 



PAGE 



Overfishing of the Herring — The Old Theory of Migration — Geographi- 

 cal Distribution of the Herring — Mr. John Cleghorn's Ideas of the 

 Natural History of the Herring — Mr. Mitchell on the National 

 Importance of that Fish — Commission of Inquiry into the Herring 

 Fishery — Growth of the Herring — The Sprat — Should there be a 

 Close-time ? — Caprice of the Herring 162 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE HERRING FISHERY. 



The Herring Fisheries — The Lochfyne Fishery — ^The Pilchard — Herring 

 Commerce — Mr. Methuen^The Brand — The Herring Harvesi; — 

 A Night at the Fishing — The Cure — The Carers — Herring Boats 

 — Increase of Netting — Are we Overfishing ? — Proposal for more 

 Statistics . . • 178 



CHAPTER X. 



OUR ■WHITE-FISH FISHERIES. 



Dificulty of obtaining Statistics of our White-Fish Fisheries- — Ignor- 

 ance of the Natural History of the White Fish—" Finnan Haddies " 

 — The Gadidss Family : the Cod, Whiting, etc. — The Turbot and 

 other Flat Fish — ^When Fish are in Season — How the White-Fish 

 Fisheries are carried on — The Cod and Haddock Fishery — Line- 

 Fishing — The Scottish Fishing Boats — Loss of Boats on the 

 Scottish Coasts — Storms in Scotland — Trawl-Net Fishing — De- 

 scription of a Trawler — Evidence on the Trawl Question . . 201 



CHAPTER XI. 



NATURAL HISTORY OF THE OYSTER. 



Description of the Oyster — Controversies about Oyster-Life — Do 

 Oysters live upside down? — The Spawning of Oysters — Oyster- 

 Growth — When do Oysters become reproductive for Dredging ? — 

 Sergius Orata — Lake Fusaro — Oyster-Fascines — He de Re, and 

 Growth of the Park System — Economy of the Parks — Greening the 

 Oyster — Oyster-Growth — Spat Collectors — Miscellaneous Facts 231 



