DIST&IBUTION OF THE HERRING. 16Y 



natural history of the herring. Before the reading of Mr. 

 Cleghorn's statistics" the natural history of the herring was not 

 well understood even by naturalists ; so difficult is it to make 

 observations in the laboratories of the sea. Only a few persons, 

 tUl recently, were intimate with the history of this fish, and 

 knew that, instead of being a migratory animal, as had been 

 asserted by Anderson and Pennant, the herring was as local to 

 particular coasts as the salmon to particular rivers. 



The late Mr. J. M. Mitchell, in a paper which he read before 

 the British Association at Oxford, settled with much care and 

 very effectually the geographical part of the herring question. 

 "His idea also is that the herring is a native of the coast on which 

 it is found, and that immediately after spawning the full-sized 

 herrings make at once for the deep waters of their own neigh- 

 bourhood, where they feed till the spawning season again induces 

 them to seek the shallow water. Mr. Mitchell gives his reasons, 

 and states that the herrings resorting to the various localities 

 have marked differences in size, shape, or quality ; those of each 

 particular coast having a distinct and specific character which 

 cannot be mistaken ; and so well determined are those particu- 

 lars, that practical men, on seeing the herrings, can at once hit 

 upon the locality from whence they come ; as, indeed, is the 

 case with salmon, turbot, and many other fishes and crustaceans. 



On the southern coast of Greenland the herring is a rare fish ; 

 and, according to Crantz, only a small variety is found on the 

 northern shore, nor has it been observed in any number in the 

 proper icy seas — as it would undoubtedly have been had it re- 

 sorted thither in such innumerable quantities as was imagined 

 by the naturalists of the last century. Another proof that the 

 herring is local to the coasts of Britain lies in the fact of the 

 different varieties brought to our own markets. As expert 

 fishers know the salmon of particular rivers, so do some men 

 know the different localities of our herring from merely glancing 

 at the fish. Experienced fishmongers can tell the different 

 localities of the same kinds of fish as easily as a farmer can tell 

 a Cheviot sheep from a Southdown. Thus they can at once 

 distinguish a Severn salmon from one caught in the Tweed or 

 the Spey, and they can teU at a glance a Lochfyne matie from a 

 Pirth of Forth one. 



Turning now to the report of the Commissioners already 

 referred to, we obtain some interesting information as to the 

 spawning and growth of the herring. Upon these branches of 



