THE SPKAT. 171 



ripens into life. I think, however, that herring spawn requires 

 a period of about ten weeks to ripen. It is known that young 

 herrings have appeared on a spawning ground in myriads within 

 fifty days after the departure of a shoal, and fishermen say 

 that no spawn can be found on the ground after the lapse of a 

 few weeks from the visit of the gravid shoal — that the eggs in 

 fact have come to life, and that the fish are swimming about. 



It is generally known that the sprat {Glwpea sprattus) is a 

 most abundant fish. The fact of its great abundance has in-- 

 duced a belief that it is not a distinct species of fish, but is, in 

 reality, the young of the herring. It is true that many dis- 

 tinguishing marks are pointed out as belonging only to the sprat 

 — such as its serrated beUy, the relative position of the fins, etc. 

 But there remains, on the other side, the very striking fact of 

 the sprat being rarely found with either milt or roe ; indeed, the 

 only case I Imow of this fish having been found in a condi- 

 tion to perpetuate its species was detailed by the late Mr. 

 Mitchell, who exhibited before one of the learned societies of 

 Edinburgh a pair of sprats having the roe and mUt fully de- 

 veloped. Dr. Dod, an ancient anatomist, says : " It is evident 

 that sprats are young herrings. They appear immediately after 

 the herrings are gone, and seem to be the spawn just vivified, 

 if I may use the expression. A more undeniable proof of their 

 being so is in their anatomy ; since, on the closest search, no 

 difference but size can be found between them." After the 

 nonsense which was at one time written about the parr, and con- 

 sidering the anomalies of salmon-growth, it would be unsafe to 

 dogmatise on the sprat question. As to the serrated belly, we 

 might look upon it as we do the tucks of a child's frock — viz. as 

 a provision for growth. The fin-rays of this fish have also been 

 cited in evidence as not being the same in number as those of 

 the herring, but as I can testify from actual counting, the fin- 

 rays of the latter fish vary considerably, therefore the number of 

 fin-rays is not evidence in the case. The slaughter of sprats 

 which is annually carried on in our seas is, I suspect, as decided 

 a killing of the goose for the sake of the golden eggs as the grilse- 

 slaughter which is annually carried on in our salmon rivers. 



The herring is found under four different conditions : — 1st, 

 Fry or siU ; 2d, Maties or fat herring ; 3d, Full herring ; 4th, 

 Shotten or spent herring. All herrings under five or six inches 

 in length come under the first denomination. The matie is the 

 finest condition in which a herring can be used for food pur- 



