174 FOOD OF THE HEEEING. 



do we select their breeding season as the proper time to kill 

 our oxen or our sheep ; but we do not at dinner-time object to 

 an entri^e composed of cod-roe, and we evidently rather believe in 

 the propriety of killing only our seed-laden herrings ! This lavish 

 destruction of fish-life has arisen in great part from the well- 

 known fecundity of all kinds of sea-fish, which has given rise to 

 the idea that it is impossible to exhaust the shoals. But when it 

 , is considered that this wonderful fecundity is met by an unparal- 

 leled destruction of the seed and also of the young fish, we need 

 not be astonished at the ever -recurring complaint of scarcity. 

 An old and probably exaggerated complaint has been lately re- 

 vived that the beam-trawl is one of the most destructive engines 

 employed in the sea, five hundred tons of spawn .being destroyed 

 by trawlers in twenty-four hours ! There can be no doubt that 

 there is annually an enormous waste of fish-life through the 

 accidental destruction of very large quantities of spawn, — 

 herring-spawn as well as all other kinds. 



As to the food of the herring, the report already alluded to 

 tells us that it " consists of Crustacea, varying in size from micro- 

 scopic dimensions to those of a shrimp, and of small fish, parti- 

 cularly sand-eels. While in the matie condition they feed 

 voraciously, -and not unfrequently their stomachs are found 

 immensely distended with Crustacea and sand-eels, in a more 

 or less -digested condition." I have personally examined the 

 stomachs of many herrings, and have found in them the remains 

 of aU kinds of food procurable in the place frequented by the 

 particular animal examined — including herring-roe, young 

 herrings, sprats, etc. ; but the sand-eel seems to be its favourite 

 food. 



One of the wonders connected with the natural history of 

 the herring is the capricious nature of the fish. It is always 

 changing its habitat, and, according to vulgar belief, from the 

 most curious circumstances. I need not add to the necessary 

 length of this chapter by giving a great number of instances of 

 the capricious nature of the herring ; but I must cite a few, in 

 order to make my recapitulation of herring history as complete 

 as possible, and' at the same time it is proper to mention that 

 superstition is brought to bear on this point. The fishermen of 

 St. Monance, in Fife, used to remove their church-bell during 

 the fishing season, as they affirmed that its ringing scared away 

 the shoals of herring from the bay ! It has long been a favourite 

 and popular idea that they were driven away by the noise of 



