20 THE ZOOLOGIST., 
August by Pilchard drift-nets in deep water. In October num- 
bers begin to put in an appearance on the south coast, though 
the fishing about Mount’s Bay and westward does not generally 
commence till the middle of the following month. Early in 
November, as a rule, large schools are found travelling westward 
along the Bristol Channel past Port Isaac, Newquay, and St. 
Ives. These north coast fish are usually of medium size, but 
amongst the November arrivals on the south coast are a number 
of large Herrings that spawn later than the great majority of 
the medium and small-sized ones—in February for the most 
part instead of in December and January—and, as Matthias 
Dunn suggested, may represent a different strain that comes 
directly inshore from deep water instead of coasting round the 
county. This present season, however, Herring of very unusual 
size have already (Nov. 20th, 1907) been taken in quantity all 
along the north coast, and the Port Isaac men complain that 
their packing barrels, made to contain five hundred, will hold no 
more than three hundred and a quarter. The Herring fishery is 
most productive in November and December, but is often con- 
tinued with success into the New Year, though, of course, the 
percentage of ‘‘shotten’’ fish increases rapidly after Christmas. 
Fish are at times taken in quantity as late as the month of 
March out to twenty miles south of the Lizard. Though usually 
regarded as surface-feeders, Herring are occasionally taken on 
the bottom in fairly deep water. A number of large full speci- 
mens were taken with a beam-trawl in twenty fathoms of water 
in Falmouth Bay in December, 1901, and several of medium size 
in thirty-five fathoms about the end of October, 1904. The 
Sprat (Clupea sprattus, L.) apparently fluctuates considerably in 
its numbers and distribution, for Day, as a result of personal 
investigation, says it is rare along the south coast of the county, 
though numerous at St. Ives, whereas during the past four years 
it has been locally common along the south from Polperro round 
to the north coast. In 1900 and 1901 it was scarce at St. Ives, 
and on the south was only obtained in quantity in Mount’s Bay, — 
while scarcely a single specimen was captured further east. 
Probably on account of the irregularity of the supply there is no 
regular Sprat fishery in the county, except with ground-seines at 
Saltash and on the shores of the Hamoaze. The Pilchard 
