SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. * “169 
smell), at any rate its nitrogenous constituents are chiefly amino- 
bases, with small quantities of coagulable proteids, globuline, 
albumose, xanthin bases. There are no nucleo-proteids, 
apparently, though phosphoric acid very slowly accumulates 
in the pickle. So does the quantity of potassium salts.* 
Thus there is an appreciable loss of valuable food-stufis 
in the course of the conservation of herrings by means of pickling 
In brine. 
The immediate chemical and physical effects t of pickling 
in brine are (1) the withdrawal of water, (2) the addition of salt, 
and (3) the increase in proteid-substances. After a while 
the latter, of course, decrease. But far too little is known 
- concerning these changes. I have only been able to make two 
_ analyses which have relevancy in this connection. The Manx 
Summer Herring Fishery of 1917 ended in September, and I am 
indebted to Prof. Herdman for two salted herrings which be- 
longed to a barrel which he had cured at this time. The full 
analyses made gave the following figures (percentages of wet 
flesh) :-— 
Water. Oil. Proteid. Ash. Total. 
33°95 17-54 1-65 | 97-26 
11th Sept.,1917,fresh 44-12 
32°72 15:47 12-53 | 99-01 
Sept., 1917, salted 38-29 
But one must not assume that these herrings were origin- 
ally the same in composition (that is, in the fresh state), since 
even a short time at the end of the season may lead to consider- 
able diminution in oil contents and increase of water, It is 
evident from the analyses that the fresh herrings must have had 
a larger water percentage than had those which were salted. 
One sees that salt (the “ ash” except about | to 1-5°%) replaces 
*See S. Schmidt-Nielsen. Rept. on Norwegian Fishery and Marine 
Investigations, 1900, 1, no. 8. 
+ Ibid. 
