NATURAL HISTORY of N R W 'A T. i 47 



•where the females every year eje£t their roe, and the males their 

 milt. If the weather happens to be very flormy, and the fea fo 

 boiflerous, that they cannot be quiet on thofe grounds, they are 

 forc'd to difcharge their roe out in the main fea ; where they are 

 obliged to ftruggle both againft the ocean, and their enemy the 

 Whale, who is not a little incommoded by the fwelling furges. 

 Nor is the lofs of the Herrings the only one the country expe- 

 riences at thefe times, for it is likewife deprived of great quan- 

 tities of Cod, and other valuable Fifh, that otherwife would 

 come in to prey upon the fpawn of the Herrings ; but as that 

 is not to be found there, they keep away. 



In the mean time the country people affemble together upon 

 the fhore by thoufands, while a great number put off feveral 

 miles to fea, or between the iflands and rocks, and in fifhing 

 places that are neareft to their habitations. At this feafon one 

 may often fee, in the compafs of a mile, upwards of 2, or 300 

 fifhing boats lying on their flation for a whole month or longer, 

 and calling their large nets, which are 60 or 70 feet long. 

 They generally put two of thefe nets together; and tho 7 there 

 are a great many, perhaps 100 or 150 in one place, and pretty 

 clofe together, yet, in a few hours, they will be fo loaded with 

 Herrings, that they fometimes fink to the bottom, and are very 

 difficult to be drawn up again. In each net they will often 

 catch 4 or 5000 large Herrings, which hang faft by their gills 

 in the mefhes of the net. Towards the Spring, or in Lent, 

 there comes a fmaller fort, which our people call Straale-Sild, 

 and Gaate-Sild : they are likewife caught the fame way in thofe 

 large fpread nets, which for this ufe are made with fmaller 

 mefhes ; or they are caught with the caft-net, which is what 

 they commonly ufe in Denmark. This is not fixed like the 

 other, but thrown in, and dragg'd out generally full of Fifh; 

 for thefe fmaller Herrings come very near the fhore, and allure 

 fome of the larger forts before mentioned along with them, 

 which would not venture in were it not for their company. It 

 happens fometimes that the fiflierman takes a fufficient quantity 

 at one fingle caff. ; and it is not rare, that he catches feveral 

 hundred casks, and even more than he can difpofe of. This 

 fa& I am going to relate is furprizing, and what foreigners will 

 hardly believe; but I myfelf am very well affured of it, and the 

 whole city of Bergen can witnefs the fame ; namely, that with 

 one cafl of the net here in Sundifiord, there were caught as many 

 Herrings as filled 100 (fome fay 150) jaggers, each jagger of 

 100 ton burthen, which makes lOjOoo ton taken at one draught. 



When 



