50 Proceedings of the 



of Pennant, who mentions that great numbers of these fish were thrown 

 ashore at Leith after a storm in November 1768 ; and the Rev. Mr Low, 

 in his " Natural History of Orkney," says, that in 1774, such a glut of 

 them set into Kerston Bay that they could be taken by pailfuls, and heaps 

 were flung ashore. 



Dr J. A. Smith read an extract from the Alloa Advertiser, showing the 

 extraordinary abundance of these fish ; — ." On the afternoon of Monday 

 (29th October) , but especially on Tuesday, and partially on Wednesday 

 (31st), vast shoals of fish, of the genus Bcomberesox, technically known 

 by the name of Saury Pike, ascended the river Forth, and were gladly 

 welcomed by the citizens of Alloa, more especially by the humbler classes of 

 the community. The river Forth, betwixt Kincardine and Alloa, during 

 the days above mentioned (particularly Tuesday), was literally swarming 

 with these fish, and millions of them have from first to last been captured. 

 Hundreds of people lined both banks of the river on successive days, and 

 came away with bags, baskets, and boxes, laden with the herrings ; hun- 

 dreds of young people, while wading along the margins of the river, 

 picked up armsful of the fish ; parties cruizing about on the river ga- 

 thered up the herrings as rapidly as they chose with their hands, from 

 the sides of their small boats ; parties in Alloa, Kincardine, Kennet, 

 Alva, Tillicoultry, and Stirling, obtained cart-loads of them, and sold 

 them to ready purchasers ; and numbers of the fish were destroyed by 

 the paddles of the Stirling steamers." He believed they had been 

 found generally along the coasts of the Firth; the great body of fish, 

 however, appeared at the upper part, which was narrow, and perhaps, 

 from confining the shoals, brought them more distinctly under the no- 

 tice and reach of the people. Those he examined had generally six fin- 

 lets following the dorsal, and seven after the anal fin. The pectoral fins 

 are small, and somewhat notched or forked at their extremities. The 

 dorsal fins are dusky in colour, the pectorals lighter, with a white spot 

 on each, and the ventrals and anals nearly white. Two curious keel-like 

 edges commence on each side at the lower edge of gill coverts, and run 

 about one-fourth of an inch apart, nearly the whole length of the body, ter- 

 minating generally about three-fourths of an inch from the commencement 

 of the tail. When cooked it was very good eating, not unlike the macke- 

 rel, and contained a considerable quantity of oil ; a fisherman informed 

 him that he obtained a gill of beautifully pure oil from some four or five 

 individuals. A. Whyte, Esq., Queensferry, sent him several specimens, 

 and in a note, dated the 14th November, refers to them having entirely 

 and suddenly disappeared a short time before. " One old fisherman had 

 known them for upwards of fifty years, but only once (about forty-five years 

 ago) had he seen them in such quantities as this year. He believed 

 the greatest numbers were taken along the shores ; some of them 

 swam with part of their heads above the water, and in this position 

 several were shot by the watchmaker here with his fowling-piece." A 

 few specimens were next taken about the 19th of November, and on the 



