﻿262 
  

  

  THE 
  VEETEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  J. 
  Embleton 
  Smith, 
  in 
  his 
  article 
  on 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   Peach's 
  death 
  in 
  the 
  Newcastle 
  Chronicle, 
  1886, 
  states 
  that 
  

   Peach 
  found 
  the 
  Anchovy 
  at 
  Peterhead. 
  

  

  Clupea 
  harengus, 
  Linn. 
  Herring. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  important, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  abundant, 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  seas, 
  supplying 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  

   an 
  immense 
  amount 
  of 
  food 
  to 
  man, 
  besides 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  

   prey 
  and 
  almost 
  the 
  regular 
  food 
  of 
  many 
  other 
  fishes. 
  There 
  

   is 
  no 
  period 
  of 
  its 
  existence 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Herring 
  is 
  not 
  

   devoured 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  many 
  enemies. 
  Immediately 
  on 
  the 
  

   spawn 
  being 
  deposited 
  it 
  is 
  eaten 
  in 
  immense 
  quantities 
  by 
  

   flat 
  fish 
  and 
  haddocks, 
  and 
  such 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  as 
  escape 
  their 
  

   enemies 
  and 
  attain 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  one 
  to 
  one 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  inches, 
  

   full-grown 
  herrings 
  themselves 
  feed 
  upon 
  eagerly. 
  While 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  stage, 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  eaten 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   Whitebait. 
  In 
  its 
  adult 
  stages, 
  the 
  Herring 
  is 
  being 
  

   continually 
  preyed 
  upon 
  by 
  dog-fish, 
  cod-fish, 
  shark 
  and 
  

   fishing 
  frogs, 
  the 
  gannet, 
  and 
  other 
  fish-eating 
  birds, 
  while 
  

   man, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  his 
  wants 
  as 
  a 
  food, 
  uses 
  Herring 
  as 
  a 
  

   bait 
  for 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  other 
  fishes. 
  

  

  The 
  Herring 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  wandering 
  disposition, 
  but 
  is 
  with 
  us 
  

   at 
  all 
  seasons, 
  spawning 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  end 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  

   through 
  September, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  February. 
  Those 
  caught 
  in 
  

   winter 
  are 
  often 
  large, 
  dry, 
  and 
  devoid 
  of 
  flavour. 
  Herma- 
  

   phrodism 
  sometimes 
  occurs 
  in 
  this 
  species. 
  I 
  possess 
  such 
  a 
  

   one 
  in 
  which 
  both 
  milt 
  and 
  roe 
  are 
  unmistakably 
  seen 
  to 
  

   be 
  present. 
  

  

  Clupea 
  pilchardus, 
  Wdlb. 
  Pilchard. 
  

  

  [" 
  These 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  our 
  Bay 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  year, 
  but 
  

   they 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  a 
  plentiful 
  fish."] 
  (Arbuthnot.) 
  

  

  If 
  Pilchards 
  were 
  found 
  all 
  the 
  year 
  round 
  in 
  Peterhead 
  

   Bay 
  prior 
  to 
  1815, 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  now, 
  for 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  

   of 
  forty 
  years 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  seen 
  one 
  specimen 
  that 
  was 
  taken 
  

   in 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth 
  along 
  with 
  herrings, 
  November 
  9th, 
  1881, 
  

   and 
  no 
  mention 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  it 
  by 
  any 
  observer 
  with 
  whom 
  

   I 
  am 
  acquainted. 
  

  

  " 
  Mr. 
  Reid 
  says, 
  very 
  rare 
  ; 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  seen 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  specimens." 
  (Harvie-Brown 
  and 
  Buckley.) 
  

  

  