298 Part 111. — Twenty -fourth Annual Report 



9-2mm. and 9f3mm. Counting from the fertilisation of the egg, the sizes 

 at different ages were as follows : — 





Mm. 



Increase. 



Sizes of Schlei 

 Specimens. 







Mm. 



Mm. 



One Mouth, 



10-11 





17-18 



Two Months, 



17-19 



7-8 



34-36 



Three ,, 



30-35 



13-16 



45-50 



Four „ 



48-54 



18-19 



55-61 



Five „ 



65-70 



17-16 



65-72 



The small growth in the early stages was ascribed to deficient food, 

 and when the arrangements were modified growth was quicker ; and at 

 the end of the five months those artificially reared were of the same size 

 as those under natural conditions. 



Another work dealing with the growth of the herring, especially of the 

 Baltic, is by Travis Jenkins, (16), and his conclusions were founded on 

 the examination of the otoliths of over 300 herrings, almost all from 

 Kiel Bay, like those of Meyer. These conclusions are as follows : — 



Age. 



Total Length. 



Weight. 



Growth in Each 

 Year. 





Mm. 



Grammes. 



Mm. 



Gm. 



One Year, 



113-121 



8 



117 



8 



Two Years, . . 



156-164 



30 



43 



22 



Three ,, 



190-198 



50 



34 



20 



Four 



217-225 



70 



27 



20 



Five 



237-245 



90 



20 



20 



With regard to the age at which the herring attains maturity, Jenkins 

 places it at three years, when it has a length of 190mm. to 198mm. (7^ to 

 7f|- inches). Jenkins found that in the Windebyer Noor, a small piece 

 of water at Eckernforde, which has scarcely any communication with 

 the sea, and is very brackish, the mature herrings were remarkably small, 

 though three years of age, according to the otoliths. They measured 

 from 127mm, to 150mm. (5-6 inches), and furnish good examples of the 

 probable effect of diminished salinity on growth, although there are 

 other conditions in this case which may have an important influence. 



(d) Masterman and Cunningham. 



Another paper on the growth of the herring must be referred to, viz., 

 by Masterman (17), who assigns a very moderate rate of growth to the 

 early stages, but comes nearer the truth than some of the others whose 

 conclusions have been quoted. 



His investigation was made on a very large collection of young herrings 

 from newly-hatched larvae and upwards, accumulated by Professor 

 M'Intosh at St. Andrews. They comprised both spring and autumn 

 spawners. Enormous numbers of young herrings, just emerged from the 

 egg, occur in St. Andrew's Bay at the beginning of March, sometimes a 

 little earlier and sometimes a little later, and last in great abundance 

 through April and May. Their average length is about 7mm. ; when 

 about 10mm. long they leave the bottom for mid-water, and when some 

 20mm. to 25mm. in length reach the surface or near it, and then migrate 

 shorewards, frequenting the mouths of rivers. They can be traced in 

 the same localities till mid-winter, when they have a length of some 



