462 
VERTEBEATA. 
enormous are the crowds of fisli which thus, animated by a common impulse, swim together in 
the same direction, that the sea for miles exhibits a silvery appearance, from the glittering of 
their brilliant scales. The principal seat of the herring-fishery of Great Britain is at Yarmouth, 
but it is carried on at many other points along the coast. Whole fleets are engaged in this 
business during the season. It appears that about four hundred thousand barrels are annually 
taken and cured; if we allow one thousand to a barrel, we shall have four hundred millions of 
herrings annually taken by the British fishermen. The American herring-fisheries* are chiefly car- 
ried on along the New England coasts, and those of the British provinces. They are of very 
great extent, though less than those of Great Britain. Herrings are commonly taken at night 
by torch-light. 
Besides the preceding, there arc several other species of Herring, some of which are common 
on our coast. Among them is the Brit, C. minima, one to four inches long, at some seasons 
appearing in incredible numbers on the coast of Massachusetts. 
The Pilchard, C, pilchardus, is eight to eleven inches long ; it resembles the herring, but is 
smaller, and at the same time thicker. It 
is common on the European coasts, and 
is taken in immense numbers by the 
British. Though less valued than the 
herring, they are still always in request, 
especially for shipment to Spain and 
the Mediterranean. They are taken 
more or less at all seasons, but the 
proper fishing-season begins in August 
and continues till November. They are caught by drift-nets and seines, and chiefly at night. 
The skill and enterprise displayed by the fishermen in this, as well, indeed, as in all other large 
fisheries, may well excite admiration. No less than ten thousand persons are engaged in the 
pilchard fisheries of Great Britain ; the cost of the boats, drift-nets, seines, &c., is two millions of 
dollars; a seine and its outfit cost two thousand dollars. Ten thousand hogsheads, containing 
twenty-five millions of pilchards, have been landed at one port in a single day ! Sixty millions 
is supposed to be about the average number 
annually taken in Great Britain. 
The Sprat, C. sprattus, is six inches long, 
and inferior to the herring in flavor ; still im- 
mense numbers of it are taken along the Eu- 
ropean coasts. The fishing for them contin- 
ues through the winter months, and four hun- 
dred British boats are engaged in it. Sometimes the sprats are so abundant as to be used for 
manuring land, and they have often been sold as low as sixpence a bushel. 
The Whitkbait, C. alba, is a small fish abundant in the River Tliames, and greatly valued by 
the epicures of London. It is a common practice among the citizens of that metropolis, com- 
THE PILCHARD. 
THE SPEAT. 
* The following statistics in relation to our American fisheries are extracted from the United States census for 1850 ; 
Cai)ital Annual 
empldyed. product. 
Connecticut $1,986,300 $1,7S4:,483 
Maine 496,910 569,876 
Massachusetts 5,582,650 6,606,849 
New York 482,100 484,345 
North Carolina 235,115 250,025 
The interests of the other states in fisheries are comparatively trifling. The whole investment of the United 
States in fisheries is set down at §8,966,044 ; the annual product, $10,000,182. The number of " white fish," that is, 
menhaden, &c., &c., taken by Connecticut in a year is 36,946,000; of shad, 243,448 barrels ; and of other fish, 825 bar- 
rels ; 70,357 barrels whale oil, 3,240 barrels of sperm oil, and 271 tons of bone. Maine takes in a year, 173,094 quintals 
codfish; 29,685 boxes herring ; 12,631 barrels mackerel ; and 2,156 barrels of oil. Massachusetts takes 215,270 quin- 
tals codfish; 236,468 barrels mackerel; 1,250 barrels herring; 187,157 barrels oil and bone. New York takes 
25,283,000 fish of various kinds. The whole number of vessels engaged in the fisheries is 547. 
