HERRING. 
961 
Drift-net take, Dec. 20th, 1880, in Koster Fjord 
Seine take, Dec. 21st, 1880, ,, „ „ 
Drift-net take, Jan. 3rd, 1881, „ „ „ 
,, „ Jan. 5th, ,, „ the Skager Rack, off Koster 
Seine take, „ „ „ Koster Fjord 
,, „ Dec. 13th, 1880, at Ottero, off Grebbestad 
Number of 
specimens 
measured. 
A 
v e r a g e 
S. 
Length of the 
body expressed 
in mm. 
Greatest depth 
of the body in 
% of the length 
of the body. 
Greatest cir- 
cumference of 
the body, in % 
of the length 
of the body. 
6 
314 
20 
46 
5 
280 
17 
41 
5 
315 
18 
45 
5 
299 
19 
44 
5 
259 
17 
39 
12 
284 
17 
42 
Here it appears distinctly that the drift-net takes 
(from deeper water) and the seine takes (made close 
in shore) differ from each other in the same way as 
the Fat Herring from the Gray-boned Herring and 
the Kivik Herring from the Stromming. 
It is the difference between the Ocean Herring 
( oceansillen ). and the Baltic Herring (stromming en), 
however, that has been set forth most clearly and 
most reasonably, ever since Linnaeus adopted the 
latter as a separate variety. The relations that obtain 
between these forms, I have endeavoured to deduce 
by another method from measurements and tables of 
averages'*. 
Averages in Herrings from 
Norway. 
The Baltic. 
Bohusliin. 
Scotland. 
Norway. 
Scotland. 
Number of specimens measured 
8 
6 
32 
10 
5 
3 
5 
5 
Len 
gth of the body expressed in millimetres 
170.4 
203.2 
240.6 
240.9 
152.2 
200.7 
221 
260.8 
1. 
Length of the head in % of the length 
of the body 
21.7 
20.6 
20.5 
20.3 
21.9 
21.3 
20.3 
20.2 
2. 
,, ,, ,, maxillaries... ,, ., ,, ,, 
„ 
„ 
10.2 
9.3 
9.2 
9.2- 
10.3 
lO.o 
9.3 
9.i 
3.' 
„ „ „ lower jaw „ „ „ „ „ 
„ 
55 
13.o 
12.i 
12.i 
12.o 
13.2 
12.8 
12.i 
11.9 
4. 
Height of the dorsal fin „ „ „ „ „ 
„ 
„ 
11.0 
10.3 
9.9 
9.9 
11.5 
10.i 
lO.i 
9.7 
5. 
Distance between the dorsal fin and the 
tip of the snout ,, ,, ., „ 
5J 
?> 
48.9 
48.8 
48.8 
49.7 
48.5 
49.5 
48.3 
51.0 
6. 
Length of the pectoral fins.. ,, ,, ,, ,, ., 
55 
55 
15.5 
14.8 
14.3 
14.5 
15.8 
15.0 
14.6 
14.4 
7. 
Preahdominal length _ ,, ,, „ ,, „ 
55 
55 
31.2 
31.9 
32.7 
36.o 
30.4 
32.4 
33.4 
38.7 
8. 
Distance between the ventral fins and the 
tip of the snout ,, ,, ,, ., ,, 
55 
52.2 
52.2 
52.9 
53.7 
51.5 
53.5 
53.2 
54.2 
9. 
Length of the ventral fins ,, ,, ., ,, ., 
J? 
55 
,, 
9.8 
9.3 
9.i 
8.8 
9.9 
9.6 
8.8 
8.8 
10. 
Postabdominal length... „ „ „ „ - „ 
„ 
55 
„ 
20.8 
21.9 
21.9 
22.7 
20.6 
22.0 
22.o 
23.3 
11. 
Distance between the anal fin and the 
tip of the snout „ „ „ „ „ 
?> 
55 
72.4 
73.6 
73.7 
74.5’ 
72.1 
72.9 
73.7 
75.2 
12. 
Height of the anal fin ,, ., ,, ,, ,, 
55 
5.5 
4.9 
4.9 
4.6 
5.6 
5.2 
4.8 
4.4 
13. 
Length of the middle caudal rays „ „ ,, „ „ 
55 
55 
4.9 
4.6 
4.2 
3.6 
5.3 
4.2 
3.9 
3.4 
14. 
„ „ „ pectoral fins in % of the preabdominal length 
50. o 
46.6 
44.o 
42.6 
51.7 
47.2 
43.8 
41.5 
Flere the averages run with very great uniformity, 
falling or rising with age; and the form-series thus ar- 
rived at in the first four columns is controlled by the 
last four columns, which contain the alterations of growth 
in the youngest and the oldest among these races, the 
former consisting of Fat Herrings ( matjes ) from Sta- 
vanger, the latter of Scotch Herrings from Peterhead. 
Such an unbroken continuity in the form-series — if we 
choose to regard the Herring-races as separate forms — 
and such a parallelism in the alterations of growth could 
hardly be traced, were there no genetic affinity between 
all the above Herring-forms, from the Baltic and the 
west coast of Sweden, from Norway and Scotland. Thus, 
it appears, we can scarcely find any ground whatever 
for the assumption of a form-distinction or even of a 
racial difference. We see, however, that in the relations 
“ These measurements deviate in two respects from the preceding ones: the dimensions measured from the snout have been taken from 
the articular knobs of the maxillaries, and the length of the body has been measured to the end of the middle caudal rays. The percen- 
tages are consequently different from those already given, which can have no effect, however, upon the ultimate results. 
