682 
MR. T. SOUTHWELL ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
in Crossbills this year. One was killed out of a flock in the 
summer, and brought to me by a neighbouring keeper, who did not 
know what it was. These birds had evidently bred in the 
neighbourhood. During the shooting, not once or twice, but 
repeatedly, I saw these birds in a great many difterent places. 
I only hope they may now get a Arm hold in the county. My 
pen has wandered on to an inordinate length, and to conclude, let 
me mention one other case of scarceness this year, and that is, in 
the Grey Crows. I do not know that I ever remember to have 
seen so few. 
XY. 
NOTES ON THE HERRING FISHERY OF 1888. 
By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S. 
Read 26th March, 1889. 
The partial gleam of success which I was enabled to chronicle last 
year has not been sustained during the season of 1888, and to use 
the stereotyped phrase now become so familiar, the Herring 
voyage which came to a close in December last was literally 
one of the worst on record. Notwithstanding the larger number 
of fish landed and the brighter prospects at one period of the voyage, 
from a variety of conflicting circumstances the result was, as a 
whole, most unsatisfactory. 
At Lowestoft the spring voyage as usual commenced in February. 
Early in the season very few fish were taken, and the prices 
realised were from 1/4 to 1/10 per hundred ; in the next three months 
however, the quantities landed were very fair, and prices fluctuated 
sharply, as usual, according to supply. Taking the whole season 
through the prices were most uuremunerative ; in many cases only 
making 25/- to 30/- per last. The total to the end of May was 
2035 lasts against 2302 lasts in 1887 ; the Yarmoutli boats during 
the same period capturing 490 lasts. 
The midsummer fishery, which takes place olT Yarmouth and 
