272 
MR. G. H. HARRIS ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
price at Lowestoft was about £7 15s. per last; at Yarmouth it 
would rule rather higher. 
When the enormous number of fish landed, viz., two hundred 
and fifty-four millions, is taken into account, it seems rather an 
extraordinary thing that the old practice of “ telling ” should be 
adhered to, that is, literally counting the fish, not in ones, but, 
I believe, in fours. They are counted into baskets or mounds on 
deck, which are slid along planks lying between the boat and the 
quay. Each basket or mound is then carried across the road and 
emptied into a “ swill,” twenty of which should go to a last. 
A basket should contain 33 warp of Herring, four Herring to 
a warp, so the 33 warp make up the 132 Herring, which go to 
make up the “long tale” or “long tell” hundred. The tellers 
remuneration is 3s. per last. 
My thanks are due to the late Mr. W. J. N utrnau, the Yarmouth 
Borough Accountant, and to Mr. Henderson of Lowestoft, for the 
statistical information in this article. 
Return of Herrings landed at Yarmouth and Lowestoft 
Fish-Wharves 
in 1896. 
Yarmouth. 
Lowestoft 
Lasts 
Thousands Hundreds 
Lasts 
Thousands 
Hundreds 
(13,200) 
(18*20) 
(132) 
(18,200) 
(1320) 
(132) 
/January . 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
Spring 
Fishing 
\ February . 
— 
— 
— 
— 
4 
4 
\ March 
/ April 
z 
— 
— 
81 
259 
3 
7 
9 
V May 
5 
6 
4 
159 
1 
9 
Mid- 
Summer 
Fishing 
June 
164 
8 
9 
172 
1 
6 
) July 
96 
4 
8 
15 
1 
2 
North 
Sea 
Fishing 
August 
1262 
9 
9 
62 
6 
6 
September . 
2527 
6 
5 
108 
5 
3 
Autumn 
C October 
5912 
9 
9 
2055 
8 
5 
Home 
< N ovember . 
8920 
5 
5 
4977 
9 
6 
Voyage 
..December . 
360 
. — 
— 
298 
2 
6 
Yarmouth 
19,251 
1 
9 
8191 
2 
6 
Lowestoft 
8191 
2 
6 
Total . 
27,442 
4 
5 
