Some fishes are great travellers. I have heard that what is called a
"shoal" of herrings consists of millions of fish, and takes up a place in
the sea larger than the area of London. This fish takes its name from an
old word which means an army; and the herring-army has to come a long, long
march--if we so speak of a journey through "the paths of the seas"--before
it, as it were, encamps near our shores.
In winter the herrings are far away north, within the Arctic Circle, but in
the spring they go south, travelling in shoals, six miles in length, and
three or four in breadth.
When one of these great shoals comes near our northern shores it divides,
one part travelling west, the other east. It is in September that the
herring fishing begins, and a busy time it is for the fishermen.
The fish are always caught at night, and the darker the night the better
chance there is of a good catch. When I was a child I used often to stand
and watch the boats setting out about sunset, and many a time did I wish I
might be of the party, for I thought no treat could be greater than to be
allowed to stay out all night and see the nets full of shining fish drawn
in over the sides of the boat. However, the fishermen are too wise to take
children with them, for any noise frightens the herrings, so the fishing is
done in silence, under the quiet stars. If you saw a herring-net taken in,
you might forget yourself so far as to scream with delight at the sight of
the fish flashing like silver, and bright with blue and purple hues which
no painter could copy.
Pages:
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262