The Herring and Its Relations

The clupeoid or herring-like fish all have a single dorsal fin, placed near the middle of the body. They have no lateral line, but a network of sensory canals just under the skin of the head, which seems to fulfil a similar function. Most of them travel in huge shoals.

The family includes some species which spawn in, and are usually taken in, fresh water. These are the shad and their relations. Their abundance, indeed survival, depends on the state of the rivers in which they reproduce themselves. There are now far fewer shad to be had in Europe; but on the American side of the Atlantic they continue to be numerous and important as food.