PILCHARD. 177 



of long observation, that, besides the well-known fact of 

 the fish being most abundantly taken within a feAv days 

 after the spring-tides, the direction of the tide has great 

 effect on the motions of the scliull. Its progress is always 

 towards the same point, and in drift-nets all the heads of 

 the fish point in one way, unless the tide has turned while 

 the nets were afloat. In a bay where the tide comes round 

 a headland and circles the bay, the fish take the same route, 

 and a man aware of this may know in what direction to 

 watch, and whither the schull is proceeding ; and as, espe- 

 cially when the tide is rapid, he must be careful that the 

 scan is not carried on the back of the schull, the net must be 

 so shot as to have the benefit of the tide, and yet be laid 

 across the front of the fish. A schull will not turn back di- 

 rectly contrary to its former course, although, when alarmed, 

 its direction may be considerably changed. In the open 

 sea, drift-nets are commonly cast in the direction of the tide, 

 because the nets are most easily kept in that course ; but 

 when near land, or the entrance of a bay, a favourite position 

 is parallel to it, by which the fish are intercepted in their 

 advance or retreat. I have seen drift-boats shoot their nets 

 in the midst of a multitude of fish, one in the direction in 

 which they were going, and another across their course, and 

 in less than two hours the second had taken nine thousand, 

 the other not a fish ; and yet the boats frequently prefer the 

 first plan. The most successful time for the drift-net fishery 

 is during hazy nights, with some motion of the wave, for the 

 fish then enter the nets freely, whereas in clear moonlight 

 they are shy ; and in very dark nights such is the brightness 

 of the briming, that the nets look like a wall of fire, and 

 deter the fish. 



As an object of adventure, the Pilchard fishery is popular 

 in Cornwall, and beyond a doubt the community is greatly 



VOL. II. N 



