1 50 The Irish Naturalist. J"b% 



go, but incomplete. Be that as it may, the returns from eight 

 districts total i,688 tons, deducting from which the 1,029 tons 

 credited to Carrickfergus, would leave only 659 tons for the 

 other seven places, of which Valentia with 358 tons is the 

 largest, and Waterford with 10 tons the smallest. From the 

 prices stated to be realised — ranging from £1 10s. per ton at 

 Waterford to £^ per ton at Pullendiva — and from their 

 destinations — viz., Liverpool, Bristol, I^eeds, Manchester, Brad- 

 ford, Derby, Wolverhampton, and Preston — it is evident that 

 all these are used as food, except possibly some from Pullen- 

 diva which go to Glasgow. The return under notice states 

 that at Waterford 120 persons find employment in gathering 

 Mussels, that the quantity gathered was 10 tons, the price 

 obtained £1 \os. per ton, and the value £\^, which works out 

 25. ^d. per head for the 120 people. Arrived at in the same 

 way the 10 persons stated to be employed in the Carrickfergus 

 district, at I05. per ton for 1,029 tons, realised ;^5t 125. each 

 (on an average of course) ; but I am satisfied that the number 

 of persons mentioned in the latter case is largely understated. 

 I have seen 15 to 20 boats, none of them manned by less than 

 two hands, discharging, or waiting their turn to discharge, 

 their "take" into the Scotch steamers. Calculated in the 

 same way, the earnings of the Mussel gatherers at Pullendiva 

 averaged ;^8o lis. ^d. each. Comparing that with the 2s. 6d. 

 at Waterford, one may naturall} infer that there is some 

 mistake somewhere. Local fishers used to complain that in 

 the hurry of loading on board the steamers there was often no 

 time for weighing, and they sometimes lost from one to two or 

 even three cwt. to the ton in giving overweight. 



Croft House, Holywood 



