190 ACANTHOPTERYGII. MACKEREL FAMILY. 



to six inches long by the end of August ; they are 

 half- grown by November, when, according to Mr. 

 Couch, they retire to deep water, and are seen no 

 more that winter : the adult fishes, however, never 

 wholly quit the Cornish coast, and some are taken 

 with lines every month of the year. The Mackerel, 

 as feeders, are voracious, and their growth is rapid. 

 The ordinary length varies from fourteen to sixteen 

 inches, and their weight is about 2 lbs. each; al- 

 though they sometimes attain the length of twenty 

 inches, with a proportional increase of weight. The 

 largest fish, however, are not the best for the table. 

 As an article of food, they are in great request, and 

 those taken in the months of May and June are 

 generally considered to be superior in flavour to 

 those taken in spring and autumn. To be eaten in 

 perfection, this fish should be very fresh ; and as it 

 soon becomes unfit for food, some facilities in the 

 way of sale have been aff'orded to the dealers in a 

 commodity so perishable. Mackerel was first al- 

 lowed to be cried through the streets of London on 

 a Sunday in 1698 ; and the practice prevails to the 

 present time. 



At various fishing-towns on the coast, the Macke- 

 rel season is one of great bustle and activity. The 

 frequent departures and arrivals of boats at this 

 time, form a lively contrast to the more ordinary 

 routine of other periods; the high price obtained 

 for the early cargoes, and the large returns gained 

 generally from the enoimous numbers of the fish 

 sometimes captured in a single night, being induce- 



