@2 THE REV. R. F, WHEELER, M.A. 
The number of boats engaged in this fishing is uncertain, but 
about 200 have been known to assemble at Plymouth at one 
time; and more than that number belong to Cornwall alone. 
They are manned by from five to eight men each. An ordinary 
boat will carry fifty nets, each measuring twenty-two fathoms as 
prepared for fishing. The mode of using these nets is similar to 
that just described as for herring fishing. The fishing is carried 
on in the evening and towards morning. ‘The passing of day 
into night, or night into day, is the best time for all fishing. 
After being down in the sea for about two hours the nets are 
hauled in piece by piece. ‘The fish are carried off to market by 
vessels solely employed for that purpose. The mackerel spawn 
in May and June. ‘The mode of fishing is then altered, and the 
sean net, presently to be described, comes into use. The mack- 
erel is one of the few sea fish whose capture is pursued as a sport, 
and it is said to be rather an exciting occupation. They are 
then, of course, taken by hook and line. 
The average price of mackerel is about £6 to £9 a thousand. 
The average take per boat during the last seven years, off the 
Coast of Cornwall, may be put down at 15,000 to 24,000 per 
boat. About twenty-five millions are sold in London yearly. 
PILCHARD. 
I now come to the Pilchard. Pilchards are to Cornwall very 
like what coals are to Newcastle. It is the Cornish fish. They 
are never seen in the North Sea, and only a stray one or two is 
found at times even as far east as Dover. They are found in 
small numbers on the French coast, and also on that of Spain. 
The fishing is carried on by drift nets, similar to those used 
for mackerel and herring, and by seines or seans. In the drift 
net boats, the number taken varies much. From 5,000 to 10,000, 
according to Mr. Couch, being considered moderate. It often 
amounts to 20,000. But the chief method of fishing is by seans. 
The following description is chiefly from Mr. Couch’s pen. 
When a shoal of pilchards is expected, a man called a huer— 
so called from the old word huer, which means to give an alarm, 
and is still familiar to us in the well-known words “hue 
