MACKEREL. 243 



net has been drawn, generally consists of Red- Mullet, 

 different species of Gurnard Common Cod-fish and 

 others of the same family, various flat-fish and Skate, 

 with abundance of asteria, Crustacea, echini, and mol- 

 lusca. The salable fish being selected, the tail of the 

 netting is re-tied, and the net again lowered to the 

 ground ; and while the vessel continues its course, the 

 refuse of one haul is swept overboard to make room 

 for the produce of the next. This refuse forms the 

 very harvest of the naturalist, and is to be obtained 

 by hampers-full at a very small cost. Zealous collectors 

 go to sea with the fishermen, and have by far the best 

 chance for the most interesting examples, others ar- 

 range to have a hamper-full brought on shore for them. 

 The boats used for trawling vary in size, depending on 

 the district frequented, from eighteen or twenty tons 

 burden up to one hundred tons; the length of the 

 beam, and the weight of the trawl-net, bear a corre- 

 sponding proportion. 



Trawling is most successfully pursued through the 

 winter months of the year, and if the weather be a 

 little rough, larger returns are expected. It is not 

 unusual to hear it remarked that calm and variable 

 weather is not suited to the working of the trawl. 



With the advance of spring, preparations for the 

 mackerel season is next the object of the fisherman's 

 attention. As an article of food, the mackerel is in 

 great request. Many are caught in March and April 

 but those taken in May and June are generally con- 

 sidered to be superior in flavour to those of the spring 



