56 MULLET FISHING. 



could regain its native element, although the dam rendered 

 all assistance possible to relieve the young one. Having 

 placed their prize in the boat, they were returning, followed 

 by the old seal, who kept rising beside them, attracted by 

 the cries of the cub till after many bootless attempts, their 

 gun at last exploded, the ball entered the seal's head, and for 

 a moment she appeared dying. The captors, seizing her 

 by the tail and fins, with an united exertion dragged her 

 into the boat but this exploit had nearly ended in a tragedy. 

 Stunned only by the wound, the animal instantly recovered, 

 and, irritated by pain and maddened by the cries of her cub, 

 attacked her captors fiercely. Every exertion they could 

 make was necessary to save them from her tusks, and their 

 oars were too long and clumsy to enable them to strike her 

 with effect. I came most opportunely to the rescue, and by 

 driving a carbine- bullet through the seal's brain brought the 

 battle to a close. Never was the old saw of ' catching a 

 Tartar' more thoroughly exemplified ; and though we laughed 

 at their terror-stricken countenances, the deep incisions made 

 in the oars and gunnels by the tusks of the enraged animal, 

 showed that galopading with an. angry seal is anything but 

 pleasure." 



Although the mullet are generally first seen here in the 

 month of June, from the wetness of this summer the shoals 

 are later in their appearance than usual. Mullet are taken 

 in draught-nets like salmon, but on this coast a different 

 mode of fishing is pursued. The shoals in hot weather run 

 in with the tide, and after remaining on the shores and 

 estuaries during flood, they return with the ebbing water. 

 The foHowing method we employed in our fishing to-day. 

 Being provided with a sufficient quantity of herring- nets 

 and a number of spars and poles, we selected at low- water 

 a sandy creek for our operations, and commenced erecting 

 a line of poles across the entrance of the cove. The nets 

 were then extended along these uprights, and also secured 

 firmly to the bottom of the spars ; the lower part of the 

 net is kept upon the bottom by a row of stones, and the 

 remainder laid flat upon the sands. With the flowing tide the 

 fish pass over the prostrate net, and run along the estuary : at 

 high water the buoy-ropes are raised and secured to the 

 upright poles and with the assistance of a boat the whole is 

 effected in a few minutes, and a net- work barrier effectually 



