174 THE SEA. 



so many depend for a livelihood." These watchers are known locally as " huers." They 

 can easily detect the approach of the shoals, as they darken the water, producing- the 

 effect of a cloud. As they approach the fish may themselves be seen leaping and playing 

 on the surface by hundreds; sometimes they are so abundant that the fish behind force 

 those in front ashore, and they are taken by hand or in baskets. 



The boats, each of about fifteen tons burden, carry a large, long seine net, kept up 

 by corks and down by lead. The grand object in the fishery, guided by the " huer " on 

 the cliffs ashore, is to drive the shoals into shallow waters and bays. 



''The grand object is now to enclose the entire shoal. The leads sink one side of 

 the net perpendicularly to the bottom, the corks buoy the other to the surface of the 

 water. When it has been taken all round the shoal, the two extremities are made fast, 

 and the fish are imprisoned within an oblong barrier of netting. The art is now to let 

 as few of the pilchards escape as possible while the process is being completed. Whenever 

 the " huer " observes that they are startled, and separating at any particular point, he 

 waves his bush, and thither the boat is steered, and there the net is shot at once; the 

 fish are thus headed and thwarted in every direction with extraordinary address and skill. 

 This labour completed, the silence of intense expectation that has hitherto prevailed is 

 broken, there is a shout of joy on all sides the shoal is secured." The seine is now 

 regarded as a great reservoir of fish, and may remain in the water for a week or more. 

 The pilchards are collected from it in a smaller net known as the "tuck." When this 

 net has travelled round the^vhole circuit of the seine, everything is prepared for the great 

 event hauling the fish to the surface. 



"Now all is excitement on sea and shore; every little boat in the place puts off 

 crammed with idle spectators ; boys shout, dogs bark, and the shrill voices of the former 

 are joined by the deep voices of the ' seiners/ There they stand, six or eight stalwart, 

 sunburnt fellows, ranged in a row in the seine-boat, hauling with all their might at the 

 ' tuck '-net, and roaring out the nautical ' Yo, heave ho ! ' in chorus. Higher and higher 

 rises the net ; louder and louder shout the boys and the idlers ; the ' huer/ so calm and 

 collected hitherto, loses his self-possession, and waves his cap triumphantly. ' Hooray ! 

 hooray ! Yoy hoy, hoy ! Pull away, boys ! Up she comes ! Here they are ! ' The water 

 boils and eddies ; the ' tuck '-net rises to the surface ; one teeming, convulsed mass of 

 shining, glancing, silvery scales, one compact mass of thousands of fish, each one of 

 which is madly striving to escape, appears in an instant. Boats as large as barges now 

 pull up in hot haste all round the nets, baskets are produced by dozens, the fish are 

 dipped up in them, and shot out, like coals out of a sack, into the boats. Presently the 

 men are ankle-deep in pilchards; they jump upon the benches, and work on till the 

 boats can hold no more. They are almost gunwale under before they leave for the shore." 

 At the little fishing cove of Trereen, Mr. Wilkie Collins tells us, 600 hogsheads, each of 

 2,400 fish and upwards, were taken in little more than a week. 



The sardine also comes under the Clupeda family. It derives its commercial name 

 from Sardinia, but is found all over the Mediterranean, the coast of Brittany, &c. On 

 the latter coast the fish are caught in floating nets, and arranged in osier baskets, layer 

 after layer, each boat returning to port when it has secured 25,000. 



