244 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



either from capriciousness, or, what is more likely 

 from a little-understood natural impulse, which 

 makes them periodically change their venu, 

 pilchards of late years have not appeared regu- 

 larly in their old haunts, nor in such numbers as 

 formerly. 



August and September are the principal months 

 for the pilchard fishery, both drifting and seining. 



At Penrose, the little port of Landewednach 

 (Lizard Head) its miniature beach hemmed in 

 by cliffs, the chine running up towards the old 

 church * half a mile away I witnessed the 

 drifting process. The drift-nets were set at sun- 

 down, and in two hours' time hauled up. As 

 they had enclosed but few fish, they were left 

 until the dawn. Meantime the boats, each 

 manned by six men, sailed about. To start the 

 pilchards, the men stamped . on the floor of the 

 boats and produced a concussion which caused 

 the fish, whose sense of hearing is keen, to 

 "jump" and fill the nets, which were then 

 emptied and thrown overboard again. 



Different was pilchard-fishing with the seine in 



the open sea. I noticed on the top of a cliff 



several men, called " huers," or " criers," with big 



furze-bushes in their hands, intently watching the 



1 The most southerly parish in England, 



