PREPARATIONS FOR MULLET-FISHING. 73 



caution till they cleared the rocks, then, taking advantage 

 of the open strand, killed without a scratch, while my 

 unpractised dogs were rendered unserviceable for a 

 fortnight. 



Generally speaking, the large and high-bred English 

 greyhound is not adapted for Irish coursing. There 

 he will encounter a soft and difficult surface, instead of 

 the fine firm downs he has been accustomed to in his 

 native country. And any plains on which he could 

 exert his powers and prove his superiority, are, with 

 few exceptions, in the possession of some pack, and, of 

 course, preserved as hunting-grounds, and grey-hounds 

 are rigidly prohibited. 



On returning to the estuary where I had left the 

 fishing-party, I found the tide had fallen, and in a little 

 time we were enabled to secure the spoil. We had 

 enclosed upwards of a hundred mullets, weighing from 

 four to ten pounds each. While embarking our nets 

 and poles I observed several boats filled with men row 

 towards us from a distance ; and, after a short recon- 

 naissance^ return to the place from whence they came. 

 The evening breeze blew fresh, and in our favour ; 

 the boatmen hoisted a large, square sail ; my kinsman 

 took the tiller, and with wind and tide along with us, 

 in an hour we crossed the bay and reached our desti- 

 nation, accompanied by the tall, melancholy-looking 

 man, who had been my companion in the island. 



We dined sumptuously. The flavour of a mullet, 

 fresh from the water, neither injured by land-carriage 

 nor spoiled by exposure to the sun, is exquisite. I 

 mentioned casually, the noble addition which this 

 delicious fish must give to my cousin's cuisine. ** And 

 they are so abundant, that I presume you seldom want 



