ACANTHOPTERYGII. 97 



into the shallow water of the shore, where they may 

 deposit their spawn within reach of the sun's light 

 and heat. " It is probable," observes Mr. Yarrell, 

 "that the Mackarel inhabits almost the whole of 

 the European seas ; and the law of nature, which 

 obliges them and many others to visit the shallower 

 water of the shores at a particular season, appears 

 to be one of those wise and bountiful provisions 

 of the Creator, by which not only is the species 

 perpetuated with the greatest certainty, but a large 

 portion of the parent animals are thus brought 

 within the reach of man, who, but for the action 

 of this law, would be deprived of many of those 

 species most valuable to him as food." 



We avail ourselves of the same interesting work 

 to add a few more particulars of the history of this 

 fish. "In May, 1807, the first Brighton boat-load 

 of Mackarel sold at Billingsgate for forty guineas 

 per hundred, seven shillings each, reckoning six 

 score to a hundred, the highest price ever known 

 at that market. The next boat-load produced but 

 thirteen guineas per hundred. Mackarel were so 

 plentiful at Dover in 1808, that they were sold 

 sixty for a shilling. At Brighton, in June of the 

 same year, the shoal of Mackarel was so great, that 

 one of the boats had the meshes of her nets so com- 

 pletely occupied by them, that it was impossible 

 to drag them in ; the fish and nets, therefore, in 

 the end, sunk together, the fishermen thereby sus- 

 taining a loss of nearly 60/., exclusive of what the 

 cargo, could it have been got into the boat, would 



VOL. IT. F 



