270 THE TUNNY. 



quite fresh as it becomes unfit for consumption in a very short time after being taken 

 out of the water ; and in consequence of this property, the London costermongers are 

 permitted to hawk it about the streets on Sundays, much to the discomfort of peace- 

 able householders who long for repose and do not want Mackarel. 



This fish is taken both by nets and lines, the nets being of two kinds, one called 

 the drift-net, and the other the seine. The drift-net is, as its name implies, allowed to 

 be drifted out by the tide, and is suspended along a cord called the drift-rope. The 

 whole length of one of these nets when shot is sometimes a mile and a half, these 

 enormous dimensions being attained by attaching a number of nets together at the 

 ends. Each of these nets is one hundred and twenty feet long and twenty feet deep, 

 and along the upper edge are fastened a series of cork floats. When the net is to be 

 shot, a large buoy is attached to the end of the drift-rope, the buoy is thrown over- 

 board and the sails set. As the boat dashes away from the spot, the nets, which have 

 already been attached to the drift-rope, are thrown successively overboard, until all 

 the nets are paid out and hang in the water like a net wall. The strain of the buoy at 

 one end of the drift-rope and the boat at the other keeps the rope straight and the net 

 upright. 



As the Mackarel come swimming along, they are arrested by the net, which they 

 cannot see, on account of the thin twine of which it is made, and the large meshes, 

 which are about two and a half inches in diameter. The head slips through the 

 meshes, but the middle of the body is too large and cannot pass. When the fish 

 attempts to recede, the open gill-covers become hitched in the meshes, and so retain it 

 in that uncomfortable position until the net is hauled in. 



This is a delicate and difficult operation, especially when the take of fish is heavy. 

 Mr. Yarrel mentions that in June, 1808, the nets were so heavily loaded that the fisher- 

 men could not haul them in or even keep them afloat, so that they were forced to cut 

 the drift-ropes, and let the nets sink and be lost. The nets on this occasion were 

 worth nearly sixty pounds, not including the value of the fish. 



In the seine-net, the fish are taken by surrounding a shoal with the net, which is 

 made with very small meshes, and either gently hauled to the surface, so that the in- 

 closed fish can be dipped out, or even drawn ashore and then emptied. 



Fishing for Mackarel with a line is also a profitable mode of taking these fish, although 

 they cannot be caught in such multitudes as with the net. The Mackarel is a very 

 voracious fish, and will bite at almost any glittering substance drawn quickly through 

 the water, a strip of scarlet cloth being a very favorite bait. A tapering strip of flesh 

 cut from the side of a Mackarel is found to be the most successful of any bait, and the 

 method of angling is simply to pass the hook through the thicker end of the strip 

 technically called a " lask " and to throw it overboard a boat in full sail, so that it is 

 towed along without trouble. The hook is kept below the surface of the water by 

 means of a leaden plummet fixed to the line a short distance above the hook, and the 

 Mackarel on seizing the flying bait is immediately caught. On a favorable day, when 

 the sky is not too bright, and the wind is tolerably brisk, two or three men can take 

 the fish as fast as they can bait and throw overboard. 



The color of the Mackarel is rich green upon the back, variegated with deep blue 

 and traversed with cross bands of black, straight in the males, but undulating in the 

 females. The abdomen and sides are silvery white, with golden reflections. These 

 colors are most brilliant during the life of the fish, and as they fade soon after it has 

 left the water, their brilliancy affords a good test of its freshness. 



THE celebrated TUNNY belongs to this family, and is closely allied to the mackarel. 



This magnificent and most important fish does not visit our coasts in sufficient num- 

 bers to be of any commercial importance ; but on the shores of the Mediterranean, 

 where it is found in very great abundance, it forms one of the chief sources of wealth 

 of the sea-side population. 



In May and June, the Tunnies move in vast shoals along the shores, seeking for 

 suitable spots wherein to deposit their spawn. As soon as they are seen on the move, 

 notice is given by a sentinel, who is constantly watching from some lofty eminence, and 



