MACKEREL. 71 



fishery could be carried on but, approaching the 

 shores as they do from all directions, and roving 

 along the coast collected in immense shoals, mil- 

 lions are caught, which yet form but a very small 

 portion compared with the myriads that escape. 



On the coast of Ireland the mackerel is caught 

 everywhere, but is not considered very abundant ; 

 on the Cornish coast mackerel are often caught 

 as early as the month of March, and all the shoals 

 appear to move from west to east. 



They are very plentiful on the coast of Devon, 

 and the west, or Bigbury Bay, swarms with them. 

 During June or July, on the Hampshire and Sus- 

 sex coasts (particularly the latter), they arrive as 

 early as March, and sometimes even in February; 

 and the earlier in the season the fishermen go to 

 look for them, the farther from the shore they are 

 found. Duhamel says the mackerel are caught 

 earlier in the year at Dunkirk than at Dieppe or 

 Havre ; upon our own eastern coast the fishery is 

 later. The fishermen's harvest at Lowestoft and 

 Yarmouth is during the months of May and June, 

 when the mackerel are in such wonderful abun- 

 dance that 15,000 are often taken in a single 

 night. The mackerel spawns in June, and, ac- 



