THE PILCHA,RI5. 23 1 



Its ordinary Cze does not exceed nine inches ; the body 

 is a little thicker in proportion than that ot" the herring, 

 and the belly lefs fliarp : The fcales are very large, thin, 

 and rounded ; the back is bluilh ; the fides and belly fil- 

 very ; the head is compreff>;d, and the mouth without 

 teeth. The upper angle ot' each of the gills is marked 

 "With a large black fpot ; fome have four or five fuch 

 fpots difpofed in a row near the tail ; the lov/er edge of 

 the belly is ferrated, owing to the row of large clypiforin 

 fcales that runs along it. 



The pilchard annually appears in large llioals ofF the 

 CorniJJj coafts, from whence it is regularly exported ia 

 great quantities into the Mediterranean. The fiihing 

 feafon is from June till the beginning of Winter ; a few 

 fometiraes zx& found hovering about till Chiillmas, 

 There are fpies, or hucrs, as they are provincially called, 

 flationed on the cliffs that proje^i into the fea, vvhofe bufi' 

 nefs it is to watch the progrefs of the fhoals, and to give 

 notice to the boats below of the meafures they are tQ 

 take, by means of fignals previoufly agreed upon. 



By an act of '^ames I. thefe huers are empowered to go 

 over the grounds of others, without being liable to da- 

 mages *. By their motions the nets are both ihooted. 

 and dr^i'.vn ; and when they have been fuccefsful in In- 

 clofing part of a Ihoal, an hundred tlioufand are fomc- 

 times taken at a fingle draught. In Odobcr 1767, there 

 were at one time inclcfsd in the Biy of St. Ivcs., feveia 

 thoufand hoglhcads, or two hundred and forty- five mil- 

 lions of fiili. The average amount of ihe export of thcCe 

 filh appears to be 29,795 lihds. annually; wliich, incuid- 

 ifig the bounty paid by government, and the price of the 



Vol. III. N n oil 



^: Cnp. 23. 



