Browne — Ethnography of the Mullet^ Lmhkea, 8f Fortadoij, 609 



of heads of cattle the farm could rear by pasture ; but as some tillage 

 became afterwards necessary, they divided the crop-ground into 

 collops also, as well as the pasture, and each farm then had its number 

 of tillage collops and of grazing collops. The tillage collop is sup- 

 posed to be capable of supporting one family by its produce. In many 

 instances poor families have no pasture to correspond with their tillage 

 collop, and even of this they may have only a half or quarter, called 

 a geerla. . . . The prices of these collops vary according to the quality 

 of the farm ; the average is about one guinea. The pasture collop is 

 the grass of a horse, or a cow, or two year old heifers, or six or eight 

 sheep. It is evident from this system, that although a man may 

 expend a good deal of labour ia digging and manuring his ridge, it is 

 only a chance whether he will enjoy the labour so expended the 

 third year, and hence that he is careless of future benefits, and that, 

 of course, the land will be but imperfectly cultivated, . . , There is a 

 headman or Tcing appointed in every village, who is deputed to cast 

 the lots every third year, and to arrange with the community what 

 work is to be done during the year in fencing, &c. . . . The king takes 

 •care generally to have the rent collected, applots the proportion of 

 taxes with the other elders of the village, for all is done ia a patri- 

 archal way, coram populo.'''' 



The following table, extracted from Mr. Knight's valuable little 

 book on Erris (p. 58), is given here as illustrating the condition of 

 people sixty years ago. 



Kjnight's Populatiox Table. 



Population, . 

 Families, 



Males, 



Females, 



Rental, . 

 Sums or collops, 



Amount of Tithes, 



Boats (sail). 

 Boats (ro-ff'), 

 Curraghs, 

 Nets, 

 Lines, 

 Spillets, . 



Remarks. 



1723 



4290 ) „.„, 

 4372 f ^^^2 



. £4300 



. 4469 



!By public census, in the year 1831, 9287 ; 

 but I believe this to be more correct. 

 The whole Barony, in 1821, was 17,879 ; 

 . in 1831, 22,824. 



Or about oOs. to each family, 



( Green acres as before 6100 ; collops different 

 I in size and quaKty, more than 2-J to 

 ' each family. 



( There is no composition, the old mode 



£258 I followed in collecting. There is now 



( (1834) a composition lor £300. 



5 r These six items show the little attention 



j paid to the fishing, one boat of every 



kind in thirteen families, and one net 



in every seven. Three or four families 



frequently join in a boat, and two or 



three in a hening net, or set of nets. 



38J 

 256^ 

 131 I 



8L 



