26 Sea tish and Fishing off the West of Ireland. 



of the famine, by the British Fisheries Society, which was then 

 started, but which had long since ceased to exist, had borne 

 good fruit. Great improvements had been effected in the boats, 

 and those used on the Donegal coast and other places were made 

 after a model which originally came from Norway. They were 

 weatherly and suitable for certain places, for of course the boat 

 must be such as would suit the peculiarities of different places. 

 The splendid qualities of the fishing canoe used on the west 

 coast were then descanted upon, and by their means, Mr. Green 

 pointed out, a lucrative trade was carried on. As many as 

 ninety French boats and two hundred Manx boats came over 

 to Irish waters every year for mackerel fishing. In addition to 

 spring mackerel fishing there was an autumn mackerel fishing 

 carried on by the natives, and the extent of it could be estimated 

 from the fact that last year as much as X5°>"^o° worth of 

 mackerel had been sent to America, and that exportation had 

 been going on for the past seven years. At several places 

 stations had been established for the curing of fish, these 

 numbering eighteen, and they had been successful on the west 

 coast of Kerry. It had also been tried at Killybegs, and was 

 only on its trial at Mayo, and probably next year something 

 further would be done in this important matter. In this 

 connection Mr. Green mentioned that Mr. Musgrave had 

 greatly facilitated them at Donegal. The next branch of the 

 subject, which was of a highly interesting character, dealt with 

 the development of several species of fish. The eggs, he pointed 

 out, floated in the sea near the surface, the swing of the sea 

 being sufficient to keep them from coming to the surface, where 

 they would be made the prey of various kinds of little enemies. 

 There was an exception to this in the case of the herring, 

 which laid its eggs in the bottom. There were several photos, 

 taken by Mr. Green himself, of a number of the native fisher- 

 men of the Arran Islands engaged in working at their perilous 

 calling, and some of the objects of great antiquarian interest 

 which these islands contain were briefly described. 



Mr. W. Nicholl acted as lanternist with his usual ability. 



