Fishes. 1707 



passed up the British Channel. In their passage round the Land's 

 End, they passed close to the rocks. The winter fish are larger, but 

 by no means so oily as those of the summer. A hogshead of sum- 

 mer fish will produce on an average about four gallons of good oil ; 

 sometimes, however, so much as nine gallons have been expressed, and 

 at others only two and a half, and three. The average of the winter fish 

 will yield only two, or when very good, three gallons. But it should 

 be observed, that the quantity of oil expressed in winter slightly va- 

 ries with the character of the weather ; if the cellars be well venti- 

 lated, it is less than when the windows and doors are closed. So that 

 if the summer fish could be cured in very cold weather, the average 

 might be something less than four gallons ; and the winter fish 

 might produce more if the weather was warm. But there is a 

 decided difference in every particular between the two sets of fish. 

 The foregoing observations refer chiefly to the annual migrations of 

 this fish, but there are more minute habits, which disappear in the 

 great annual assemblies, and these exert some influence on the 

 fishery. During the periods when they are not sought after by the 

 fishermen, they wander either singly or in small companies, in deep 

 water, and rarely mount to the surface. As summer advances they 

 congregate into small companies, but they show a greater tendency 

 to do so during the day, especially towards the afternoon, than in the 

 night. As night approaches, they show an inclination to move off the 

 shore, and re-unite, after daylight, in the morning. But when the 

 force of the migrations is fully established these habits become ob- 

 scured, and finally become obliterated, or rather overwhelmed, in the 

 general tendency of the whole to approach the shore. The seine 

 fishery is carried on from sunrise to sunset, and the drift-net from sun- 

 set to sunrise. 



While the general course or direction of the fish appears to have 

 been always similar to that of the present day, yet the seasons vary 

 very much as to the quantity taken, and taking remote dates as a 

 guide in periods of their appearance on our shores. Lately, however, 

 they have rarely varied more than a few weeks. If we look at the old 

 records we find the fishery entirely different from what at present ob- 

 tains ; thus in 1747, Falmouth exported 14,632, and Penzance about 

 12,149 hogsheads, and St. Ives only 1282 hogsheads. This, however, 

 may not have arisen from a change of any one of the shoals, but from 

 a change in the preponderance of the summer or winter fish. But 

 there are certainly variations in their points of arrival ; spots that in 

 former years were their favourite resorts are now never visited by 



