Fishes. 1709 



herrings, while others, but a short distance from thern, will take no- 

 thing but pilchards ; others again will take both, as might be 

 expected from the nature of the drift-net fishery. The seines also 

 will sometimes enclose one and sometimes the other, but never 

 both, in such quantities as to lead us to suppose an indiscriminate 

 mixture of the two. When they are first preparing for their migra- 

 tions, fish of the same size and fatness always herd together ; so that 

 different seines will take very variable fish : but when the whole are 

 united and the migratory feeling is at its greatest development, then 

 the largest and healthiest fish take the lead, and the weaker and 

 smaller portions take up the rear and form one shoal ; hence the fish 

 first taken are generally the best. It is also a remarkable circum- 

 stance, that when the pilchard has assembled, it displaces all the 

 other fish having a similar habit. It drives nearly all other kinds 

 away, except those which make the pilchard their prey, such as the 

 hake ; but in the largest " schulls " even these disappear. These 

 facts will explain several observations of the fishermen, by which they 

 regulate their hopes and fears. At St. Ives, it is a general remark, 

 that the herrings always are inside the shoal of pilchards, and that 

 when these are taken near the shore, the bulk of the pilchards may 

 be expected, the explanation being that the herrings are driven be- 

 fore the advancing hosts. If mixed fish are taken in the drift-nets, 

 no shoals are expected, in consequence of the assembling not being- 

 completed. 



My notes for the season just past, after the foregoing lengthy re- 

 marks, shall be very short. The fish were seen daily from the time of 

 their first appearance. The fishery began, in this district, in August, 

 and on the 5th, moderate quantities were taken off St. Ives ; about 

 five thousand per boat, per night. On the 9th, 10th, and 11th, small 

 catches were taken in the south-west part of Mount's Bay, and one 

 seine shot and enclosed about two boat-loads : at this time, to the 

 east, 1200 hogsheads were taken in Gerran's Bay ; and the drift-nets 

 were very successful at Falmouth, Charlestown, Mevagissey, Fowey, 

 Polperro, and Looe. From the 12th to the 19th, the catches in 

 Mount's Bay continued small ; about the Lizard, one thousand hogs- 

 heads were taken ; at this time no pilchards were taken at St Ives. 

 From this it appears, that the shoals crossed Mount's Bay eastward, to 

 the Lizard and the eastern stations, in deep water. While they were 

 thus abundant in the east, they w r ere all but absent in the west. From 

 the 19th to the 26th, very few pilchards were taken at Mount's Bay; 

 and none at St. Ives. At Falmouth the catches were good ; but at 

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