Fishes. 1407 



years past with great regularity. The fishery, therefore, though car- 

 ried on with punctuality so far as regards the season, is very uncertain 

 in a remunerative point of view. In my conversations with the fisher- 

 men of Mount's Bay, I find that they vary but little as to the periods 

 and directions in which the fish pass and repass along the Cornish 

 shores, and their observations agree with my own notices of their ap- 

 pearance, localities, and seasons in which they are caught. The 

 fishery in Cornwall may be divided into three kinds — the autumnal 

 and winter, the spring, and the summer. In the autumn, the fish 

 appear in large schulls, about six or seven leagues south-west of the 

 Scilly Islands, going either in an easterly, north-easterly, or northernly 

 direction, or in the entrance to the Bristol Channel and Irish Sea, the 

 last of which appears to be their favourite autumnal resort. As win- 

 ter approaches they pass into the English Channel, either to the 

 south, of the Islands, or in greater quantities from the Irish Sea be- 

 tween the islands and the main land. The largest quantities pass up 

 the British, and but very few up the Bristol Channel. The fishery, 

 therefore, during the autumnal and winter months is carried on off and 

 around the Scilly Islands, from two to seven leagues from the shore. 

 The French boats, go still further into the Atlantic, and prepare their 

 fish for their own markets by splitting and salting ; this the Cornish 

 fishermen never do, if they can find a market for them fresh. During 

 this fishery the largest and best fish are taken. If examined, they 

 will be found full, and perhaps too fat for the table ; they are in fact, 

 in their most perfect state or condition. At this season they are not 

 with spawn ; or at least, after examining many specimens from most 

 of the boats at different times I have rarely found any in them. To 

 one who is accustomed to see only the fish of the eastern part of the 

 Channel, those just migrating from deep water must appear of almost 

 monstrous size. Many catches will average eighteen inches in length 

 each, but twenty and twenty-two are not of unfrequent occurrence, 

 the largest I ever saw was in the possession of Mr. E. Chirgwin, and 

 measured twenty-three and a half inches long. Fishing so far from 

 the shore, and sometimes taking very large catches, the boats act in 

 concert for their mutual advantage. Thus five or six to eight or nine 

 will act together, and one will daily take the fish of the others to some 

 distant market. This office of messenger is taken in rotation by all ; 

 the period for which they are absent depends on the distance of the 

 market and the rapidity of sale ; Cork, Bristol, and Plymouth are the 

 most frequented, but each boat is rarely absent more than four days, 

 for though absent, and they receive an equal division of the fish 



