64 
BASKI7IG SHARK. 
within their reach. These fish are worth from thirty-five to 
fifty pounds each; and when so many as five hundred have 
been killed in one season, I think this class of fishing should 
he well attended to for the short season it lasts, if the •weather 
is favourable to it; especially as it is at a time when other 
fish are out of season. The fishermen on the coast have a 
superstition that the fish will leave the coast if the bodies of 
those caught were brought to the shore.” 
“The Sunfish has been met in large numbers off Tory Island, 
and along the north-west coast of Donegal, where the Skerries 
men have found them at different times lying so thick over 
the ground where their cod-lines were set, that they would 
not venture to put to sea in their open boats to lift the cod-lines, 
for fear of the Sunfish striking their boats. They have 
counted from sixty to a hundred basking in the sun, Oi a 
morning towards the latter end of June; and they did not lift 
their lines until late in the day, when the fish had gone down. 
This proves that the Sunfishcry is not confined to the Sunfish 
hank of Clew bay, but shews that if the weather is not sniv.ed 
for the fishery there, by following out the course taken by the 
fish, if the weather turns out hot, they may make a good fishing 
at any point from Clew hay to the Scotch Islands. It seems 
to me that as the Sunfish bank is the first soundings made by 
the fish coming in from the Atlantic, they may make a longer 
stay here than in any other part; but boats have gone round 
from the east coast to Sun-fish, beginning to work off Tory 
Island, and making a good season, though late, when they 
arrived there.” 
From the following paragraph, extracted from a newspaper 
of Orkney, it is rendered probable that the Basking Shark 
sometimes visits that neighbourhood: — “A very large Shark -was 
caught (near Whalsey) by one of the fishing boats (in Novem- 
ber.) None of the fishermen here ever saw the like of it. 
Its length was twenty-seven feet and a half; thickness sixteen 
feet; from its nose to the last gill seven feet; its mouth when 
open thirtA' inches across; the foremost fins five feet three inches; 
and the tail from point to point seven feet. The liver yielded 
one hundred and sixty-five gallons of oil, and was sold for 
£16 10s. The whole body could not have been less than six 
tons. It was caught by a six -oared boat, and the men had 
