At one end of this wall of nets a boat is secured, and drifts with the tide.  Here she remains until it is supposed that all the fish coming in that direction have either passed by or been caught.  The fishermen then begin hauling in the net.  The operation of hauling in nearly a mile of net, perhaps full of fish, is no easy task, especially when there is a "loppy" sea and the night is dark.  This is, however, the most easy way of catching pilchards, which can be pursued at nearly all times of the year, for the fish swim about in small schools away from the shore, from May until winter is well advanced, when the water becoming cool, they return westwards to a warmer climate in the depths of the Atlantic.  The fishermen told us that the most propitious time for fishing is when there is a loppy sea during a thick fog at night, as the pilchards do not then perceive the nets in their way, and swimming against them, are caught.  When the water is transparent, the fish, perceiving the luminous meshes, swim aside and escape.  This appearance is called brimming.  As it rarely occurs during twilight, the fishermen choose that time for shooting their nets, and wait until dawn before hauling them again into their boats.