of a large rock, if there be sandy ground at the foot, also in sheltered bays and coves of the shore and deep-water harbours, and in fact anywhere, if the locality promises sufficient shelter to warrant leaving it moored without undue risk. On some

parts of the coast where the rocks rise like a wall out of the water, although it may be impossible, or at least very difficult, to keep a boat, a trammel may be worked to advantage by taking the opportunity of a fine day to drop a heavy anchor, say of fifty-six pounds, at the distance of fifty fathoms from the rocks, attached to a piece of chain long enough to reach the perpendicular height of spring tides; to the end of this chain secure a six-inch block, and provide a rope of an inch and a half in circumference, long enough when doubled to reach a few feet above high-water mark on the rocks. By help of this rope you can haul out your net whenever you think fit, and haul it in also to examine it and unmesh the fish, and may thus supply yourself with choice fish, unprocurable by other means, supposing your locality is at a distance from a fish market.

To set a trammel from a boat the following arrangements are required: Two buoy-lines with corks at intervals and stones at the ends about twenty-five pounds weight must be provided, to one of which, close to the stone, make fast the head-line of the trammel, and at the breadth of the net, above the stone, make fast the cork-line, being careful not to stretch the trammel up too tight, lest the strain be taken by the network instead of the buoy-line, which, being stronger than the netting, ought to take the whole of the strain (fig. 69, p. 226).

Place the buoy-line carefully in a coil with the stone by itself in the middle of the boat, and proceed to drop the corkline in the stern-sheets as near the stern as possible, but the lead-line should be in advance of it about three feet, when the slack net will naturally take its place between the two. When you have thus arranged the whole net, place the second buoyline conveniently, together with the stone, on one side of the net, having first secured the head and foot-lines, as mentioned above, to the buoy-line, which you are now to throw overboard, and then proceed to lower the stone with care and deliberation to the bottom. It is always better that two should be in the

Q

boat on these occasions, as one can pull slowly whilst the other pays out the net; for one person to pay out the net conveniently, a moderate run of tide or light breeze to drift the boat is required.

A trammel should always be shot with, and not across, the

tide, for if the latter mode were adopted, the force of the current would tend to depress the net towards the ground, and thereby injure its efficiency. Before arranging the trammel in the boat, make a rigid examination of the gunwale, lest any nail, splinter, or other obstacle prevent the escape of the net, and

thereby break the twine of the smaller meshes. I have sometimes found even the leather on the rowlocks objectionable on this account, to obviate which, fasten on with tacks about five feet of old cloth or canvas over the gunwale, which will effectually cover all inequalities.

A trammel of forty fathoms' length will be found quite large enough for general use, and if two of these nets be required I think they should not exceed thirty fathoms each, as they are then very convenient for river-fishing, and for seawork a long net is at once made by joining the two together.

The price of a good trammel of the Shrewsbury thread, ready to put into the water, is about 17. 5s. or 1l. 10s. per ten fathoms, but in France they are procurable at a lower price, yet of such inferior twine that the Guernsey fishermen who use trammels to a considerable extent, have nearly all discarded those of French manufacture.

The Shrewsbury twine is a patent material, and has been in use for the best quality of flue-nets (the fresh-water appellation of the trammel) for a long period, but its adoption as a material for sea-work is comparatively recent, having been introduced to the notice of the Guernsey fishermen many years since, by a gentleman visiting the island for the sake of sea-fishing.

Trammels and other nets should be spread on a clean shingle beach or grass field, or hoisted up to dry after using, and all weed picked carefully out; they should likewise be barked, in common with other nets, at least once a season.

All broken meshes should be at once repaired, as ‘a stitch in time saves nine.'

Many yachts on coming to anchor of an evening in a roadstead set this net; it should, if shot at six or seven, be hauled at about half-past nine P.M.; it may then be shot again, and hauled at daylight. If left the whole time without examination, the fish will probably be devoured by Crabs, Squid, &c., to which the Red Mullet generally are the first to fall victims.

The Seine.—The word 'seine' has been adopted from the French, and signifies any draught-net which forms a bag; they are made of various length, depth, and mesh, according to

the purpose required, and are extensively used for Salmon, Mackerel, Pilchards, Gar-fish (otherwise Long-Noses), Smelts, Atherine, Mullet, Flat-fish, Herrings, Sprats, &c.

The 'seine' may be considered the most ancient description of net known, and the method of enclosing a space by shooting it in a semicircle, and then drawing it towards shore, seems naturally to suggest itself first to the mind of the fisherman.

In the miraculous draught of fishes on the lake of Gennesaret the words are, 'they enclosed a great multitude of fishes,' clearly evidencing the manner of using to be precisely similar to our own practice at the present day, and that the net in question was a 'seine' or draught-net. (Luke v. 1-11.)

Other instances from the Old Testament mention drag or draught-nets-or, in other words, 'seines 'from which, and various relics of antiquity, we may conclude it to be the source from which all other nets have sprung.

The seine consists of three divisions: the bunt, or centre, and the arms or two sides.

The bunt is much deeper than the arms, in order that it may form a considerable bag to receive the fish ; and to render it still more capacious, the net, or calico, or canvas, or whatever material may be used to form the bunt or bag (for the terms are synonymous), is gathered in setting it on to the rope; and at each end of the net a pole or spar is attached, weighted with sheet lead at the larger end, which keeps these pole-staves (as they are termed) in a perpendicular position, thereby causing them to spread the net to the best advantage.

The Sand-Eel Seine (fig. 70).—The Sand-Eel or Launce, as elsewhere observed, is very numerous in the sandy bays and harbours of the French and British coasts, and being not only delicate eating, but without doubt also the best bait for seafish generally when used alive, a description of the seine for its capture will probably not be unwelcome to my readers. It should not be less than 20 fathoms or 40 yards long, the part marked in Italic capitals, B, U, N, T, forming the bag or bunt, consisting of unbleached calico 20 feet in length and 12 in depth, and the 20 feet length, when attached to the rope, must

be gathered, that it may not occupy more than 16 feet of space,

which will cause it to bag well.

Three gores of very

fine netting, as fine as can be made, 18 inches

in width, are to be inserted at equal distances. from the edges of the calico and from each

other, which gores are to reach to within 18 inches of the top and bottom of the calico.

The bunt of calico is preferred to one of netting, because it offers no apertures for the fish to get their heads fast, and the gores are inserted that the water may escape more freely, for it is found that the calico without gores is of exceedingly heavy draught, as might be expected.

As a difficulty sometimes occurs in procuring these gores of fine netting, a very coarse kind of canvas, of a light make, and very open between the threads, is substituted, and answers the purpose well at a less

cost.

On each side of the calico three fathoms of one-inch meshed net is

FIG. 70.-Sand-Eel Seine.