FISHERIES AND SEAL-HUNTING. 75 



are 90 "sagenes" (030 feet) long and 33 meshes broad, each of which is 

 4£ inches square. They have no lower bolt-rope. The " svintchatky " 

 are from CO to 130 " sagenes" (420 to 910 feet) long, and have two leaps, 

 one of which, the outer, is woven with large meshes of G inches, and the 

 other, or inner, with meshes of an inch and a half. One of the ends of 

 the net has a float of reeds or of wood attached to the net by means of 

 a cord 2 "arsheens" (4 feet 8 inches) long, while the other end is at- 

 tached to the boat. The fisherman who is in the boat allows himself to 

 be driven by the current, and is careful to see that the net and the float 

 always follow in a straight line, and at an equal distance. The fish, 

 which throw themselves on the net, go through the great meshes of the 

 outer leap, and then find themselves caught in the inner one. The 

 " rejaki" are 90 " sagenes" (030 feet) long, 2 "arsheens" (4 feet 8 inches) 

 broad, and have meshes 3 J inches square, and a lower leaded bolt-rope. 



In the Volga and its several branches, fishing is prohibited from May 

 15 to July 15, except with " palaugres," and a seine of 50 " sagenes," 

 (350 feet,) which the fishermen drag to and fro, running about on foot 

 in the bed of the river in places which are not very deep, thus catching 

 small, scaly fish. The fishermen are, moreover, authorized to catch 

 sturgeon for their own use, between the city of Tcharnoi-Yar and the 

 sea, by means of floating-nets 90 "sagenes" (G30 feet) long and 1 

 "sageue" (7 feet) broad. This fishing is permitted from June 15 to 

 July 15. 



The floating nets used in the Koura for catching the "chemaya" 

 (Asjjius clupeo'ides) have meshes lh inches square and are 12 "sageues" 

 (84 feet) long. Instead of floaters, the fishermen use hollow pumpkins. 

 The bag nets for catching the "som" (Silurus glanis) have meshes 2| 

 inches square. The bag itself is 12 "sageues" (84 feet) long and 5 

 " arsheens" (11 feet 8 inches) broad. In the Volga, these nets are used 

 for fishing only in the spring and fall, and in the Koura, in January and 

 February. 



Seines with bags. — In the Volga and its tributaries, large seines 

 ("eissaugues") are used, measuring from 300 to 400 "sagenes," (2,100 to 

 2,800 feet,) whose bag is from G to 12 "sagenes" (42 to 84 feet) long, 

 with meshes one inch square. The meshes of that part of the wings 

 which is nearest to the bag have the same dimensions, while those 

 farther removed from it are from 1% to 2J inches in size. The wings 

 are not of the same length. That which is cast first, the "coast-wing," 

 as it is called, measures only 50 " sagenes," (350 feet,) while the other, 

 which is cast so as to form a crescent, measures from 250 to 350 " sagenes," 

 (1,750 to 2,450 feet.) The seines are used for catching Lueioperca sand ra 

 and Lucio±)erca volgensis and Abramis brama. It is no rare occurrence 

 to take 30,000 to 40,000 fish at a single haul. From the middle of May 

 till the beginning of July, seines are not used, because the banks of the 

 river are overflowed and the current is exceedingly strong. 



Two boats are absolutely required for this fishing; one of them, the 



