70 RIGS ON THE HUNGRY GROUND. 



huss," the large spotted dog-fisli ; the *' fiddler," is tlie 

 angel, or shark ray; '^ imcle owl's jaw," belonged to a 

 species of skate. 



Nearly all these various kinds of dog-fish are canght 

 by the men who" go out after rigs" to the '• hungry 

 ground," over the Warne sands; and they catch them 

 with '' long lines," laid down all night. 



Some of the large rigs are nothing more nor less than 

 sharks of the English waters. They have teeth of a 

 triangular shape, exceedingly sharp, and so arranged 

 that if one is broken off another comes up into its place. 

 '' You see, sir, they has jaws as tears ye like a bramble- 

 bush." The skin is not covered with scales, but with an 

 exceeding^ tough armour, which sets the teeth on edge 

 when felt, and is " a terrible thing to dull your knife." 

 When the rigs, &c., are caught out at sea they are 

 thrown down to the bottom of the boat, and as they 

 jump about there, they can be heard "grating one 

 against the other." A rig lives longer than any fish in 

 warm weather, but dies soonest in cold. When the 

 lines are hauled, and there are a lot of freshly- caught 

 savage rigs at the bottom of the boat, the men are 

 obliged to be careful not to get bitten. " They all goes 

 mad, sir, and it's like being among a lot of wild beasts." 

 They have been known to catch hold of the men's 

 "barbel," or fishing petticoat, and shake it. They are 

 vagabond curs of the ocean, that go prowling and snap- 

 ping about anywhere and anyhow for food. The fisher- 

 men hate them because they do so much damage to the 

 herring-nets, eating the fish actually out of the net, and 

 often rolling themselves right up in it. Ten minutes 

 after the arrival of the boats the small fish-dealers may 

 be seen cutting off their heads, tails, and fins, and split- 

 ting them into halves ; they are then salted and hung 



