AND THE FISH THEREOF. 137 



imprints of the foot on soft mud or sand, which retain the water at ebb-tide, 

 and thus attract crabs (granclii), which are thus caught by hand. This is also 

 known by the term o>{ facendo le zappcghe. 



The fisheries are also designated by the names of fish ; for instance, 

 pcsca a pesce novcllo, which is carried on by means of the tela, or bragotto ; 

 pcsca a scombri is the line-fishing for mackerel {scombri') with the togna ; 

 pesca a sardella is the sardine fishery with the boats known as Sardellere, 

 &c, &c. 



When fishing is carried on without defined aim, it is called pesca vagantiva ; 

 pesca al memio, or pesca minuta, is when the fishing is limited to small fish of 

 little or no value {ininutaja). 



Deep-sea fishing is called pesca da mar, such as is exercised by the 

 Chioggiotti ; pesca da marina is fishing from the shore ; pesca da valle, such 

 as is practised by the valesani in the valli (fish-ponds), especially in the 

 season of the fraima. Those that fish at random in the lagoons are called 

 mestieretti, or pescaoreti. 



Sardine Fisheries. 



It is necessary to supplement the description given at pages 100 and 114 

 by a few remarks. The single hauls made by the drift-nets are much 

 smaller than those of the seine-nets! They seldom exceed 40-50 casks in 

 the first instance, whereas hauls of 500 and even 700 casks are occasionally 

 made by the seine-nets. In Dalmatia the fisheries are carried on only on 

 the dark nights {scuri). In Istria the fishing goes on also by moonlight. 

 The scuri from May to September are known as the scuri pi'incipali. Then 

 the fishing is carried on promiscuously off the islands of Lissa, Lesina, 

 Brazza, and Curzola. The scuri before May and after September are called 

 venturini. In this season the fishermen are. only allowed to exercise their 

 calling in their own fishing districts. 



The fishermen of Comisa (western Lissa) are chiefly engaged in these 

 fisheries, and they export 10-12,000 casks of salted sardines a year. After 

 a mild winter the first shoals of sardines put in an appearance in the South 

 Adriatic at the beginning of March, and at this season the fishermen of 



T 



