FISHING NETS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE OTTER-TRAWL. 585 



1 mile; it varies according to the ground, the size of mesh, and the 

 length of warp. On hard ground or with smaller mesh or shorter 

 warps it is less than stated, but may be greater with larger mesh and 

 greater length of warp, especially on soft ground. 



The dimensions of the commercial trawl-net may be summarised in 

 more compact form : — 



Square : 34-40 feet long, 300 meshes down to 200 ; mesh 3 in. 

 Top-ivings : 31-35 feet long, 100 meshes down to 6 or 12 ; mesh 



Sin. 

 Bottom-wings: 68-78 feet long, 50-55 meshes down to 25-32; 



mesh 3 in. 

 Eatings: 200 meshes down to 60; length, 34 to 36 feet (18 feet to 



"head of pockets," 10-12 feet of pockets, 6 feet 90 meshes 



down to 60). 

 Belly and Eatings : like the Eatings. 

 Cod-end: 60 meshes across; 1^ in. mesh; 12 to 18 feet. 

 Head-rope : 90-100 feet. 

 Ground-rope: 120-130 feet. 



Inasmuch as the ordinary commercial otter-trawls are often too large 

 for tlie steamers at the service of naturalists, it may be of use to give 

 the dimensions of a trawl with 64 feet head-line such as used on the 

 Oithona : — 



Square : 26 feet long, 280 meshes down to 180 ; mesh 2h in. 

 Top-2oings : 25 feet long, 80 meshes down to 10; 2h in. mesh. 

 Bottom-tvings : 54 feet long, 50 meshes down to 30 ; 24 in. mesh. 

 Eatings; 180 meshes down to 60; 24 feet (first 10 feet to the 



head of the pockets, 10 feet of pockets, 4 feet 90 meshes down 



to 60) ; the size of mesh is graded as in the big trawls. 

 Belly and Eatings: 170 meshes down to 60; the details otherwise 



being the same as above. 

 Cod-end: 60 meshes across in its whole length; 1 in. or 1| in. 



mesh ; 8 feet long. 

 Head-rope : 64 feet. 

 d'ound-rope : 90 feet. 



The fixing is just the same as in the large trawls, the square being 

 balched tiglit to the single head-rope, and 7 to 10 feet of bosom 

 allowed. The ground-rope is 7 in. in diameter, and has a central 

 core of iron wire except in the centre of the bosom. 



The best method of curing or preserving a net made of manilla 

 twine is to soak it in coal-tar, but if the net is of cotton this makes it 

 unnecessarily heavy, and either cutch alone should be used or cutch 



