Cuttles 395 



is quite transparent, but as it dries it becomes less so, 

 and shrinks. Squids appear in shoals, swimming on 

 the surface of the sea, whether smooth or rough, and 

 in the brightest sunshine. They feed upon fishes, and 

 tlie fishes are only too eager to reciprocate. The 

 somewhat gelatinous flesh makes a splendid bait 

 for sea-fishing. The professional fishermen fish 

 for Squid to use for baiting their boulters. The 

 Squid is a wary and an active quarry, and some skill 

 and adroitness is required to capture him, for he does 

 not make the mistake of taking a baited hook as a 

 fish does. The TYiodus operandi for catching a Squid 

 is quite different from that where a little bit of the 

 captured Squid is used to entrap a fish. The fisher- 

 man securely fastens a pilchard to a strong line, and 

 throws this out from his boat. Near at hand he has 

 a light gaff, made by splicing a number of mackerel 

 hooks to the end of a bamboo rod in such manner 

 that the barbed tips are all turned outward, but 

 pointing towards his hand. The Squid's sense of 

 smell soon attracts him to the pilchard, which he 

 clings to with his suckers and tears with his beak. 

 Now the fisher hauls in his line very gently so as not 

 to alarm the Squid, until at length he is within 

 striking distance. Then wdien the Cuttle is in the 

 right position he is firmly gaffed in the hinder part 

 of his body and held with his head away. There is 

 a tremendous spouting of water and ink from the 

 funnel, the Squid making effort by this means to 

 escape. When he is for a time exhausted he is taken 

 on board. An inexperienced assistant essaying to 

 catch his first Squid will almost certainly gaff it and 

 haul in head first, with the result that his face and 



