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mcntionecl, by attaching u learl to tlie shackle (see (ig. 7), but tlien again tlie 

 whole thiug becomes heavier. I have therefore, iu 1898, counterworked the 

 twisting by tying three floats of glass to the shackle, whicli by their npwaid 

 pull evidently counteract the twisting as well as a downward pull. I imagiue 

 that we, after some experiments, shall be able to coustruct these floats in such 

 a way that they actually keep the crow-foot in the turned-np position which 

 we want. (Comp. fig. 7 [dotted] and fig. 5 [fully drawn out]). The difficulty is 

 onlj' to get the weight of the ero\\'-foot and the otters duly apportioned — 

 the former is to weigh but a little, the latter much — and to get a float of 

 suitable size. Perhaps neither the crow-foot nor the first part of the tow-rope 

 ought to be made of steel-wire, but of a material of a lower speeific gravity. It 

 is scarcely worth the while, however, to talk much of this as j-et; I only set 

 forth the thought for the further eonsideration of those who might be inclined 

 to make experiments upon the matter. 



As to the condition of the bottoni, it is a wellkno wn faet that it is of 

 the greatest importance with respect to the applicability of the trawls and the 

 seines. A sharp coral-bottom or sharp stones which tear everything to pieces, 

 or take hold of the foot-rope in such a way that it cannot get loose again, 

 make any such fishery impossible. If the stones are round or partlj' hidden in 

 the bottom of the sea, the otter-seine may very well be used; it is pretty well 

 adapted to get over such stones, particularly with a coirrope (see anfe), as it 

 falls together by eontinued pulling, so that the otters apjaroach oue anotlier. 

 On a hai'd sand-bottom the otter-seine fishes excellently, also whei'e the bottom 

 is covered with Zostera. On a soft bottom (mud) you will always be able to 

 drag with a »scientific« trawl; but whether it will go down into the mud and 

 lie quite hidden by this, or whether it will skim the surface as it ought to, is 

 a tliing you cannot know or decide beforehand; for its frame is and must 

 always be heavy. By means of a coir-rope, however, you can always make 

 the seine go lighter across the bottom, and owing to the oblique position of 

 the otters they can uever sink deep down, not even in very soft mud; also in 

 this respect, in vay opinion, the seine has a great advantage over the »scienti- 

 fic« beam-trawls. — 



In concluding, I shall still mentiou a very important thing with respect 

 to the nse of such apparatus, i. e. their preservation. Our fishermen always 

 use pure coal-tar for the ])reparatiou of their eel-dragseines, maintaining — 

 and according to my experience they are right — that if the seines ure not 

 quite stitE with coal-tar, they cannot catch well. The pocket only must not get 

 too much coal-tar; as above mentioned it must be light, it must take its right 



