THE SEA FISHERIES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 111 
the hand-line, to the introduction of the trawl, and many accusations 
have been brought against it, on the score of its destruction of the fish 
and the injury to the fishing-grounds, in regard to which we shall in- 
quire hereafter. 
One proof of the antiquity of the long-line is the fact of its exist- 
ence in almost the form used by civilized nations among the Indians of 
the northwest coast of America. It usually happens that aboriginal 
methods now employed by savage tribes have been handed down from 
a very high antiquity, and it is not at all improbable that the people of 
modern Europe simply developed an implement made use of many 
thousands of years previously by their ancestors. 
The trawl-line as mentioned consists essentially of a line of varying 
length, sometimes, as on the coast of England, as much as 7 or 8 miles, 
more usually, however, from 100 yards upwards, with short lines of 
perhaps 3 feet in length attached at intervals of 34 to 6 feet, each with 
a hook, but commonly not provided with leads or sinkers. To one end 
of this long line is attached a weight, by means of which it 1s carried 
to the bottom. The line is then paid out at the side of the boat, the 
hooks being previously properly baited, and the other end is weighted 
and dropped to the bottom also. At each end of the long line is an 
attached buoy, which, floating at the surface, indicates the location of the 
two ends. Sometimes, in the ease of very long lines, there may be in- 
termediate weights and intermediate buoys, those at the extreme ends 
in such a case being differently marked for their proper designation. 
The bait used on the long-lines varies with the country and the cir- 
cumstances, the longer lines used in England for the capture of cod 
being baited almost entirely with the whelk (Buccinum undatum), a 
mollusk or shell-fish very abundant in England, and for the capture of 
which numerous vessels of from 10 to 20 tons. are employed. 
The whelk is taken sometimes with the net, more usually by the use 
of some bait which attracts them into a basket or inclosure, in which 
they are then lifted out. The abundance of this object in the Euro- 
pean waters is very great, as with all its consumption the numbers do 
not appear to decrease. 
In the ordinary boat fishing the long-line is usually baited with the 
common muscle, the use of fish, such as fresh herring, &c., being much 
less common than in Northern Europe andin America. The whelk and 
species closely allied to it are abundant in the United States; but so 
far comparatively little use is made of them. It is probable that in 
the search for improved qualities and increased quantities of bait for 
the capture of codfish this will soon come into play and constitute a 
very desirable and satisfactory substitute for the other varieties. The 
clam among the mollusks is more generally employed for this purpose, 
both the Mya arenaria, or soft clam, and the Venus mercenaria, or 
hard clam. There are several other species which are used in large 
numbers for this purpose, to which reference will be made in another 
