20 I. IJIMA : HEXACTIIfELLIDA. I. 



As it is, I should think that fishing twice at a depth of 300- 

 400 fathoms, each time using a dozen basketfuls of the dabo-line, 

 should be considered a very good day's work. As is easily 

 imaginable, a rocky bottom offers the greatest obstacles to this 

 method of fishing. The hauling in is scarcely ever accomplished 

 without the line sticking repeatedly to the bottom, to be un- 

 fastened only by persevering efforts. As the line is being pulled 

 up, it is coiled in the baskets, while the hooks are replaced in 

 a row on the basket edge as before. 



Having been myself on numerous occassions aboard a dabo- 

 liner, captained by Kuma, I am in a j'osition to point out 

 critically the various ways in which the dabo-line brings up 

 objects from the sea-bottom. Tliese are either caught upon the 

 points of the hooks or entangled in the cordage. Again, hooking 

 takes place in two ways. Firstly, the bait allures the animals 

 to take the hook. All the fishes and some isolated cases of lower 

 animals come under this category. Secondly, the animals are 

 hooked passively, as it were, irresj^ective of the bait. This pro- 

 cess, together with entangling presently to be described, plays 

 the most important role in bringing up zoological specimens other 

 than fishes and certain lower animals of voracious habits. Even 

 objects of quite insignificant size, such as sea-urchins of the size 

 of peas or beans or Euplectellse of no greater thickness than a 

 goose-quill, are known to have come up sticking to the points 

 of the hooks. It would seem that many of the things tlms 

 picked up by the hooks were present in great abundance on 

 the bottom. Even then, with a small number of hooks the 

 chances of their fastening on these in a proper manner can 

 be anything but great. Should however hundreds of hooks 

 be employed, as in the case of the long-lines, the matter is 



