210 THE NATURALIST IN NOEWAY. 



is an expensive business, and it is necessary, therefore, 

 that the " take " should be large enough to pay. The 

 men let down their nets under the orders of a head 

 man or captain ; there is, however, much shouting and 

 noise when this is done, so that the Norwegians have 

 a proverb to this effect, which is supposed to be ex- 

 pressive of any scene of noise and bustle, " Det var 

 som om man sJculde ved med en silde-net" or, in En- 

 glish, " That was as if a herring- net should be brought 

 up." When a cast of the net has been made, the 

 boats approach to take out the fishes ; this is accom- 

 plished by means of a large basket, fastened to a long 

 pole. Sometimes it happens that the fishes are too 

 numerous to be all removed at one time ; then the net 

 is fastened, which is called en laas, or a lock. When 

 the net is emptied, the fishes are taken in boats to the 

 shore, where they are salted down in barrels ; an in- 

 cision is first made in the neck of the fish, so as to 

 enable the brine to penetrate easily. The salt used is 

 of the coarsest kind, and it requires a very strong 

 stomach to digest an ordinary salted herring in Nor- 

 way. Sometimes a Norwegian peasant will bring out 

 a barrel of herrings that has been kept a year, to 

 knock off the head and pour off the brine ; the stench 

 that arises is abominable, but the worthy man eyes 

 his treasure as if it were the most delicious dainty. 



The herrings taken off the Norwegian coast appear 

 to be smaller in size than the English fish of the same 

 kind. This is, perhaps, owing to the fact that the 

 meshes of the English fisherman's net must, according 

 to law, be of a certain size, so as to allow the smaller 

 fishes to pass through and escape; whereas, no re- 

 striction of the kind is imposed on the Norwegian 



