ioo WILD LIFE OF SCOTLAND 



like a wolf on the fold, swallowing them up, and 

 the net along with them. 



Where they are numerous, the fishermen are 

 often at their wits' end as to how to deal with 

 them, and have been known to abandon their 

 enterprise for the season. In Orkney, when I was 

 there, four years ago, the seashore was simply 

 littered with dog-fishes. A spirit prevailed that the 

 wisest thing to do, might be to let them have the 

 sea to themselves for awhile. 



As some sort of compensation, no part of them is 

 allowed to be wasted. They are slit up, and dried, 

 and the rough skin used for cleansing purposes. 

 The roof of the crofters' kitchens is strung all over 

 with their bodies, for future consumption. No 

 further preparation seems to be necessary, as the 

 quantity of oil is a sufficient preservative. The 

 liver yields combustible material to burn in their 

 cruisies, during the long winter nights. 



Twenty-five, or thirty years ago, the North Sea 

 was infested with these pests. Old fishermen 

 relate, that they were glad to see their lines safe 

 aboard, and, in lieu of haddocks, were forced to be 

 contented to barter a full cargo of dog-fish, for 

 what they would bring. They crowded into the 

 harbours, and could be seen skulking about, in 



