40 Mascot s " 



by making of such, and other Weles. 

 Also the Otter Wele is made at Dorney, 

 by Windsor, by one called Twiner." He 

 adds that "it should be made of good 

 round Ozyars of the Hasell rodde or gore 

 rodde, for those are the best." 



In a few words MascalPs " wele " may 

 be described thus : It is a double basket 

 trap made of strong hazel stick. At the 

 entrance to the inner compartment, con- 

 taining the bait is a spring. The otter 

 creeps into the outer compartment and 

 on endeavouring to get at the fish releases 

 the spring and causes a " gredyern " [grid- 

 iron] door to fall, and so entraps him. 

 " As soon as he hears it fall, he will turne 

 back without touching any fish, gnawing 

 at the gredyern where he came in, and so 

 is drowned." 



He warns the reader against using an 

 old "wele," as, if it is rotten and the otter 

 escapes, " ye shall hardly take him of a 

 long time after, for he is very subtill to 

 be caught againe in such a wele." 



FISH CULTURE IN MASCALL'S TIME. 



In view of the great strides made in 

 fish culture during the past thirty years, 

 it is interesting to find that some of the 

 methods so much advocated of late were 



