SOME REMARKS ON 



creatures, with teeth not only in their mouths but in 

 their throats, and having both their eyes on one side. 



The Irish fishermen devote much of their line-fishing 

 time to rays and eels; the eels they sell, and the rays 

 either form their own food or are used by them as bait 

 for crabs and lobsters. Rays are better known to the 

 consumer as skate and, to the fishermen, as " roker " ; they 

 may be seen on the fishmongers' slabs almost any time 

 between July and April. It is said that there are no less 

 than eleven species of them round the Irish coast. They 

 are cartilaginous, like the shark or the sturgeon, and 

 their flesh is very popular among the poorer classes ; for 

 some reason London and Dublin seem to consume as 

 much of this fish as all the fishing towns put together. 



The Irishmen are only administering poetic justice 

 when they catch the ray as crab and lobster bait, for no 

 fish plays more havoc among the Crustacea ; it will crunch 

 up a big crab, sometimes shell and all, with no trouble 

 whatever, and will lie in wait near the rocks on the 

 chance of a meal of lobster or shrimps. No fish requires 

 more careful handling, whether it comes up on a line or 

 in a trawl, for most species are armed along the back with 

 tough spines, and, in defending itself, the ray bends its 

 body in a bow and lets itself spring back with frightful 

 force, often causing very serious wounds with its spikes ; 

 " thorn-back " is another name under which it is known 

 by the fishermen. 



Eel-catching in both fresh and salt water is a popular 

 occupation among these fishermen ; their tackle varies 

 with the neighbourhood and time of year. A most 



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