THE FISH OF DORSET. 5 



deposited at the bottom of the sea, whereas in the cod and whiting 

 tribe the -eggs are almost innumerable. Buckland counted 

 6,867,000 in the roe of one cod. The spawn of most of our food 

 fish is shed in mid-water, floats not far from the surface, and is 

 quite transparent, while in the herrings it falls to the bottom and 

 adheres to anything it may touch. In some fish, as the pipe-fish, 

 it is transferred to the male and carried about until it hatches. In 

 the perch and pike the spawn is shed in long ribbons and adheres 

 to the reeds and water plants that grow under water at the sides of 

 streams, while the stickleback makes a little nest with an opening 

 at each end in which to deposit its eggs and keeps guard over 

 them. The salmon and trout deposit their spawn at the bottom of 

 the river and cover it over with a heap of gravel, out of which the 

 young find their way when they are hatched. 



From Poole we have 34 second-class boats engaged in trawling, 

 and about 20 of these in the winter months use drilt nets for 

 herrings and sprats. They are mostly half-decked cutters of from 

 18 to 25 feet in length, and their trawl beams are from 10 to 15 feet 

 in proportion to the boat. There are 70 third-class, or open 

 boats, propelled with oars only, the largest of which use seine 

 nets, and the others small stop nets for flounders, lines, and shrimp 

 nets, and are also used for eel picking. 



At Swanage there are 8 third-class. 



At Bottom 7 third-class. 



At Warbarrow 7 third class. 



At Lulworth 5 second and 27 third. 



At Weymouth 46 third. You will be surprised at there being 

 only third-class boats at Weymouth, but it seems that the Wey 

 mouth people are so un-enterprising that they allow boats from 

 Portsmouth to come and do their trawling for them. 



At Portland there are 29 third-class. 



At Hill 16 third-class. 



At Wyke 10 third-class. 



At Abbotsbury and Swyre 24 third-class. 



At Burton 12 third-class. 



