THE FISH OF DORSET. 



is usually made of ash or oak, or other heavy, tough wood. The 

 net consists of an upper and under leaf, and a cod, or small bag, 

 into which most of the fish go, and is closed at the end with a cod 

 line, which before now I have known to have been left undone and 

 all the fish lost. The front end of the upper leaf is square, and 

 is stopped with yarns along the beam, while the under leaf is much 

 shorter and formed into a semi-circle by two short pieces of net 

 called wings. Along this semi-circle is fastened the ground rope, 

 the two ends of which are made fast to the after part of the two 

 heads. The ground rope is usually made of a piece of four- 

 stranded rope, one strand of which is removed to make it soft and 

 pliable, while round it is twisted or wholed another rope, making 

 the whole about 3 or 4 inches or more thick, so as to prevent it 

 from cutting into soft ground. Sometimes a small chain is used 

 for the centre of the ground rope, in which case it is cut in two 

 in the middle, the ends being stopped together with a few yarns, so 

 that if the ground rope fouls a rock or other obstruction the yarns 

 break, and though the net may be torn the whole gear is not lost, 

 which might otherwise be the case. The trawl is, if possible, 

 always towed with the tide, the reason being that fish always lie 

 with their heads up stream, and, on being touched by the ground- 

 rope, dart upward and forward, and so into the net, and not out of 

 it, as would be the case if their tails were touched first. In one 

 or two places along each side of the net the upper and under leaf 

 are sewn together so as to form pockets, whose mouths open 

 inwards. These are to catch the soles, which are more cunning than 

 other fish, and will soon work their way out of the net along the 

 sides if not stopped by the pockets. There is another sort of trawl 

 called an otter trawl, but it is only used by yachts and steam 

 trawlers, though it has the advantage of being more easily worked, 

 and a very much larger net in proportion to the boat being used - 

 than with the beam trawl. A line of corks, the same length as 

 the ground rope, takes the place of the wooden beam, and the 

 heads are wooden boards shod with iron, so attached to the bridle 

 that they act like kites and so keep the net open. 



