290 AN ANGLER'S RAMBLES 



prison into which the fish became thrown by the directive force 

 of the current was a roomy one, covering, in the form of a paral- 

 lelogram, a superficial area, which, so far I can remember, was 

 not much short of a hundred square yards. It was built very 

 compactly of stone, clinched and riveted from the founda- 

 tion upwards. A grating, constructed of strong iron bars, pro- 

 tected it from depredators, access to the interior being given by 

 means of a trap-door, which was kept under lock and key. From 

 this entrance a short ladder conducted to a ledge or parapet, 

 about two feet in width, which surrounded, and was nearly on 

 a level with the aqueous contents of the cage when plenished. 

 Taking the superficial area of this tank or conservatory to be a 

 hundred yards, and the usual depth three feet, these contents 

 amount to no less than 2700 cubic feet of water, a considerable 

 bulk when so estimated, but one which, in order to facilitate the 

 capture of the fish, it was necessary to get rid of, or at anyrate 

 greatly reduce. This was accomplished by a simple but ingeni- 

 ous piece of machinery, set agoing by the pressure of the current 

 at the upper end of the trap, an oar-blade, or piece of planking 

 similarly shaped, being employed as the primary lever-power, 

 the results of its action being, at one and the same time, to shut 

 off the supplies by the gradual lowering of a sluice-gate at the 

 feeding point, and effect a displacement of the watery contents 

 of the reservoir without opening up a means of exeunt to the 

 finny ones. The whole process did not occupy above ten or 

 twelve minutes. On the occasion of our visit, the inmates of 

 the cage consisted of five or six sea-trout, varying in weight 

 from one-and-a-half pound to three pounds, all of them fresh- 

 run, and in good condition. Of these Mr. Shaw selected three, 

 which were forthwith secured by the assistance of a hand-net, 

 despatched by the nabby or doctor, and sent off to their various 

 destinations ; a prime one to his own cottage, to be greeted and 

 further commented on by us at the dinner-table, along with other 

 delicacies, in the course of the afternoon. 



