330 WILD LIFE ON A NORFOLK ESTUARY 



bourhood of Whitby sometimes the fish were nearly three 

 inches thick. Women used to meet the boats with big 

 bundles of them slung across their backs. 



Colby, my footless shrimper factotum, at one time sailed 

 in the old Kate lugger with " Gabey " Thomas (afterwards 

 a noted Breydoner). They used to catch a number of skate, 

 which they gutted, tailed, and ribbed, afterwards towing 

 them overboard for twenty-four hours, and then hanging 

 them on the rigging to dry. Three weeks' or a month's hang- 

 ing, according to the weather or the size of the skate, was 

 necessary to make them sufficiently dry for sale. Those fish 

 taken aboard already cured were often salted freely ; a fact 

 that rather pleased " Dilly " Smith, whose ale came in most 

 welcome to assuage the great thirst provoked. There was 

 a rather loose outlook kept by the police of those days on 

 those who tippled on Sundays ; and as the house had 

 windows pretty well all round it, a policeman was visible 

 a long way off, and possible eventualities were promptly 

 provided against. 



DOG-FISH AS FOOD 



Colby spoke very highly of " nurses " (larger spotted dog- 

 fish) or "sweet Williams" as food, either boiled or fried. 

 Aboard the boats they ate the fish only from "below the 

 navel," i.e., the vent " we chucked the other parts away." 

 I believe this is the species known as " bull-huss " on the 

 southern coasts, where it is in request for food. 



PLAGUE OF DOG-FISH 



The summer and autumn of 1905 were remarkable for the 

 numbers of voracious dog-fishes that infested the western 

 and southern coasts. Grave complaints were made of their 

 ravages, and their destructiveness to the nets of the fisher- 

 men. A London gentleman wrote to the Anglers News 

 pointing out how their presence and numbers might be 



