THE STOW-NET. 295 



alive until they are taken on shore in the afternoon. They 

 are then boiled and sent off by train from Leigh the great 

 headquarters of the Thames shrimpers in time for the 

 London market the next morning. Large quantities of 

 shrimps are thus procured from the Thames, and as many 

 as 2000 gallons are sometimes sent thence to market in 

 one day. Prawns or " red shrimps " are also taken in some 

 parts of the estuary of the Thames by means of small 

 trawls of the ordinary construction ; but the prawns thus 

 caught are usually small, and the fine large ones, which 

 are sold by the dozen, instead of by the pint or quart, are 

 taken in more rocky situations by means of hoop-nets 

 which are set in suitable localities, and are baited with fish 

 fastened to the centre of two cross lines on the hoop. 

 Another contrivance for capturing these large prawns is a 

 sort of cage of the same kind as is used for catching crabs, 

 and which will be described presently. 



FIXED NETS. 



The nets we have now to notice, although of somewhat 

 varied forms, possess this character in common, that they 

 are fixed to one place, and are either secured by means of 

 anchors, or are fastened to stakes driven into the ground. 

 They are used in both the open sea and in estuaries or the 

 mouths of rivers ; and being fixed, they must of course 

 depend for their successful working on the fish finding their 

 way into them, either by chance or by having their course 

 directed towards them by the set of the tide or other 

 means. The most remarkable of them is the gigantic bag- 

 net known as 



THE STOW-NET. 



This enormous bag-net, exceeding in length the largest 

 beam-trawl, is exclusively used for catching sprats. Num- 



