THE RAY. 



275 



cork. The line is always laid across the cur- 

 rent The tides of flood and ebb continue an 

 equal time upon our coast ; and, when undis- 

 turbed by winds, run each way about six 

 hours. They are so rapid that the fishermen 

 can only shoot and haul their lines at the turn 

 of the tide; and therefore the lines always re- 

 main upon the ground about six hours. The 

 same rapidity of tide prevents their using 

 hand lines ; and, therefore, two of the people 

 commonly wrap themselves in the sail and 

 sleep, while the other keeps a strict look-out, 

 for fear of being run down by ships, and to 

 observe the weather ; for storms often rise so 

 suddenly, that it is sometimes with extreme 

 difficulty they escape to the shore, though they 

 leave their lines behind them. 



" The coble is twenty feet six inches long, 

 and five feet extreme breadth. It is about 

 one ton burden, rowed with three pair of oars, 

 and admirably constructed for the purpose of 

 encountering a mountainous sea. They hoist 

 sail when the wind suits. 



" The five-men-boat is forty feet long, fif- 

 teen broad, and twenty-five tons burden. It 

 is so called, though navigated by six men and 

 a boy ; because one of the men is hired to 

 oook, and does not share in the profits with 

 the other five. All our able fishermen go in 

 these boats to the herring fishery at Yarmouth, 

 the latter end of September, and return about 

 the middle of November. The boats are then 

 laid up until the beginning of Lent, at which 

 time they go off in them to the edge of the 

 Dogger, and other places, to fish for turbot, 

 cod, ling, skate, &c. They always take two 

 cobles on board, and when they come upon 

 their ground, anchor the boat, throw out the 

 cobles, and fish in the same manner as those 

 do who go from the shore in a coble ; with 

 this difference only, that here each man is 

 provided with double the quantity of lines, 

 and, instead of waiting the return of the tide 

 in the coble, return to the boat, and bait their 

 other lines ; thus hauling one set, and shoot- 

 ing another, every turn of tide. They com- 

 monly run into the harbour twice a-week, to 

 deliver their fish. The five-men-boat is 

 decked at each end, but open in the middle, 

 and has two long sails. 



" The best bait for all kinds of fish, is fresh 

 herring cut in pieces of a proper size : and 

 notwithstanding what has been said to the 

 contrary, they are taken there at any time in 

 the winter, and all the spring, whenever the 

 fishermen put down some nets for that pur- 

 pose : the five-men boats always take some 

 nets for that end. Next to herrings are the 

 lesser lampreys, which come all winter by 

 land-carriage from Tadcaster. The next baits 

 in esteem are small haddocks cut in pieces, 

 sand-worms, muscles, and limpets; and, lastly, 



when none of these can be found, they use 

 bullock's liver. The hooks used there are 

 much smaller than those employed at Iceland 

 and Newfoundland. Experience has shown 

 that the larger fish will take a living small 

 one upon the hook, sooner than any bait that 

 can be put on; therefore they use such as the 

 fish can swallow. The hooks are two inches 

 and a half long in the shank ; and near an 

 inch wide between the shank and the point. 

 The line is made of small cording, and is 

 always tanned before it is used. All the rays 

 and turbots are extremely delicate in their 

 choice of baits : if a piece of herring or had- 

 dock has been twelve hours Tjnt.uf the sea, and 

 then used as a bait, they will not touch it." 



Such is the manner of fishing for those fish 

 that usually keep near the bottom on the 

 coasts of England ; and Duhamel observes, 

 that the best weather for succeeding, is a half- 

 calm, when the waves are just curled with a 

 silent breeze. 



But this extent of line, which runs, as we 

 have seen, three miles along the bottom, is 

 nothing to what the Italians throw out in the 

 Mediterranean. Their fishing is carried on 

 in a tartan, which is a vessel much larger 

 than ours ; and they bait a line of no less than 

 twenty miles long, with above ten or twelvo 

 thousand hooks. This line is called the para- 

 sina : and the fishing goes by that of the pie- 

 lago. This line is not regularly drawn every 

 six hours, as with us, but remains for some 

 time in the sea, and it requires the space of 

 twenty-four hours to take it up. By this ap- 

 paratus they take rays, sharks, and other fish ; 

 some of which are above a thousand pounds 

 weight. When they have caught any of this 

 magnitude, they strike them through with a 

 harpoon to bring them on board, and kill them 

 as fast as they can. 



This method of catching fish is obviously 

 fatiguing, and dangerous ; but the value of 

 the capture generally repays the pains. The 

 skate and the thornback are very good food, 

 and their size, which is from ten pounds to 

 two hundred weight, very well rewards the 

 trouble of fishing for them. But it sometimes 

 happens that the lines are visited by very un- 

 welcome intruders; by the rough ray, the fire- 

 flare, or the torpedo. To all these the fisher- 

 men have the most mortal antipathy; and, 

 when discovered, shudder at the sight: how- 

 ever, they are not always so much upon their 

 guard, but that they sometimes feel the differ- 

 ent resentments of this angry tribe : and, in- 

 stead of a prize, find they have caught a vin- 

 dictive enemy. When such is the case, they 

 take care to throw them back into the sea with 

 the swiftest expedition. 



The rough ray inflicts but slight wounds 

 with the prickles with which its whole body 



