504 HISTORY OF 



near the bottom on the coasts of England ; and Uuhamel ob- 

 serves, 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 

 ill 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 twelve thou- 

 sand hooks. This line is called the parasina : and the fishing 

 goes by that of the pielago. 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 apparatus 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 some- 

 times happens that the lines are visited by very unwelcome in- 

 truders ; by the rough ray, the fire-flare, or the torpedo. To 

 all these the fishermen have the most mortal antipathy; and, 

 when discovered, shudder at the sight : however, they are not 

 always so much upon their guard, but that they sometimes feel 

 the different resentments of this angry tribe ; and, instead of a 

 prize, find they have caught a vindictive 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 is furnished. To the ignorant it 

 seems harmless, and a man would at first sight venture to take 

 it in his hand, without any apprehension ; but he soon finds, 

 that there is not a single part of its body that is not armed with 

 spines ; and that there is no way of seizing the animal but by 

 the little fin at the end of the tail. 



But this animal is harmless, when compared to the fire-flare, 

 wliiith seems to be the dread of even the boldest and most ex- 



