THE EELA. 301 



and mostly pretty close to the rocks and by the tide- 

 ways. So soon as they have had "three drinks of 

 the May flood," as the phrase is, that is on the second 

 of May, they enter upon their next stage of life, and 

 become "piltacks." During the summer they grow 

 very rapidly, get fat and greatly improve in flavour. 

 The colour of the flesh is rather grey. Hence the 

 saithe in all its stages is called " grey fish," while the 

 ling, cod, and tusk are called " white fish." 



The mode of fishing the piltacks during the summer 

 and autumn months is somewhat different from that 

 of the sillack fishing just described. The rods and 

 tackle are similar, only a little stronger. One man 

 rows your boat slowly along the shore, by the tideways, 

 round skerries and sunken rocks, backwards and for- 

 wards, while the fishers, each with two rods, trawl their 

 lines astern. The haft of your rod, which is not round 

 but slightly flattened, rests along your thigh from the 

 joint to the knee. While you are unhooking the 

 captives from one line, the eager piltacks are tug- 

 tugging at your other line, which you don't attempt 

 to raise until the first is discharged and dropt into the 

 water. It requires some practice and dexterity to 

 avoid entangling your lines. When the piltacks are 

 taking well you are kept as busy as possible hauling 

 them in two or three at a time. I have myself in 

 three hours "drawn" — that is the phrase for fishing 

 sillacks and piltacks — 900 piltacks, which in August 

 might weigh 150 or 160 pounds. Piltacks are also 

 fished with bait — "leepit" limpets being the only 



