106 TUNNY-FISHING IN OLDEN TIMES. 



net behind them, and generally had good cause to rejoice 

 over a splendid harvest. 



^Elian describes another method of tunny-capture. 



Some time, he says, before the shoals make their ap- 

 pearance, the men assemble at various Ovwoo-KOTrela, or 

 tunneries ; select the most experienced of their number 

 to the office of thynnoscopus, or tunny-overseer, and build 

 for him a watch-tower, or station him on a commanding 

 rocky headland. No sooner does his practised eye discern 

 the advancing column, than he signalizes to the watchful 

 crew below the direction in which they are to prepare for 

 its reception. As they recognize the signal, with " all the 

 precision of a troop of disciplined soldiers, or a band of 

 well-trained musicians," the mariners put to sea, each 

 boat in command of its captain j and with great regularity 

 and swiftness they shoot their nets in advance of the fish. 

 In this way a vast hempen wall is flung athwart the course 

 of the shoal, which, proceeding in a direct line, and never 

 looking before they leap, are surrounded and captured. 



Now-a-days, tunny-fishing is carried on both with the 

 line and the net. Little is done in the former way ; in the 

 latter, the practice varies among the French and Neapo- 

 litan fishermen. 



For instance, there is the tonnaire, which may be thus 

 described : 



As soon as the look-out men announce the approach 

 of the tunnies, a flotilla of boats traverses the sea in the 

 form of a semicircle, and, throwing out their nets, gradu- 

 ally make for the shore, contracting the area enclosed by 

 the nets as they advance, and, consequently, driving the 

 shoal in front of them. When close to the land, and in 



