84 BRITISH IND USTRIES. 



generally skilfully performed, and the dead fish rapidly 

 accumulate into a large heap, whence they are taken to 

 the adjoining quay, to be packed in bulk in the railway 

 trucks waiting close by to receive them. Each, truck 

 will hold about twelve score of good-sized fish, or a 

 proportionately larger number of smaller ones. The 

 fish thus killed and packed reach Billingsgate in time 

 for the early market next morning, and are known in 

 the trade by the name of "live cod," the manner in 

 which they are killed affecting the muscles of the fish 

 in some way that enables the crimping process to be 

 carried out successfully some hours after the fish have 

 been taken out of the water. These cod command a 

 high price, and are looked upon as essentially " West 

 End" fish. There is, of course, a great advantage 

 gained by thus storing the cod alive, for not only is 

 the market more regularly supplied than would other- 

 wise be the case, owing to small catches during bad 

 weather, or delays from calms or adverse winds, but the 

 fish themselves also come into the hands of the fish- 

 mongers in a fresher state than almost any other kinds 

 supplied to them. 



These two methods of line-fishing are carried on 

 more or less around our coasts, with various modifica- 

 tions in the size of the hooks, the weight of the leads, 

 the length and mounting of the lines, and the kind of 

 bait used; the differences depending on the kinds of 

 fish sought for, and, in the case of the hand-lines, the 

 manner in which they are worked. Boats of various 

 sizes are used, but they are mostly of only a few tons' 

 measurement, especially for hand-line fishing, which is 



