SCOTCH FISHERIES. 171 



United Kingdom. The Orkney fishermen frequently 

 work with those on the Scotch coast during the herring 

 season, as well as in their own immediate waters, where 

 much uncertainty attends the drift fishing. Here, how- 

 ever, line fishing for cod, ling, and coal fish occupies a 

 good deal of attention ; and haddocks are also caught, 

 though the numbers of these fish vary much in different 

 years. The Orcadians are not such thorough-going 

 fishermen, taking them altogether, as the Shetlanders, 

 and the objectionable, but sometimes necessary, diver- 

 sion of a good deal of their time to the cultivation of 

 the land, prevents their devoting as much attention 

 to the fisheries as they might otherwise give. Dried 

 cod and ling may be looked upon as the most valuable 

 products of the Orkney fisheries, and there is a con- 

 siderable demand for these fish in the Spanish market. 

 Lobster-fishing has always been a profitable occupation 

 in these islands, and it is said to have been the only 

 one carried on there previous to 1815. The lobsters 

 are now packed alive with seaweed in boxes, and 

 forwarded by steamer to Aberdeen, and thence to 

 London. Formerly they were carried away in welled 

 smacks, and, although longer on their journey, they 

 generally reached the market in better condition than 

 they do under the present system. Crabs are also 

 abundant, but they will not bear packing in the same 

 manner as is adopted with lobsters. The larger Orkney 

 boats are now decked, and of the same style as those 

 on the Scotch coast; but the skiffs, used for line fishing, 

 are much smaller and quite open. They have a crew 



