THE KEER DRAG. 17 



fish ; but some experienced masters say that, allow- 

 ing for mishaps, the average is not more than 

 1000 packages per smack per annum. The kinds 

 of fish caught by these vessels are soles, cod, 

 turbot, haddock, whiting, brill, plaice, and skate ; 

 these fish are caught the whole year round, but 

 from the beginning of August to the middle of 

 November the plaice almost entirely disappear. 



THE KEER DRAG. 



A small but very useful net for bottom fishing 

 and making collections of various sea fish can be 

 easily made ; it is called a keer drag, and is used 

 where the bottom is smooth ; the sketch (Plate 

 II, No. 2) shows how it is made. The bottom 

 and sides of the oblong mouth of the net are 

 formed of an iron rod about seven feet long, of 

 which about fifteen inches at each end are bent 

 round, and at right angles to these ends a straight 

 beam of wood three inches in diameter is fixed, 



2 



