A Sportsman at Large 99 



would have been Ai, especially with pollack, skate and other 

 lusty denizens of the deep, though when the mackerel were in 

 we set about them with a will, and thoroughly appreciated 

 them as an addition to our dietary. 



One sport we had which was an entire novelty to me, though 

 I could not but regard it as a somewhat unsportsmanlike 

 proceeding. 



This was spearing skate and ray. 



The operation could be put in force only during spring tides, 

 where in certain bays and inlets the water was only from three 

 to five feet deep. 



The weapon in use was a pole about seven feet long, fitted 

 with what looked like a glorified eel spear. 



A zinc funnel or cylinder, about two feet in length and a 

 foot in diameter was used to locate the intended victim. 

 When this was sunk for half its length the spearsman, looking 

 through it, could clearly discern every object lying on the 

 bottom. Both skate and ray " lie low," and it is wonderful 

 how Nature's camouflage or protective coloration renders 

 them extraordinarily hard to locate, even in very shallow 

 water. When the recumbent skate is spotted, the spear is 

 passed through the cylinder and the stroke is launched. It 

 requires much practice and skill before really deadly accuracy 

 is attained. The correct spot to plant the spear head is just 

 behind the juncture of the head with the body of the fish, so 

 that the centre of the impact is on the spinal column. 



Some of our catch were gigantic specimens, and when a 

 sting ray was impaled and being dragged over the gunwale 

 you had to be spry lest the brute should lash its whip- like tail 

 around your arm and proceed to lacerate your flesh with its 

 poisonous thorn. 



Johnny Macdonald, our skipper and general factotum, 

 was careful to warn us. 



" Aw ! " he said (all the Connemarians preface their remarks 

 thus), " an' the baste gets the tail av him round yer 'anner's 

 arm, faith ! ut's desthroyed entoirely yez would be ! " 



" Do you mean it would be certain death ? " I asked. 

 ' Aw ! I do not, yer 'anner ; but the pain av ut would be loike 

 teu droive yez crazy, an' uts sick yez wud be fer manny a week/' 



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