68 Observations Conducted on Sailing-Skips 



use the ' beam ' or ' otter ' trawl for this purpose. A 25-foot beam 

 trawl is a very useful appliance. As suggested to me by Mr. Holt, of 

 the Irish Fishery Board, we have used this trawl, with two additional 

 nets affixed to the trawl-net. 



A being a muslin net ; B a net made of sprat mesh, one of 

 convenient size having dimensions as shown in the accompanying 

 diagram. 



It is laced to the trawl, to fit the meshes of the latter when open. 

 In order to insure that small fishes do not escape the trawl, the cod-end 

 is lined with the same netting for the last third of its length. 



The position of the net on the trawl is as shown in the diagram. 

 A beam trawl has the great disadvantage of frequent breakages, 

 and many is the occasion on board the Silver Belle, when the beam has 

 come up broken from dragging over rocky ground. In every expedi- 

 tion into deep water a spare trawl should be taken. 



I believe that the otter trawl is the most useful apparatus for 

 general use, and the Danes have a form of eel-mesh otter-trawl 

 (Aaledrevvaad), which appears to be the latest thing devised in otter 

 trawls, the size of the boards for which is 48 inches long, 29 inches 

 wide, and having a weight of 110 pounds each. Glass floats are used 

 instead of corks. 



Another device of theirs is the ' Yngel ' trawl, a big pelagic canvas 

 otter-net, with boards 36 inches by 20 inches and a weight each of 

 40 pounds. Though we ordered these in plenty of time for the 1907 

 cruise, they were not delivered until the cruise was finished ; therefore 

 I am unable to state anything as to their practicability. 



Besides trawls and tow-nets, dredges of the Plymouth Laboratory 

 pattern, 3 feet 6 inches wide, should be included in the outfit. 



If the object of the cruise be trawling and dredging and the collec- 

 tion of the larger animals (such as fish, etc.), the equipment should 

 include a supply of 4 to 6 gallon wide-mouthed jars, with iron screw 

 clamps and rubber rings ; also air-tight preserving jars ; and for smaller 

 animals bottles and vials with good tapering corks ; copper labels, 

 such as gardeners use, which can be written upon with a pencil and 



