316 TURBOT FLOUNDER. Class IV. 



great fish stray into them. It is a misfortune 

 to the inhabitants of many of our fishing coasts, 

 especially those of the north part of North 

 Wales, that they are unacquainted with the 

 most successful means of capture : for their 

 benefit, and perhaps that of other parts of our 

 island, we shall lay before them the method 

 practised by the fishermen of Scarborough, as 

 it was communicated to us by Mr. Travis. 

 When they go out to fish, each person is pro- 

 Lines. vided with three lines, which are fairly coiled 

 upon a flat oblong piece of wicker-work ; the 

 hooks baited, and placed very regularly in the 

 centre of the coil. Each line is furnished with 

 fourteen score of hooks, at the distance of six 

 feet two inches from each other ; these are fast- 

 ened to the lines upon sneads of twisted horse- 

 hair, twenty-seven inches in length. When fish- 

 ing there are always three men in each coble, 

 and consequently nine of these lines are fastened 

 together, and used as one line, extending in 

 length nearly three miles, and furnished with 

 2520 hooks. An anchor and a buoy are fixed 

 at the first end of the line, and one more of each 

 at the end of each man's lines ; in all four an- 

 chors, which are commonly perforated stones, 

 and four buoys made of leather or cork. The 

 line is always laid across the current. The 



