fishing. 



— 7 — 



found to improve rapidly in weight and condition. The 

 experiment might be tried here, and the ponds stocked 

 with the mullet fry which abound in the shallows of the 

 lake at midsummer. 



Mullet are 'Captured in nets and it is usual for several Munet 

 boats to combine in the work of capturing them. A know- 

 ledge of the whereabouts of a shoal is essential. For 

 this purpose the boats separate, and the presence of fish 

 is made known to the others by a preco,ncerted signal 

 from the boat which sights them first. Let us suppose 

 that there are five boats working in company, each 

 with a compliment of from six to eight men. Four 

 boats get to windward of the shoal, and anchor close 

 together with furled sails so as not to frighten the fish. 

 The fifth is " brought to " a hundred metres or so to 

 leeward of the others. The net remains with the four 

 windward boats. That used in this case would be from 

 200 to 250 metres long. The usual depth of a net is three 

 metres with meshes from four to five centimetres in 

 diameter. The bottom of the net is leaded or weighted 

 with rings of baked clay to make it keep the ground, and 

 a rope is let into the margins to strengthen the whole. 

 In the middle of its length is a bag wrought with stronger 

 twine than the rest, and from six to ten metres long. At 

 intervals of 10 metres or so along its length, there are 

 placed light poles, and the whole is rolled up in conduplicate 

 fashion [(sH^i9] with the bag in the centre. As soon as 

 everything is ready, each half of the net is dropped on a 

 raft of reeds, and accompanied by li.alf of the men is 

 dragged through the water to the right and left of the 



