SCHEVENINGEN FISHEKY. 37 



ried on in the Zuyder Zee. The fishermen who frequent that 

 water capture in particular a small herring, locally known as 

 pan-fish, and they likewise obtain great supplies of anchovies, 

 or rather sprats, as well ; but in South Holland the fish chiefly 

 taken are soles and flounders. 



At Scheveningen there are about one hundred and forty 

 boats engaged in this kind of fishery, and also in the red-herring 

 fishery — that is, in capturing herrings which are ultimately 

 smoked. It is interesting to observe the fishing fleet come in 

 to Scheveningen: there being no harbour at that place, the 

 vessels have to sail right upon the sandy beach. The luggers 

 are admirably constructed for that purpose, being flat bottomed 

 as well as blunt bowed, and having, instead of a ked, a large 

 wooden wing at each side, for the purpose of keeping the ship 

 steady. So built, these boats can run quite safely against the 

 shore, although it surprises one not acquainted with the circum- 

 stances to see them float right on to the beach with aU their 

 sails set. As soon as the vessels take the ground, the crew 

 commence to wade ashore with the produce of the fishery — 

 generally flounders, plaice, and soles, packed in wicker baskets 

 of tolerable size. The women, as is the case in most fishing- 

 places, are at hand to receive and carry away the produce ; and 

 when any very small fish are taken, they fall to these female 

 carriers as a perquisite. The vessels are each fitted with a 

 couple of light trawl nets, which are hauled to the mast-head 

 to be dried, on the ship arriving at the beach. The Dutch fish 

 on the numerous banks of the German Ocean, only, however, 

 for flat fishes : they have done very little of late in the way of 

 local line-fishing, partly, no doubt, from the want of mussels 

 for bait, and partly from the custom which has so long prevailed 

 of following after one kind of fish. The Dutch have, however, 

 a winter cod-fifihery, to which their busses proceed after knock- 

 ing off from what is called in Holland the great fishery. There 

 are no shell-fish about this part of the Netherlands, but large 

 quantities are obtained in other places. At the western side of 

 the Texel, I was told there were both oyster and mussel fisheries, 

 and at Bruinesse, in Zealand, there are fifty or sixty boats em- 

 ployed in obtaining these molluscs. I could not learn that any 

 lobsters or crabs were taken at the places I visited; but, as 

 there are no rocks among which they can find a fit dweUiug-place, 

 crustaceans cannot be expected. Mr. Maas of Scheveningen in- 

 tends to introduce a shore line-fishery. I asked Mm where he 



