564. HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. ° 
the wind, though for better protection against cold the fishermen frequently “bank”.their houses 
with sand. The only openings in the house are a small hole at the rear gable, to allow the smoke 
from the camp-fire to escape, and a square aperture 2 or 3 feet in height at the front, which 
serves as a door. Two tiers of berths are now put up on either side of the shanty, and each 
fisherman gathers grass or leaves, out of which he makes his bed. During pleasant weather the 
cooking and eating is usually done outside, each man keeping his supply of food separate, though 
four or five usually mess together, taking turns in preparing the food, which consists largely of 
corn meal and fish. : 
About Wilmington the fishing districts are more thickly settled, and many of the mullet’ 
fishermen return to their homes every night; but those coming from a distance are obliged to build 
shanties of rough boards or rush houses similar to those already described. 
According to Mr. Stearns, the buildings used by the mullet fishermen on the Gulf coast vary 
considerably. Some are well built and nicely arranged for the purposes for which they are in- 
tended, while others are of a low grade, being rude palmetto-thatched huts. In speaking of the 
fisheries of Sarrasota Bay, he says: “The building in which the fish are cured and stored is about 
30 feet long by 12 feet wide, and is built out from the shore on pilings. There are two other build- 
ings; one, made of boards, is used as a kitchen and dining-room and dwelling for thé captain’s 
family, and the other, a palmetto-thatched shanty, is used by the men as a sleeping apartment. 
Amongst the apparatus owned here are seines, reels, frames on which to dry mullet roes, and 
machinery for hauling up the boats from the water.” In speaking of the mullet fishermen of Ock- 
lockonee Bay, Mr. Stearns remarks: “ These fishermen live in small, roughly-made sheds, occa. 
sionally provided with a chimney and fire-place, with no other floor than the dirty sand on which 
it is built, no table on which to eat, no bunks or other arrangements for sleeping, no dishes or 
other conveniences which give the slightest suggestion of comfort. These dwellings are merely 
shells in which there is a confusion of barrels of salt, barrels of fish, fishing gear, and a lot of unin- 
viting-looking men. The fleas can be both seen and felt. The food of the men is of the poorest 
quality, and not as abundant as they desire.” He has seen them “take a few raw sweet potatoes 
out in the boat with them as a luncheon.” 
When the camp has been put in order, the seine is “stowed” in the boat, which is placed in 
position on the beach just out of the reach of the surf. In order that the fish may not pass unno- 
ticed, and that sufficient time may be given before their arrival for setting the seine, it is necessary 
that a lookout station be established. This is usually located on the top of some sand-dune about 
a quarter of a mile above the camp. In case the shore is level, a frame-work is built to a height 
of 20 or 25 feet, on the top of which the fisherman on watch remains for the purpose of discovering 
and announcing the approach of the mullet. At Beaufort the frame is simply a tripod composed of 
two medium-sized and one large pole, the last-named having pegs inserted by means of which the 
man climbs to the crow’s-nest in the crotch. On the Gulf-coast, a rectangular frame is built, the 
top being covered by a platform on which the lookout stands, while on one side is a ladder by means 
of which he ascends. The various members of the crew take their turns at the lookout station, 
though some are “ruled out,” as they have “no eye for mullet” or, in other words, do not readily 
detect their presence, and thus often allow schools to approach unnoticed. 
The presence of a school is usually detected by the ripple on the water or by the jumping and 
splashing of the fish, though they sometimes “swim deep,” being detected only by their dark 
color contrasting with the lighter sand of the ocean. When a school is seen it is carefully watched 
by the lookout, who leaves his post, walking down the beach toward the camp, keeping directly 
opposite to the fish, and indicating their movements to the other members of the crew by a 
