WAR AND HUNTING. 



CHAPTER IV. 



The Net, as used in Hunting and War. — The Seine-net, as used for Fishing. — 

 Also as a means of Hunting. — Net for Elephant-catching. — Steel Net for 

 Military Purposes. — Web of the Garden Spider. — The Casting-net, as used 

 in Fishing. — Also as employed in the Combats of the ancient Circus. — 

 Various Kinds of Casting-nets. — The Argus Star-fish and the Barnacle. — 

 The Rod and Line. — Angling of various Kinds. — The Polynesian as an 

 Angler. — The Angler-fish. — " Playing " a Fish. — The Nemertes and its Mode 

 of Feeding. — Mr. Kingsley's Account of it. — Power of Elongation and Con- 

 traction. — The Cydippe. — Spring-traps. — The Gin, Rat-trap, and Man-trap. 

 — Jaws of Dolphin, Porpoise, and Alligator. — Legs of Phasma. — Baited 

 Traps. — Carnivorous Plants and their Mode of Feeding. — Birdlime. — " Peg- 

 ging" for Chaffinches. — Curious Mode of Tiger-killing. — Ant-eater and its 

 Mode of Feeding. — The Drosera. — Web of Spider and its Structure. 



The Net. 



A LTHOUGH the Net is but seldom employed for the pur- 

 -*-*- poses of general warfare, it was once largely used in 

 individual combats, of which we will presently treat. In 

 hunting, however, especially in fishing, the Net has been in 

 constant use, and is equally valued by savages and the most 

 civilised nations. 



To begin with the fisheries. Even among ourselves there 

 are so many varieties of fishing-nets that even to enumerate 

 them would be a work of time. However, they are all based 

 on one of two principles, i.e. the nets which are set and the 

 nets which are thrown. 



We will begin with the first. 



On the right hand of the illustration, and at the bottom, 

 may be seen a common Seine-net being "shot" in the sea. 

 This form of net is very long in proportion to its width, some 

 of these nets being several miles long. The upper edge 



