1881. ] The Squid of the Newfoundland Banks. 369 
jerking the jig up and down, pulls in as rapidly as possible, en- 
tangling the squid’s arms among the pins, and drawing him 
through the water so fast that escape is impossible. 
The instant he emerges from the water he contracts his body, 
discharging through his siphon a jet of salt water. This is fol- 
lowed by a sucking in of the air by successive respiratory acts, 
till in its middle portion his cylindrical body has become almost 
spherical. By a second contraction, the squid now ejects from 
his siphon a stream of his black, inky secretion. He will usually 
make one or two or more contractions in an effort to escape, after 
which he becomes resigned. Not infrequently it happens that 
the luckless wight has not the squid unhooked before the inky 
discharge, and may have this sent at himself, since the siphon 
points away from the animal and upward. I have often seen a 
fellow struck full in the face by the inky stream, which event was 
invariably followed by a stream of almost as black abuse intended 
for the benefit of the squid, 
The squid is unhooked by simply turning the jig upper end 
downward, when he readily drops off. For the most part they are 
caught wholly by the natives, the Americans usually preferring 
to look on or to find amusement ashore, though in some cases 
the fishermen themselves jig also. This, however, is apt to excite 
jealousy among the natives, or even such hostile feelings at times 
as to induce them to forcibly prevent the Gloucester men from 
catching their own bait, or even to purchase it in their harbor. 
The scene when the squid are thick is really exciting, the streams 
rising here and there, in twenty directions at once, point out the 
rapidity of the catch, and the monotonous noise of the squirt is 
only varied by an occasional murmur of discontent from this or 
that unfortunate as he lifts his querulous voice. In the dull time 
most of the jiggers drop away, leaving only those most long-suf- 
fering ones, but they return pell-mell if the frequent squirt shall 
indicate renewed activity. 
The purchase of the squid is made at a certain price per hun- 
dred, this being usually thirty-five or forty cents, though occa- 
‘tonally falling as low as twenty-five cents. The price but rarely 
"Ses above forty cents, for the profits are too small to permit of 
'ts reaching a much higher figure. The number used by a single 
vessel in only two months is astounding. Our vessel, a small one, 
made three “ baitings,” fishing each time about two weeks, and 
VOL, XV.—No, y, 26 
