576 
THE OCEAN WORLD. 
men who cast this net are called ‘shooters,’ and receive eleven 
shillings and sixpence a week, and one basket of fish ont of every 
haul. 
“ As soon as the ‘ huer ’ discerns a shoal he waves his bush. The 
signal is conveyed to the beach by men and boys watching near him. 
The ‘ seine ’-boat, accompanied by another, to assist in casting the 
net, is rowed out to where he can see it ; then there is a pause and 
hush of expectation. Meanwhile the devoted pilchards press on — a 
compact mass of thousands on thousands of fish — swimming to meet 
their doom. All eyes are fixed on the ‘huer;’ he stands watchful 
and still, until the shoal is thoroughly embayed in water which he 
knows to be within the depth of the ‘ seine.’ Then, as the fish begin 
to pause in their progress and gradually crowd closer and closer to- 
gether, he gives the signal, and the ‘ seine ’ is cast or ‘ shot ’ over- 
board. 
“ The grand object is now to enclose the entire shoal. The leads 
sink one side of the net perpendicularly to the bottom, the corks buoy 
the other to the surface of the water. When it has been taken all 
round the shoal, the two extremities are made fast, and the fishes are 
imprisoned within an oblong barrier of netting. The art is how to let 
' as few of the pilchards escape as possible while the process is being 
completed. Whenever the ‘ huer’ observes that they are startled, and 
separating at any particular point, he waves his bush, and thither the 
boat is steered, and there the net is shot at once ; the fish are thus 
headed and thwarted in every direction with extraordinary address 
and skill. This labour completed, the silence of intense expectation 
that has hitherto prevailed is broken — there is a shout of joy on all 
sides — the shoal is secured. 
“ The ‘ seine ’ is now regarded as a great reservoir of fish. It may 
remain in the water a week or more ; to secure it against being 
moved from its jiosition, in case a gale should come on, it is warped by 
two or three ropes to points of land in the cliff, and is at the same 
time contracted in circuit by its opposite ends being brought together 
and passed lightly over its breadth for several feet. While these 
operations are being performed, another boat, another set of men, and 
another net, are approaching the scene of action. 
“ The new net is called the ‘ tuck it is smaller than the ‘ seine ;’ 
inside which it is to be let down for the purpose of bringing the fish 
