Of flat fish, Rayes, Thorn-backes, Soles, Flowkes, Dabs, Playces.
Of round fish, Brit, Sprat, Barne, Smelts, Whiting, Scad, Chad,
Sharkes, Cudles, Eeles, Conger, Basse, Millet, Whirlepole, and
Porpose. The generall way of killing these (that is the Fishermans
bloudie terme, for this cold-blouded creature) is by Weares, Hakings,
Saynes, Tuckes, and Tramels.
The Weare is a frith, reaching slope-wise through the Ose, from the land to low water marke, and hauing in it, a bunt or cod with an eye-hooke, where the fish entering, vpon their coming backe with the ebbe, are stopped from issuing out againe, forsaken by the water, and left drie on the Ose.
For the Haking, certaine Stakes are pitched in the Ose at low water, athwart from Creeke, from shore to shore, to whose feete they fasten a Net, and at ful-sea draw the vpper part thereof to their stops, that the fish may not retire with the ebb, but be taken, as in the Weares.
The Sayne is a net, of about fortie fathome in length, with which they encompasse a part of the Sea, and drawe the same on land by two ropes, fastned at his ends, together with such fish, as lighteth within his precinct.
The Tucke carrieth a like fashion, saue that it is narrower meashed, and (therefore scarce lawfull) with a long bunt in the midst: the Tramell differeth not much from the shape of this bunt, and serueth to such vse as the Weare and Haking.
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The particular taking of sundrie kinds of fishes, is almost as diuers as themselues. Wrinckles, Limpets, Cockles, and Muscles, are gathered by hand, vpon the rockes and sands. Many of the Crabs breede in the shels of Cockles, and of the Lobsters in those of Wrinckles, as my selfe haue seene: being growne, they come forth, and liue in holes of Rockes, from whence, at low water, they are dragged out, by a long crooke of yron.
The Shrimps are dipped vp in shallow water by the shore side, with little round nets, fastned to a staffe, not much unlike that which is used for daring of Larkes.
The Ostyers (besides gathering by hand, at a great ebb) haue a peculiar dredge, which is a thick strong net, fastned to three spils of yron, and drawne at the boates sterne, gathering whatsoeuer it meeteth, lying in the bottome of the water, out of which, when it is taken vp, they cull the Oysters, and cast away the residue, which they terme gard, and serueth as a bed for the Oysters to breed in. It is held, that there are of them male, and female. The female, about May, and Iune, haue in them a certaine kind of milke, which they then shead, and whereof the Oyster is engendered. The little ones, at first, cleaue in great numbers, to their mothers shell, from whence, waxing bigger, they weane themselues, and towards Michaelmas, fall away. The Countrie people long retained a conceit, that in Summer time they weare out of kind (as indeed the milkie are) but some Gentlemen making experiment of the contrarie, began to eate them at all seasons, wherethrough, by spending them oftner and in greater quantitie, by spoyling the little ones, and by casting away the vnseasonable, there ensued a scarcitie, which scarcitie brought a dearth, the dearth bred a sparing, and the sparing restored a plenty againe. They haue a propertie, though taken out of the water, to open against the flood time, and to close vpon the ebbe, or before, if they bee touched, the which, not long sithence occasioned a ridiculous chaunce, while one of them through his sodaine Shutting, caught in his owne defence, three yong Mice by the heads, that of malice prepensed, had conspired to deuoure him, and so trebled the valour of the cleft block, which griped Milo by the hands.