Scull, s. The bone which incases and defends the brain; the arched bone of the head; a small boat; one who singly rows a boat; a shoal of fish.
Sculler, s. A boat in which there is but one rower; one that rows a boat, singly.
Scurf, s. A kind of dry miliary scab; soil or stain adherent; anything sticking on the surface.
Scut, s. The tail of those animals whose tails are very short, as the hare, rabbit, &c.
Sea, s. The ocean, the water opposed to the land; a collection of water.
Sea-fishing, s. The pursuit of sea-fish.
This water-sport is unknown ‘to the many,’ and yet to him whose hands are not unacquainted with rope and oar, it affords, at times, an admirable amusement.
The coal-fishing requires a stiff breeze, and if there be a dark sky it is all the better. In its detail it is perfectly similar to mackerel-fishing, only that the superior size of the coal-fish makes stronger tackle and a heavier lead indispensable.
An eel of seven or eight inches long is the bait. The head being removed, the hook is introduced as in a minnow, and the skin brought three or four inches up the snoud. This latter is a fine line of two or three fathoms length, affixed to the trap-stick and lead, the weight of which latter is regulated by the rate of sailing.
The coal-fish, in weight, varies from two to fourteen pounds; it is finely shaped, immensely rapid, uniting the action of the salmon with the voracity of the pike. If he miss his first dash, he will follow the bait to the stern of the boat, and I have often hooked them within a fathom of the rudder.