There are three great fishing villages in Bombay Island, at Worleo, Sewree, and Maliim. Their fishing boats are worth about Rs. 360 each, and canoes from Rs. 40 to CO each. A patamar employs from 15 to 20 men, a fishing boat from 10 to 15, a canoe from 3 to 4. Canoes are chiefly employed in tho coast fishing, in attending the men on tho mud-banks, and in landing cargo when there is no depth of water suflicient for larger weasels. They are hollowed out of a single log, and aro very serviceable, handsome-looking, well finished craft. They are propelled either by paddles or sails; when tho latter aro employed, an out rigger is resorted to; they will bear a surprising stretch of canvas, and make their:wayarapidly through tho water.
Tho Bombayfishing boat is ono of tho swiftest and most elegant sea-going vessels of that coast, and can beat the best of the English yachts. See Boats, p. 395.
On the*weitern shores of India, nets of various forms and sizes are almost solely employed. The most important is the stake - net fishing in the Arabian Sea, and stakes aro often to be found 30 and 40 miles out at sea,—wherever, indeed, a bank within half a day's sail of land presents itself ; the fishermen are quite enter prising enough to extend their operations to any distance, but there is no use in their going further off than they can return with their fish to the market fresh. The fishing stakes vary from 50 to 150 feet in length ; they are built up of successive pieces of wood, the lower being frequently the long straight trunk of the cocoanut or palmyra tree. As many as five or six pieces of wood, from 8 to 10 inches in diameter, are used in the construction of a single stake. They are scarfed across each other, the scarfing being from 3 to 5 feet ; the pieces are fastened together by strong rectangular fillets of wood. Two or three boats are employed in towing the stake out to sea. Its point is made wedge-shaped ; there is a hole near the point of the wedge through which a rope is passed. l'he two ends of the rope are made fast to boats anchored at a considerable distance off ; other boats now proceed and haul up the upper end of the stake till the point is found to descend by its own weight. When it has once caught hold of the mud, the rope is released from its lower end, and the boats to which it was attached are employed in steadying the top in the direction of the run of the tide. At high water, two boats are made fast, one on each side, to the top of the stake, which is forced by their weight 10 or 12 feet into the mud. Stakes are thus put in successively, often to the extent of some miles at intervals of 20 feet from each other. Betwixt each pair is extended a long purse-net, the circumference of the mouth of which is about 60 feet, so that when attached to the stakes it exhibits an aperture 20 feet across and 10 feet perpendicularly, the upper edge l'reing a little above high water. The purse is from 100 to 170 feet in length, terminating in a point. The meshes gradually diminish in size from the mouth to the further extretnity, being about 6 inches at the former, and three-fourths of an inch at the latter. The fish are carried into
this by the tide, and entrapped ; boats are always in waiting at high and low water, to secure the capture and reverse the nets. Also, in the creeks and shoals, lines of stakes and nets, often several miles in length, are run along where the sludge is exposed at low water. The upper edge of these is considerably under high-water mark, and the fish are iu consequence entrapped by them on the retirement of the tide ; breaks are left at intervals to secure their admission. Close along shore, fishing grounds, about half an acre in area or so, and in a semicircular form, are built. An aper ture is left in the extremity of each of these, into which a net is placed as the tide begins to recede, and a considerable capture of the lesser-sized fish secured. Such are the fixed implements of the Bombay fisherman.
Of the moveable implements, the most frequent is a conical net, of which the lower lip is ,loaded with pieces of lead and turned up inwards! The material of which it is made is fine twine, and the meshes small. It is from 8 to 12 feet in diameter, and is only used in-shore. The fisher man holds it by the top, while he gives it a quick twirl, something betwixt that given to the American lasso and common quoit. Throwing it to the distance of some yards, it spreads fully out as it reaches the water ; when pulled down and collapsing by means of the lead, it closes at the mouth as it approaches the bottom. The fisher intua now approaches and pulls it up by the apex, when the fish are found enwrapped in it. Though this net sometimes attains a weight of 60 pounds, the dexterity with which it is thrown is wonderful. There are various spoon-nets and purse-nets of different shapes and sizes, and a bag of muslin on a hoop about 3 feet in diameter, this last beim, employed to catch the young prawns and stnallest's sized fish, that would escape through any mesh however fine. There is also a long trail-net with which the fishermen wade neck deep through the water, but the mode of using. it does not appear to be in any way peculiar or interesting. The mud-banks and shoals in the creeks abound in eels, sometimes reaching the length of 2 or 3 feet. The fishermen wade through the mud till they detect these by the bubbling up or disturbance of the water. They then strike them with a harpoon or spear with a fine bamboo shaft 8 or 10 feet in length'. Having pinned them against the ground, they draw them out with a hook about the:same size as the spear, Edso on a shaft. They are very dexterous in catching the little fish or crabs which lurk under the stones close by the shore, with their hands. The crabs when caught are immediately stripped of their claws, and so prevented from getting away. Of these there are a wonderful variety on the Bombay shores, many of thena of the greatest beauty.