The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-04-10

baked fields to till the ground with tie
rude implements of thousand years ago.
Their labor, though incessant-for when
not caring for the harvests of the sea they
are meuding nets, gathering and drying
Seaweed or coaxing some meager vegetation
from tiny rock bound garden patches-is in
the salt spray and never-stilled breezes OF
the sea.
Both women and men are often seen in
the streets of the larger villages on market
days; but always huddled in groups by
themselves, viewing askaDce the treasures
OF shop and stall and taking no part in the
gay and busy life about them. One would
as soon expect to see marble Aphrodite
dance or procession as one of these shy. far
coast hsher-women.
The chief feature Of the dress of the
women of the Italian coast fishers is
double skirt, the lower portion of which
hangs rather scantliy about their ankles.
The upper skirt is often hooked up at the
front and sides, forming sort of bag. In
thlS they carry Seaweed. fuel, hsh or
shelfsh from the sands, aud when not in
such use it is drawn up over the shoulders
and back of the head as a sort of wrap.
Mothers also wrap this skirt about their
babes when needing TO carry them for any
distance. The material is usually the coars-
est white cotton, but if the women can pos
sess any sort of holiday attire the upper
skirt may be of scarlet, yellow or green,
Topped most gracefully above the lower
skirt and surmounted by a black cloth, or in
rare instances a coarse velvet bodice. They
rarely wear any foot covering, and only
such head covering as Is supplied by the
folds Of the upper skirt.
Although the coaStwise Italian fishermen
differ from the Venetian lagoon ish6. who
are a Eereditarily distinct class, making
their living by establishing and wading in
the mud for crabs and other sheifsb, in be-
ing invariably deep sea fishers, still they
are never fond of long voyages. and rarely
pass more than three of four nights on the
water at one trip. They are fond like the
Chloggian fishers OF forming small fleets of
five or six craft for fishing in one locality,
and Of keeping one Of their ''bragoZzi' with
its crew plying back and forth with the
catches" either directly to market towns
with fresh fish. or to their home ports with
fish for caring.
Their craft are wholly different from the
lagoon fishers, being es ecially broad and
fiat, and large and important of rudder,
upon which, indeed, depends almost the en-
tire management of the little vessels. This
being within the control of one man, or two
at most, the crew, whether large or small
are left free-handed for the nets - the
method Oh slowing, paying OUT and
setting and hauling of which closely resem-
bles those of both British and American
coast fishers.
The women do not shrink from even the
toughest labor on thu sea; and if is no
uncommon sight TO see wife and daugh-
tiers handling ropes, nets and sails, clean
ing or sorting fish on deck or vigorously
engaged IN any necessary labor of the boat
Indeed so far as my observation goes these
fshermtn's wives are the propelling, active
indomitable force of their lives and liveli-
hood. Their movements are vigorous
and even virile, while the men are
phlegmatic and slow. at the til