The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-19

VI bAiS htSt runner lnefe Is a second, with
It's mouth secured to the second hoop and
its small end to the third hoop. The other
emo of the trap is closed with netting, so
arranged that it can easily be opened to
ADMIT OF placing bait in the trap and or
removing the captured cells. Seeking the
bait, the cells so through the two tunnels
INTO the inner part Of the trap. 1t would
De possible for them TO get out by the
same way, but the chances are immensely
against their doing So There are trans
similar to this made OF wire netting IN
stead or Irvine, though the tunnels may be
mace OF Irvine netting; and there are traps
on the same principle made, tunnels ana
an OF basket work, and called basket
traps The spints forming the tunnels
are lnterw oven with basket work from the
mouth pretty we'll down to the small end.
where they are left free. This funnel Is
something like the funnel in a wire rae
trap.
Where and how the eel traps shall be
set depends somewhat on the season and
on circumstances. If they were set in A
creek in region where they would not he
IN danger OF being lifted by anybody bur
the owner, they would be tied to a stake
driven in the bank the most convenient
way OF reaching and handling them; otn-
erWise they would be sunk clear of the
oahK ana their location marked by buoy.
away from the shore line. that is. ont
sleA me creeks, eel traps are always buoy
ca. Orten half dozen or more traps are
hclng to mark the whole lot.
Eels are very fond of the eggs of horse
shoe crabs. When the big crabs go into
the creeks In the spring to deposit their
eggs in the mud and sand along the
shores the cells follow in great numbers
Cnopped-up horseshoe crabs with the eggs
mixed in make the best bait for cells
Fishermen buld borcnSboo ~
swallow water by the shore, in which
they Keep horseshoe crabs to be chopped
up Tor eel bait 1t would not be unusual
TOT fisherman to start in the sprlng
with thousand horseshoes on hand
enough perhaps, to last through the en-
tire season.
A great many cells are caught on hooks
me eel fisherman who fishes for cells i'm
this way uses line perhaps an eighth of
mile long, which he stretches on the
uottom, anchored at the ends, the loea-
toh OF the ends being marked by buoys
Aiohg this line hooks, baited with her
ring, are attached at intervals of five or
SIX Feet; the hooks are on lines eighteen
inches or two feet in length. 1t is dbfficult
10 take an eel off hook. So, in overhaul
ing the line, when the fisherman comes to
nook with an eel on it he does not un-
NOOK the eel; he simply pulls the short
me loose and drops line, hook, eel and all
INTO MS boat. In place of the hook he
mas thus taken off he ties on another al
ready baited When the fisherman has
Bot 10 the end of the line and finished
overhauling it he disengages the hooks
from the cells and bats the hooks anew
ana holds them in readiness to tie on the
me again at the next overhauling
Eels are caught in fyke nets. which
while OF different shape and much smaller
are operated IN the same manner as pound
nets The fyke net is funnel-shaped. US
ually twelve or fourteen feet long. and
SIX rect IN diameter at the large end 1t
IS held IN form by hoops of sizes VARYING
In d ameler with the taper of the net. There
are inside the fyke net tunnels similar
TO those in eel traps. When the fyke net
Is placed in position wings are set OPEN
ing from hts mouth on either side. At
the end of each wing there is a little re-
verse wing, like the barb on the end Of a
nshhook. Stretching from the mouth of
the net to the shore Is a net fence. FEELS
Following along the shore strike the fence
and are turned toward the net. Should
they leave the fence before reaching the
net they would be likely to encounter a
wing Following that shoreward, per-
haps, their course would be detected in
ward again by the little reverse wing, and
they would be likely finally to get into the
net.
belS are sometimes uaken IN WeirS,
which are enclosures of brush set in the
water so near the shore that they are left
dry at low tide. Other fishes besides cells
are caught in the weirs.
On the Pacific coast, where they were
introduced from the east, cells have been
taken, with other fishes, in seines and
fine meshed nets, and they have been taken
in San Francisco bay in drag nets.
The migratory habits of cells are we'll
known They will go for considerable dis
tahces-for rods-overland, perhaps in
search Of food or Of another body of water.
In this country cells have been captured on
the land as they were Wriggling along
through the grass from one stretch of
water to another.
1t is said that in Germany eels are SOME
times captured in trenches ploughed for
that purpose Eels cannot travel over
ploughed around.