226 NEWFOUNDLAND . the greater part of the year at sea, exposed to the weather of all seasons, cold and hot, stormy and calm, wet and dry, were consequently prepared for any hardship, and ready to encounter any danger. The bankers, or vessels fishing on the banks, usu¬ ally anchor where they find plenty of cod, which they catch with lines and hooks, or occasionally with jig¬ gers. The operations of gutting and splitting are the same as on shore ; and the fish is salted in bulk in the vessel's hold, until the cargo is completed. The fish caught on the banks are larger than those caught by the boats employed in the shore fishery, but do not look so well when cured, owing to lying so long in salt before being dried. It is, however, preferred in some markets, on account of its size. At present, not more than eight or ten British vessels are em¬ ployed in the bank fishery ; formerly there were six or seven hundred. The boats used for the shore fishery are of differ¬ ent sizes; some requiring only two hands, while others have four, which is the general number. It is not uncommon to observe boys and girls, when cod is plentiful, fishing in these boats. Every fisherman is provided with two lines, having to each two hooks ; both lines are thrown over at the same time, one on each side of the boat, to which one man attends. The kind of bait in season used, is such as herring, mac¬ kerel, caplins, squid, clams, and, when none of these are to be had, the flesh of birds. The entrails of fish taken with jiggers, and what is found within them, is also used for bait. A jigger is a piece of lead made