1778. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. %$$ 



many of them paid us at our ships in their canoes, 

 in which it should seem they spend a great deal of 

 time, at least in the summer season ; for we observed 

 that they not only eat and sleep frequently in them, 

 but strip off their clothes and lay themselves along to 

 bask in the sun, in the same manner as we had seen 

 practised at their village. Their canoes of the larger 

 sort are, indeed, sufficiently spacious for that pur- 

 pose and perfectly dry ; so that, under shelter of a 

 skin, they are, except in rainy weather, much more 

 comfortable habitations than their houses. 



Though their food, strictly speaking, may be said 

 to consist of every thing animal or vegetable that they 

 can procure, the quantity of the latter bears an ex- 

 ceedingly small proportion to that of the former. 

 Their greatest reliance seems to be upon the sea, as 

 affording fish, muscles, and smaller shell-fish and sea- 

 animals. Of the first, the principal are herrings and 

 sardines, the two species of bream formerly men- 

 tioned, and small cod ; but the herrings and sardines 

 are not only eaten fresh in their season, but likewise 

 serve as stores, which after being dried and smoked, 

 are preserved by being sewed up in mats, so as to 

 form large bales three or four feet square. It seems 

 that the herrings also supply them with another grand 

 resource for food, which is a vast quantity of roe 

 very curiously prepared : it is strewed upon, or as 

 it were, incrustated about small branches of the 

 Canadian pine ; thev also prepare it upon a long 

 narrow r sea-grass, which grows plentifully upon the 

 rocks under water. This caviare, if it may be so 

 called, is kept in baskets or bags of mat, and used 

 occasionally, being first dipped in water. It may be 

 considered as the winter bread of these people, and 

 has no disagreeable taste. They also eat the roe of 

 some other fish, which, from the size of its grains, 

 must be very large, but it has a rancid taste and 

 smell. It does not appear that they prepare any 

 other fish in this manner, to preserve them for any 



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