1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 321 



off in a canoe about twenty yards in a right line, 

 dropping their net as they advance, after which they 

 turn and run out the remainder of the net in a line 

 parallel to the shore ; in this position they wait, con- 

 cealing themselves very carefully in the boat, and 

 keeping a sharp look-out for the fish, which always 

 direct their course close in with the shore, and whose 

 approach is announced by a rippling in the water, till 

 they find that the shoal has advanced beyond the 

 boat, when they shoot the canoe to shore in a direct 

 line, and never fail of enclosing their prey. Seldom 

 more than two men are employed to a net, who hawl 

 with facility, in this manner, seines larger than ours, 

 to which we appoint a dozen. We at first met with 

 very poor success in our own method of hawling; but 

 after the Kamtschadales had very kindly put us in 

 the way, we were not less successful than themselves. 

 In the rivers, they shoot one net across, and hawl 

 another down the stream to it. 



The lakes that have a communication with the 

 sea, which was the case of all those that I saw, abound 

 with fish, that have very much the resemblance of 

 small salmon, and are from four to six pounds' weight. 

 I could not understand that the inhabitants thought 

 it worth their while to fish for them. As these lakes 

 are not deep, they become an easy prey to the bears 

 and dogs during the summer; and if 1 might judge 

 from the quantity of bones to be seen upon the banks, 

 they devour vast numbers of them. 



The inhabitants, for the most part, dry their sal- 

 mon, and salt very little of it. Each fish is cut into 

 three pieces, the belly-piece being first taken off, and 

 afterward a slice along each side the back-bone. The 

 former of these are dried and smoked, and esteemed 

 the finest part of the fish, and sold, when we were at 

 Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's, at the rate of one hun- 

 dred for a rouble. The latter are dried in the air, 

 and either eaten whole as bread, or reduced to pow- 



VOL. VII. y 



