272 PREHISTORIC FISHING. 



Charlevoix {Father): Letters to the iJutchess (ic) of Lesdiguieres, etc.; Lon- 

 don, 1763. — [Indians of Canada]. "These People have a wonderful Skill in 

 striking Fish in the Water, especially in the Torrents. They fish also with the 

 Sein, and they have an odd Ceremony before they use this Net. They marry it 

 to two young Maids, and during the Wedding Feast they place it between the 

 two Brides. They exhort it very seriously to take a great many Fish, and they 

 think to engage it to do so by making great Presents to its pretended Fathers-in 



Law. The Sturgeon here is a Sea and a fresh Water Fish ; for they 



take it upon the Coasts of Canada, and in the great Lakes which cross the River 



St. Laurence. The Savages take them in the Lakes in this Manner: 



Two Men are at the two Ends of a Canoe ; he behind steers, and the other stands 

 up, holding a Dart in one Hand, to which a long Cord is fastened, the other End 

 is tied to one of the Bars of the Canoe. As soon as he sees the Sturgeon in his 

 Reach, he throws his Dart, and endeavours to strike where there are no Scales ; 

 if the Fish is wounded it flies, and draws the Canoe also pretty swiftly, but after 

 having swam about 150 Paces it dies, then they draw up the Cord and take it." 

 (Page 86, etc.). 



" The Michilimakinacs lived almost only by Fishing, and there is perhaps 

 no Place in the World where there is such Plenty of Fish. The most common 

 Fish in the three Lakes, and in the Rivers that flow into them, are the Herring, 

 the Carp, the Gilt Fish, the Pike, the Sturgeon, the Astikamegne, or white Fish, 

 and above all, the Trout. They take three Sorts of the last, among which some 

 are of a monstrous Size, and in such Numbers, that a Savage with his Spear will 

 sometimes strike fifty in three Hours Time. But the most famous of all is the 

 White Fish : It is about the Bigness and Shape of a Mackerel ; I know of no 

 Kind of Fish that is better eating. The Savages say, that it was Michahou who 

 taught their Ancestors to fish, that he invented Nets, and that he took the Notion 

 of them from the Spider's Web. These People, as you see, Madam, do not give 

 greater Honour to their God than he deserves, since they are not afraid of send- 

 ing him to School to a vile Insect." (Page 194). 



[Bark canoes]. " I believe that I have already told you that there are two 

 Sorts of them, the one of Elm Bark, which are wider and more clumsily built, 

 but commonly bigger. I know none but the Iroquois who have any of this Sort. 



au bout de la pointe du fer : quand ils viennent a frapper vne anguille de ce harpon, ils Pembrochent dans ce fer, 

 les deux bastons adjoincts, cedans par la force du coup, et laissans entrer I'anguille ; puis se reserraus d'eux 

 mesmes, car ils ne s'ouurent que par la secousse du coup, ils empechent que I'anguille embrochee ne ressorte. 



" Cette pesche au harpon ne se fait ordinairement que la nuict : ils se mettent deux Sauuages dans vn canot, 

 I'vn derriere qui le gouuerne et qui rame, et I'autre est deuant, lequel a la faueur d'vn flambeau d'ecorce, attache 

 a la proue de son vaisseau, s'en va cherchant la proye de ses yeux, rodans doucement sur le bord de ce grand fleuue; 

 apperceuant vne Anguille, il lance son harpon sans le quitter, la perce comme i'ay dit, puis la iette dans son canot; 

 il y en a tel qui en prendra trois cens en vne nuict, et bien dauantage, quelquefois fort peu." 



