1892-93.] NOTES ON THE WESTERN DENES. 105 



of five of them to his long rope without as much as awakening their 

 suspicions, and swam back to the stake driven in the bed of the river to 

 which he secured the end of his rope. Being now sure of his game, he 

 took off his head-dress when the swans perceiving their mistake took to 

 their wings, but were soon arrested in their flight by the retaining rope 

 and stake. They were then taken by the wily stranger. 



" The young men who had on previous occasions tried the same trick 

 without avail, were delighted at the success of their guest, so much the 

 more that nobody before him had been able to get by this method more 

 than four swans at one time. They therefore invited him on another 

 day to give them a further proof of his ability, and even to outdo himself 

 if that was possible. Much flattered at their encomiums, gstas this 

 time tied the legs of no less than eight swans. But as he was swimming 

 back to attach the rope to the stake, he unwittingly lifted off his head- 

 dress, upon which all the fowl flew off taking up with them gstas who 

 was thus carried very far away into the countries beyond the horizon." 



The story then proceeds to relate how, new Vulcan, having let go the 

 rope, he fell down upon a rock wherein he sank and was buried alive. 



Whether this or any analogous mode of securing waterfowl was really 

 practised by the prehistoric Carriers cannot, of course, be now positively 

 stated. Strange as it appears, some such stratagem may have been 

 resorted to, since we read that in China waterfowl are caught by wading 

 in the water up to the neck with one's head hidden in a gourd 

 and then seizing the bird's legs to finally draw it down in the water with- 

 out ever revealing one's personality.* Be that as it may, the modern 

 Carriers know it only by tradition. They now prefer to build small 

 circular huts of coniferous boughs or even walls or cairns of stone in the 

 favorite haunts of the fowl behind which they hide and by imitating 

 their call, prevail upon them to approach within shooting range when 

 they are easily dispatched. 



I have enumerated the fishes and land animals trapped or otherwise 

 hunted by our Western Denes, and described the various devices made 

 use of to secure them. I leave it to the following list of the names of 

 the lunar months in two dialects to furnish the reader with some hints as 

 to the time when they are generally sought after. 



* See Six Legendes Americaines identifiees h Fhistoire de Moise, etc., par Je R. P. Petitot, 

 Missions de la Congregation O.M.L, Paris, 1877, p. 741. 



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