INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALBATROSS. 143 



in all parts of the pass and do not return again until late in March or 

 the tirst of April. 



Fishing' for salmon is almost wholly x>erformed by the women and 

 young girls of the village. The men and large boys take good care not 

 to get wet. The male i^ortion of the settlement seldom takes part in 

 the fishing, and when it does it is only to direct the work, the labo- 

 rious part of it being done by the women. This work is looked upon by 

 the latter as a privilege rather than a hardship. If a native woman 

 should allow her husband to perfc^rm this work for her, she would be 

 looked down upon by all the other women of the village. The custom 

 has been in vogue so long that it would be hard to change it. 



Only one seine is owned, it being the common property of all. It is 

 about 100 feet long by 12 feet deep ; mesh, 3 inches. When the tide 

 serves right it is hauled every other day, but is never set unless a 

 chief or subchief is there to direct the work. In setting the seine no 

 boat is used. The net is stretched to its full length, tlie head rope, foot 

 rope, and twine being gathered up so that it will not foul when it is 

 thrown into the water. When the seine ropes or hauling lines have 

 been coiled down and made fast to the ends of the seine, the whole 

 thing is picked up by the women and placed on their shoulders. They 

 walk with their burden in single tile about feet apart. In the rear of 

 the procession closely follow the chief, old men, boys, and little girls. 

 On their v/ay to the seining beach, which is situated about a third of a 

 mile from the village, a sharp lookout is kept for sigus of schooling sal- 

 mon. Usually, however, one place is resorted to, a small indentation 

 formed by a sudden curve in the beach, where salmon generally school 

 in considerable numbers. 



When a school is observed, which is thought sufficiently large to sup- 

 ply the wants of all, the head w^oman in the procession steps into the 

 water and wades out as far as she can, all the others following. A 

 course is taken so as to form a semicircle outside of the school. Not 

 until the fish have been surrounded is the seine dropped into the water. 

 As soon as it is thrown from the shoulders of the women they all seize 

 hold of the seine ropes and begin to drag the net to the shore. Men, 

 women, and children take part in this operation. Between the shout- 

 ing of the men and women, the screaming of boys and girls, and the 

 struggling and splashing about of the salmon trying to escape, the 

 scene presented is indeed a novel one. rre(iuently a woman will lose 

 her footing on the round, smooth rocks, slip, and go down for a moment. 

 1^0 attention, however, is paid to her, and she is pulled along in the net 

 with the salmon until she again regains her feet. An accident of this 

 kind is considered a good joke and aflbrds considerable amusement to 

 all. The water being comparatively shallow, the seine can not be 

 hauled within 25 or 30 feet of the shore when a good catch of salmon 

 has been secured, and in consequence more than half the fish have to 

 be picked out one by one. This is somewhat difficult, as well as very 

 wet work to engage in, for when several hundred salmon are inclosed 



