﻿400 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  formerly 
  worn 
  by 
  the 
  Aleuts. 
  The 
  whole 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  basket, 
  in 
  a 
  

   sitting 
  posture, 
  and 
  carefully 
  covered 
  with 
  water-proof 
  skins, 
  secured 
  by 
  lines 
  

   made 
  of 
  sinew, 
  either 
  braided, 
  or 
  made 
  into 
  what 
  sailors 
  call 
  " 
  square 
  sennit." 
  

   This 
  line, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  net 
  made"of 
  sinew, 
  in 
  which 
  another 
  of 
  the 
  bodies 
  was 
  

   secured, 
  were 
  very 
  finely 
  made, 
  and 
  nearly 
  as 
  perfect 
  and 
  strong 
  as 
  when 
  first 
  

   placed 
  there. 
  The 
  matting, 
  made 
  of 
  prepared 
  grass, 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  fine, 
  in 
  

   most 
  cases 
  far 
  superior 
  in 
  finish 
  and 
  delicacy 
  to 
  any 
  now 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  islands. 
  

   One 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  mummies, 
  in 
  a 
  triangular-shaped 
  bundle 
  or 
  basket, 
  had 
  a 
  

   pattern 
  of 
  a 
  Maltese 
  cross 
  worked 
  into 
  a 
  stripe 
  of 
  another 
  color 
  ; 
  this 
  was 
  quite 
  

   fresh, 
  and 
  the 
  grass 
  still 
  retained 
  its 
  red 
  and 
  yellow 
  tinge. 
  The 
  largest 
  basket 
  

   has 
  a 
  wooden 
  arrangement 
  fastened 
  with 
  bone 
  buttons, 
  forming 
  a 
  broad 
  hoop, 
  

   which 
  served 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  base. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  carefully 
  preserved 
  specimens 
  had 
  

   been 
  once 
  suspended 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  by 
  handles 
  or 
  cords 
  attached 
  to 
  their 
  envelopes. 
  

   The 
  other 
  articles 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  cave 
  were 
  stone 
  knives 
  and 
  other 
  implements, 
  

   and 
  a 
  few 
  carvings, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  supposed 
  by 
  the 
  finder 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  idol, 
  but 
  

   this 
  is 
  probably 
  an 
  error. 
  A 
  child's 
  boot 
  of 
  native 
  make 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  cave, 
  

   with 
  the 
  fur 
  perfectly 
  preserved, 
  and 
  in 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  little 
  ivory 
  image 
  of 
  a 
  sea-otter. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  bone 
  and 
  ivory 
  toys 
  or 
  trinkets 
  were 
  also 
  found. 
  These 
  

   articles 
  are 
  expected 
  here 
  on 
  the 
  bark 
  Cyane 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  weeks, 
  when 
  those 
  in- 
  

   terested 
  in 
  these 
  matters 
  will 
  probably 
  have 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  making 
  a 
  careful 
  

   examination 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  [Two 
  of 
  the 
  mummies 
  described 
  above 
  have 
  arrived 
  and 
  are 
  

   now 
  in 
  the 
  Academy's 
  museum, 
  having 
  been 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  

   Academy 
  by 
  the 
  Alaska 
  Commercial 
  Company.] 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  communication 
  was 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  Correspond- 
  

   ing 
  Secretary, 
  on 
  behalf 
  of 
  the 
  writer 
  : 
  

  

  Mesh-knot 
  of 
  the 
  Tehin-eha-au 
  Indians, 
  Port 
  Simpson, 
  British 
  

   Columbia. 
  

  

  BY 
  GEORGE 
  DAVIDSON. 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  use 
  a 
  " 
  square 
  " 
  or 
  " 
  reef" 
  knot 
  in 
  

   making 
  their 
  fishing 
  nets. 
  Other 
  Indians 
  may 
  do 
  so, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  seen 
  them 
  

   making 
  their 
  nets. 
  This 
  knot 
  does 
  not 
  require 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  ball 
  of 
  twine 
  

   through 
  the 
  mesh 
  at 
  any 
  step 
  of 
  its 
  formation, 
  and 
  therefore 
  obviates 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   a 
  netting 
  needle. 
  The 
  twine 
  is 
  well 
  made 
  and 
  strong, 
  and 
  is 
  formed 
  from 
  the 
  

   fibrous 
  covering 
  of 
  the 
  tall, 
  rank 
  nettles 
  which 
  abound 
  around 
  all 
  their 
  villages. 
  

   They 
  collect 
  the 
  nettles, 
  strip 
  off'the 
  leaves, 
  dry 
  the 
  stalks, 
  and 
  when 
  brittle, 
  beat 
  

   them 
  until 
  the 
  woody 
  parts 
  are 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  fiber. 
  The 
  specimens 
  I 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  were 
  about 
  one-sixteenth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter; 
  two 
  ply, 
  tolerably 
  hard 
  

   twisted, 
  and 
  fairly 
  smooth. 
  They 
  also 
  make 
  twine 
  from 
  the 
  inner 
  fibrous 
  bark 
  

  

  