TIIE INDIANS OF CAPE FLATTERY. 41 



Lines for small fish arc made from kelp stems of the first year s growth, which are 

 about as large as pipe-stems, with heads perfectly round and of the size of billiard 

 balls. I supposed from the dissimilarity in the appearance of the kelp that it was a 

 different variety, till the Indians assured me that it was all the same, but that it 

 did not attain its full growth the first year. I have had no means of making 

 observations to satisfy myself on this point ; but as they make so much use of 

 kelp, and seem to know so much about it, I am inclined to think they must be 

 correct. 



The halibut hook (Fig. 9) is a peculiarly shaped instrument, and is made of 

 splints from hemlock knots bent in a form somewhat resembling an ox bow. 

 These knots remain perfectly sound long after the body of the tree has decayed, and 

 are exceedingly tough. They are selected in preference to those of spruce because 

 there is no pitch in them to offend the fish, which will not bite at a hook that smells 

 of resin. The knots are first split into small pieces, and after being shaped with 

 a knife, are inserted into a hollow piece of the stem of the kelp and roasted or 

 steamed in the hot ashes until they are pliable ; they are then bent into the required 

 form, and tied until they are cold, when they retain the shape given them. A 

 barb made of a piece of bone is firmly lashed on the lower side of the hook with 

 slips of spruce cut thin like a ribbon, or with strips of bark of the wild cherry. 

 The upper arm of the hook is slightly curved outward, and wound around with 

 bark to keep it from splitting. A thread made of whale sinews is usually fas 

 tened to the hook for the purpose of tying on the bait, and another of the same 

 material loosely twisted, serves to fasten the hook to the kelp line. As the hali 

 but s mouth is vertical, instead of horizontal like that of most other fish, it readily 

 takes the hook, the upper portion of which passes outside and over the corner of the 

 mouth, and acts as a sort of spring to fasten the barb into the fish s jaw. The Indians 

 prefer this kind of hook for halibut fishing, although they can readily procure metal 

 ones from the white traders. Smaller hooks for codfish are made of a single 

 straight piece of wood from four to six inches long, with a bone barb lashed on in 

 a manner similar to the barb of the halibut hook. 



Fig. 21. 



Codfish hook. No. 2629. 



For very small fish, like perch or rock fish, they simply fasten a small piece of 

 bone to a line of sinews. The bone is made sharp as a needle at both ends, and is 

 tied in the middle. Many of the old men will not use any other than native made 

 hooks and lines ; while a few are very glad tc obtain fish hooks and lines from the 

 whites, tn every canoe is a club for killing fish, which is usually nothing more than 

 a billet of wood roughly fashioned, though sometimes rudely carved, as seen in 



6 July. 



