26 FISHERIES OP THE PROVINCE OP QUEBEC 



Frere Sagard described in an interesting manner "the 

 preachers to the fish" among the Montagnais Indians, of 

 whom there was one, in his time, in nearly every fishing 

 camp. These preachers were in the habit of nightly harangu- 

 ing the fish, adjuring them to be courageous and to fear noth- 

 ing, but to come forward boldly and permit themselves to 

 be caught, because the Indians were their good friends, who 

 would show them all proper respect and burn none of their 

 bones. In the same manner the spirits of the water and of 

 the fishing nets were also adjured and at the same time to- 

 bacco was often burned and thrown into the water. 1 



Sagard describes the netting of fish in winter by the 

 Montagnais Indians, in terms almost identical with those 

 employed by Chaniplain in referring to the Hurons. 2 



At page 588 of Vol. III. he describes the curious fish- 

 hooks used by the Indians, which he discovered through acci- 

 dents which had occurred to the dusky fishermen of those 

 days in our inland waters, and which are not unknown to 

 those who go a-fishing in our own day, for big fish, with fine 

 lines. We quote as follows: 



"We found in the bellies of several large fishes, hooks 

 made of a piece of wood and bone, so placed as to form a 

 hook, and very neatly bound together with hemp; but the 

 line being too weak .for drawing on board such large fishes, 

 the result was the loss of the labor of the fishermen, and of 

 the hooks thrown into the sea by them ; for, in verity, there 

 are in this fresh water sea, sturgeon, assihendos, trout, and 

 pike of such monstrous size, that larger ones cannot be seen 

 anywhere else, not to speak of several other kinds of fish 

 there caught, which are here (in Europe) unknown." 3 



1 Idem Tome III., pp. 641, 642. 



2 See Vol. I., page 245, of the Paris Reprint of 1866. 



s Nous trouuasmes dans le ventre de plusiers grand poissons 

 des ains faicts d'un morceau de tois accommode auec un os, qul 

 seruiot de crochet d lie fort proprement auec de leur chan- 

 ure, mais la corde trop foible pour tirer a bord de si gros poissons, 

 auoit faict perdre & la peine & les ains de ceux qui les auoient 

 iettez en mer, car veritablement il y a dans cette mer douce des 



