346 



The Primitive Fish -Hook. 



them to Captain J. W. Collins, of the United States Fish Commission, 

 stationed at Gloucester, requesting him to distribute them among the 

 fishermen. While writing this article, I am in receipt of a letter from 

 Captain Collins, informing me that these hooks are excellent, the 

 captains of fishing-smacks reporting that a great many deep-sea fish 

 were taken with them. 



RUSSIAN FISH-HOOK. 



A study of these hooks — the Alaskan and Russian — with refer- 

 ence to the method of attaching the line, explains, I think, the 

 peculiarity of certain shell-hooks of great antiquity found in Cali- 

 fornia which have puzzled archaeologists. These hooks, the originals 

 of which are to be found in the National Museum at Washington, 

 are shown in the following engravings. The notch cut in one of 

 the hooks seems to show that the line was attached at that place. 

 Hang the hooks in any other position and they would catch no fish, 

 for one could hardly suppose that the blunt barb could penetrate 

 the mouth of the fish. 



If there be some doubt entertained by American archaeologists 

 as to the use of these shell-hooks, there can be none in regard to 

 their having barbs. The barbs turn outward, in which respect 

 they differ from all the primitive European hooks I have seen. 

 In confirmation of the idea advanced as to the proper place of 

 attaching the line, Professors C. C. Abbott and F. W. Putnam, in 

 a chapter entitled " Implements and Weapons made of Bone and 

 Wood," in the United States Geographical Survey, west of the hun- 



