JAN. 1770 FISHING 213 



bare. In turning a point, we saw a man in a small canoe 

 fishing, who, to our surprise, showed not the least fear of us. 

 We went to him, and at our request he took up his nets, 

 and showed us his implement, which was a circular net 

 about seven or eight feet in diameter, extended by two 

 hoops. The top of this was open, and to the bottom were 

 tied sea-ears, etc., as bait : this he let down upon the 

 ground, and when he thought that fish enough were assembled 

 over it, he lifted it up by a very gentle and even motion, 

 so that the fish were hardly sensible of being lifted till they 

 were almost out of the water. By this simple method he 

 had caught abundance of fish, and I believe it is the general 

 way of fishing all over this coast, as many such nets have 

 been seen at almost every place we have been in. In this 

 bay, indeed, fish were so plentiful that it is hardly possible 

 not to catch abundance by whatever method is adopted. 



20th. Our old man came this morning with the heads 

 of four people, which were preserved with the flesh and hair 

 on, and kept I suppose as trophies, as possibly scalps were 

 by the North Americans before the Europeans came among 

 them. The brains were, however, taken out ; maybe they 

 are a delicacy here. The flesh and skin upon these heads 

 were soft ; but they were somehow preserved so as not to 

 stink at all. 



The bay, wherever we have yet been, is very hilly ; 

 we have hardly seen a flat large enough for a potato 

 garden. Our friends here do not seem to feel the want of 

 such places ; as we have not seen the least appearance of 

 cultivation, I suppose they live entirely upon fish, dogs, and 

 enemies. 



22nd. Made an excursion to-day in the pinnace, in order 

 to see more of the bay. While Dr. Solander and I were 

 botanising, the captain went to the top of a hill, and in 

 about an hour returned in high spirits, having seen the 

 eastern sea, and satisfied himself of the existence of a strait 

 communicating with it, the idea of which has occurred to us 

 all, from Tasman's as well as our own observations. 



23rd. Mr. Monkhouse told me that on the 21st he had 



