EXTRACTS. 275 



Winter. The only species caught in those parts are trout, tittameg, (or tickomeg,) 

 tench, two sorts of barbie, (called by the Southern Indians Na-may-pith,) burbot, 

 pike, and a few perch. Thfe four former are caught in all parts of this country, 

 as well the woody as the barren ; but the three latter are only caught to the 

 Westward, in such lakes and rivers as are situated among the woods ; and though 

 some of those rivers lead to the barren ground, yet the three last mentioned 

 species of fish are seldom caught beyond the edge of the woods, not even in the 

 Summer season. 



" The only method practised by those people to catch fish either in Winter 

 or Summer, is by angling and setting nets ; both of which methods is attended 

 with much superstition, ceremony, and unnecessary trouble ; but I will endeavour 

 to describe them in as plain and brief a manner as possible. 



" When they make a new fishing-net, which is always composed of small 

 thongs cut from raw deer-skins, they take a number of birds' bills and feet, and 

 tie them, a little apart from each other, to the head and foot rope of the net, and 

 at the four corners generally fasten some of the toes and jaws of the otters and 

 jackashes. The birds' feet and bills made choice of on such occasions are gen- 

 erally those of the laughing goose, wavey, (or white goose,) gulls, loons, and 

 black-heads ; and unless some or all of these be fastened to the net, they will not 

 attempt to put it into the water, as they firmly believe it would not catch a single 

 fish. 



"A net thus accoutred is fit for setting whenever occasion requires, and 

 opportunity offers ; but the first fish of whatever species caught in it, are not to 

 be sodden in the water, but broiled whole on the fire, and the flesh carefully taken 

 from the bones without dislocating one joint ; after which the bones are laid on 

 the fire at full length and burnt. A strict observance of these rules is supposed 

 to be of the utmost importance in promoting the future success of the new net ; 

 and a neglect of them would render it not worth a farthing. 



" When they fish in rivers, or narrow channels that join two lakes together, 

 they could frequently, by tying two, three, or more nets together, spread over the 

 whole breadth of the channel, and intercept ever}' sizable fish that passed ; but 

 instead of that, they scatter the nets at a considerable distance from each other, 

 from a superstitious notion, that were they kept close together, one net would be 

 jealous of its neighbor, and by that means not one of them would catch a single 

 fish. 



" The methods used, and strictly observed, when angling, .are equally absurd 

 as those I have mentioned ; for when they bait a hook, a composition of four, 

 five, or six articles (all animal substances) by way of charm, is concealed under 

 the bait, which is always sewed round the hook. In fact, the only bait used by 

 those people is in their opinion a composition of charms, inclosed within a bit of 

 fish-skin, so as in some measure to resemble a small fish. 



