EXTRACTS. 293 



as to catch water-snakes in our sweep, and emptied them ashore, we had the 

 ranting voice of our friendly posse comitatus, whooping against us, till another 

 party was so unlucky as to meet with the like misfortune. During this exercise, 

 the women are fishing ashore with coarse baskets, to catch the fish that escape 

 our nets. At the end of our friendly diversion, we cheerfully return home, and 

 in an innocent and friendly manner, eat together, studiously diverting each other, 

 on the incidents of the day, and make a cheerful night." (Page 402, etc.). 



Du Pratz (M. Le Page): Histoire de la Louisiane ; Paris, 1758. Transla- 

 tion : " Those who lived near rivers doubtless became desirous of eating fish, 

 and tried to avail themselves of the victuals which the country offered. For the 

 rest, it was only needed that a pregnant woman, having seen fine fishes, hankered 

 after them : the complaisance of the husband on one hand, and his own inclina- 

 tion to eat them on the other, gave occasion for the manufacture of nets for 

 catching fish.* These nets have meshes (sont mailles) like ours, and are made of 

 the bark of the linden-tree. Large fish are shot with arrows. 



" The nets usually serve for catching small fish ; the natives also make use 

 of them as bags for transporting fish. However, when they have many fishes, 

 or have caught large ones with the line, they construct on the spot a make-shift 

 for carrying them one or two leagues, or even farther, if required. For this 

 purpose they take a green branch of pliable wood, an inch and a half in thick- 

 ness, and bend it until both ends meet and it assumes the form of a racket 

 on a large scale. Across this wood they stretch several strips of bark cross- 

 wise, and cover them with plenty of leaves, upon which they place the fish, 

 covering them in the same manner. When the leaves and fishes are firmly tied 

 to the frame, they attach their burden-strap to it, and carry it on the back like 

 a basket." (Vol. II, page 179, etc.). 



" They sometimes make arrows of thin, hard canes ; but these only serve 

 for shooting birds and fishes. 



" Their war-arrows are usually armed with a scale of the bony gar-fish 

 (Poisson-arme); but if their arrows are designed for shooting carp or cat-fish 

 (Barlue), which are large fishes, they attach to the shaft a bone pointed at both 

 ends, in such a manner that one end forms the point of the arrow, while the 

 other is a little distant from the shaft, and prevents the arrow from coming 

 out of the body of the fish.f The arrow, moreover, is connected by a string with 

 a piece of wood, which floats and does not allow the fish to go to the bottom or 

 to escape." (Vol. II, page 168). 



* Polite attention to women probably had little to do with the invention of fishing-nets, wherever it was 

 made. Nets came into use, when populations increased, and the methods of spearing and angling proved in- 

 sufficient for furnishing the necesssry supplies of fish-food. Hunger, not gallantry, invented nets. 



f Compare Fig. 43 on p. 47 in this volume. 



