294 PREHISTORIC FISHING. 



"A pirogue is a trunk of a tree, more or less large, and hollowed out like a 

 boat. Those of the natives will hold from two to ten persons. Before they knew 

 the use of axes, which they have received from the French, they excavated them 

 by means of fire, taking care to cover with mortar such portions as they wished 

 to leave intact." (Vol. I, page 107, note). 



Wyeth (Nathaniel J.}: Letters addressed in 1848 to II. B. ScJioolcraft, and 

 published in Ms large work on " the History, Condition, and Prospects of the Indian 

 Tribes of the United States;" Vol. I, Philadelphia, 1851. [Shoshonees]. "The 

 utensils originally used by the Indians of the valley of the Saaptin or Snake 

 River, were wholly of stone, clay, bone or wood. So far as I observed, they 

 possessed no metals. Their implements were the pot, bow and arrow, knives, 

 graining tools, awls, root-diggers, fish-spears, nets, a kind of boat or raft, the 

 pipe, mats for shelter, and implements to produce fire. 



" The fish-spear is a beautiful adaptation of an idea to a purpose. The head 

 of it is of bone, to which a small strong line is attached near the middle, con- 

 necting it with the shaft, about two feet from the point. Somewhat toward the 

 forward end of this head there is a small hole, which enters it ranging acutely 

 toward the point of the head; it is quite shallow. In this hole the front end of 

 the shaft is placed. This head is about two and a half inches long, the shaft 

 about ten feet, and of light willow. When a salmon or sturgeon is struck, the 

 head is at once detached by the withdrawal of the shaft, and being constrained 

 by the string, which still connects it with the operator, turns its position to one 

 crosswise of its direction while entering. If the fish is strong, the staff is relin- 

 quished, and operates as a buoy to obtain the fish when he has tired down by 

 struggling. These Indians are very expert in the use of this instrument, and 

 take many fish at all the falls and rapid waters, and construct, on small streams, 

 barriers of stones or brush, to force the fish into certain places, where they watch 

 for them, often at night with a light. 



" Fish-nets are made with the outer bark of some weed which grows in the 

 country, but I took no particular note of what it was, or how separated from the 

 stalk. It makes a line stronger than any of those I had among my outfit, 

 although they were selected from the best materials of an angling warehouse by 

 myself, who profess to be a judge of such articles. The twine is formed by lay- 

 ing the fibre doubled across the knee, the bight towards to left, and held between 

 the thumb and finger of that hand, with the two parts which are to form the twine 

 toward the right and a little separated ; rolling these two parts between the knee 

 and right hand, outwardly from the operator, and twisting the bight between the 

 thumb and finger of the left hand, forms the thread. More fibre is added as 

 that first commenced on diminishes in size, so as to make a continuous and equal 

 line. In this way, excellent twine is made much more rapidly than could be 



