770 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
We soon learned from observation and by personal experience that 
we could obtain but few fish with our apparatus. Nearly all of the 
fishing in the immediate vicinity of Papeete is performed with, spears 
(usually single-pronged) with the aid of an ordinary water-glass. 
This fishing is generally conducted at half tide on the coral reefs, 
where the water is 3 or 4 feet deep; early in the morning, when the 
tide serves right, is the best time. Naked, except a cloth about. his 
loins, with spear in the right hand, a water-glass in the left hand, and 
the painter of the canoe tied around his waist, the fisherman picks his 
way over the reef. The canoe is towed along to put the catch in, and 
also to paddle over deep places, and for crossing to the outer reef if 
necessary. The water-glass is such as is in common use everywhere, a 
foot square at the top, 12 inches deep, tapering to 8 inches square at 
the bottom, in which is set a piece of window glass. In one edge of the 
top a semicircular place is cut in which to rest the neck. The fisher- 
man places his head inside and pushes the box ahead of him, carefully 
scanning the bottom. By the aid of the glass any fish that may be 
lurking near can be distinctly seen. The progress over the bottom is 
necessarily slow, as each step is likely to bring forth a number of fish, 
and to hurry would greatly lessen the chance of capturing one. Coral 
fishes are very shy, and the least movement on the part of the fisher- 
man causes them to dart under branches of coral, into some hole near 
by, or to conceal themselves under the many overhanging shelves 
which mark the dividing line between shallow and deep water. 
In order to catch fish in this manner it is necessary to be familiar 
with all parts of the reef and to know just where the kinds of fish 
sought are to be found at different periods. A lifetime of experience 
has taught these people to become very expert, but with all their skill 
no great amount of fish is caught at one time. Sometimes a fisherman 
will be an hour or more traveling over the rough bottom up to his 
arms in water, and during that time cover a mile or more without 
capturing a single fish, but as he has plenty of time at his command it 
matters little whether he uses one hour or a half day in obtaining the 
amount of fish desired. It is astonishing how these people can travel 
in bare feet over the sharp and jagged coral. One shod with stout 
shoes finds it difficult to make much headway even in comparatively 
smooth places. 
About 2 miles north and east of the town there is a small stretch of 
beach where drag-seine fishing is carried on to a limited extent. The 
fish taken are for home consumption. The length of the seine corre- 
sponds to the size of the beach. Two of them were measured, one 5 
and the other 10 fathoms long; 10 and 15 feet deep; size of mesh, 
2 and 3 inches, stretch measure. For floats pieces of wood are used, 
of no regular form or size; on the foot-rope pieces of sheet lead are 
wound. On one small seine, made of coarse mosquito netting, blocks 
