r 
796 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
light, and scooped up in Jong-handled dip nets. The nets are oblong 
in shape, nearly the same pattern as those observed at Tahiti. 
The dugout prevails in the Ellice Group, and is unchanged in most 
respects from many which have been described, but in ornamentation 
and small details a considerable difference is noticed. This canoe is 
27 feet long, 17 inches wide, and 21 inches deep, with a kind of deck 
forward and aft 45 inches long. Each deck is made from a single 
piece of wood, and on the after one the top is serrated, supposably to 
represent the teeth of a sperm whale. The stern is formed like the 
tail of a fish. The bow is free from embellishment of any kind. 
Seoop Net, Funafuti. 
Just forward of the row of notches the deck is raised at an angle of 
6 inches, forming a sort of break 14 inches high. On top of the break 
is carved a ball, with a groove in the upper part. In the groove the 
fishing pole is placed, the butt thrust into a becket attached to the 
under side of the thwart. This is the only thwart in the canoe and is 
used chiefly by the person engaged in fishing. There are three braces, 
however, which may be used to sit on when paddling. The canoe is 
straight-sided, also quite straight on the bottom, with an easy turn at 
the bow andstern. Three crosspieces connect with outrigger float; the 
float is 112 feet long and 54 inches in diameter. The crosspieces and 
Sketch showing Stern of Funafuti Canoe. 
stanchions are formed out of one piece. Heretofore, in all the canoes 
examined, the float was attached to the outrigger frame directly under 
the ends of the crosspieces; in this one the stanchions project outboard 
at an angle, and are fastened to the float by means of pegs and sennit. 
Flat, narrow strips of cocoanut wood run parallel to the gunwale and 
are fastened to top side of the crosspieces, on which are carried spears, 
fishing poles, paddles, ete. 
The style of paddle does not need description. The bailer is shaped 
like a common flour scoop. None of the canoes was rigged for sailing. 
