190 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Tbtim-. fis 



The Chonoan nets reported ])y Cortes Ilojea were made of bark 

 fiber (Goiciieta, 518), and the Alacahifan nets seen by Duclos-Guyot 

 of intestmes (b, 672), but the nets in use among the modern Ala- 

 cahif and Onas are made of guanaco or seal sinew, with rectanguhir 

 meshes and the ordinary European knot (Dabbene, h, 214; Tli. 

 Bridges, h, 208; C. Gallardo, 203; Barclay, a, 66). 



The fish net was found at such early dates, in 1553 by Cortes 

 Hojea and in 1579-80 by Sarmiento, that it is clearly not a European 

 importation. 



The Alacaluf also use bird nets made of sinew (Mori, An. Jiidr., 

 VII, 562, de Brosses, i, 165; Ringrose, Exquemelm, pt. iv, ch. 23, 

 1684-85 ed., 182, 1893 ed., 470), and the Alacaluf and Chonos seal 

 nets made of rawhide (Th. Bridges, /, 314; A. Campbell, 59) with 

 large meshes 8 inches across (Coppinger, 119). 



Weirs. — Sometimes rude weirs of l)ranches or stakes are erected 

 in creeks or in other suitable places l)y the Yahgans (Th. Bridges, 

 cited by Hyades, q, 372), the Alacaluf (Vargas Ponce, a, 341), and 

 the Onas (Th. Bridges, i, in Hyades, q, 9). Dr. Coppinger found 

 several stone weirs in an almost perfect state of preservation in the 

 Swallow Bay region within Alacaluf an territory (125-126). • Cf. also 

 Furlong, r, 179-180 on possible Yahgan stone weirs. 



Hunting 



Whales. — A stranded or dead whale is eagerly taken possession 

 of by both the Fuegians and Chonos. Occasionally the Alacaluf 

 (Marcel, a, 490-491) and Yahgans (Hyades, q, 356; Th. Bridges, h, 

 Jan. 1, 1875, 12-13) liunt the whale in the open sea with their spears 

 or harpoons. 



Seals and porpmses. — Seals are commonly hunted by the Fuegians 

 and Chonos, being either speared or harpooned from canoes or from 

 the land, or killed with clubs, or else netted. The various tribes 

 appear on the whole to use similar methods. Dr. Segers mentions 

 (66-67) an interesting Ona ruse for taking seals by the use of a 

 stuffed seal hide as a dummy or decoy. 



Guanacos. — In hunting the guanaco the Onas use the bow and 

 arrow, wliile the eastern Yahgans use cither the bow and arrow 

 (Martial, 192) or the spear (Hyades, q, 356). For the most complete 

 account of Ona methods of guanaco hunting, see Furlong, g. 



Otters. — The Yahgans use the harjioon in otter hunting (Hyades, 

 q, 364) and are ably assisted by their dogs. Tlie dogs also help the 

 Yahgans and Onas in fox hunting. 



Ctenomys fueguinus. — This small ])in'rowing rodent is a staple 

 article of diet for the Onas. A pointed stake or the short spear is 

 used in locating the nests of and killing the animal (C. Gallardo, 189- 

 190; Cojazzi, 54-55; Dabbene, h, 249; Furlong, k). 



