THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST. 299 



located on exposed sites for no other reason than to be near certain 

 halibut grounds. This fish varies in size from 20 to 120 pounds, and is 

 caught only with a hook and line. The type of hook is that shown in 

 Plate XXXI, and the method of sinking it shown in Plate xxx, Fig. 151. 

 This fish stays close along the bottom, and is such a greedy feeder as 

 to be readily caught by the clumsy hook shown. In fishing for halibut 

 the canoe is anchored by means of stones and cedar bark ropes. The 

 bait is lashed to the hook, a stone sinker attached to the liue, and the 

 contrivance lowered to the bottom. Sometimes the upper ends of the 

 lines are attached to floats and more than one line tended at a time. A 

 fish being hooked is hauled up, played for a while, drawn alongside, 

 grappled, and finally despatched with blows of a club carried for the 

 purpose. It requires no little skill to land a hundred-pound halibut in 

 a light fishing canoe. A primitive halibut fishing outfit consists of 

 kelp-lines, wooden floats, stone sinkers, an anchor line, a wooden club, 

 and wooden fish hooks. It is impossible with our most modern appli- 

 ances to compete with the Indians in halibut fishing. With their crude 

 implements they meet with the most surprising success. 



Herring and eulacJion. — Herring are found in the summer months in 

 numerous parts of the coast, depending on the nature of the feeding- 

 ground. They run in large shoals, breaking the surface of the water, 

 and attracting in their wake other fish, porpoises, whales, whale " kill- 

 ers, " flights of eagles, and flocks of surf birds, all feeding either on the 

 herring or on the same food as that of which they themselves are in 

 search. They are dipped out by the Indians with nets or baskets, caught 

 with drag-nets, or taken with the rakes previously described. Eulachon 

 or " candle-fish " run only in the mouths of rivers, particularly the 

 Skeeua, Nass, and Stikine in this region. They are considered great 

 delicacies, and are dried and traded up and down the coast by the 

 Indians who are fortunate enough to control the season's catch. 



Cod are caught with the sMl hook previously described. Dogfish, 

 flounders, and other kinds are caught with almost any kind of hook, 

 there being no especial appliances used or required. 



Spaivn. — For taking fish eggs that have already been spawned, the 

 Indians use the branches of the pine tree, stuck in the muddy bottom, 

 to which it readily adheres, and on which it is afterwards dried. When 

 dry it is stripped from the branches and stored in baskets or boxes ; 

 sometimes buried in the ground. The spawn gets a pleasing flavor 

 from the pine. Koe is taken from captured fish and either dried or 

 buried in the ground to become rank enough to suit the epicurean pal- 

 ate of the Indian gourmand. 



Sea otter. — The custom in former days was to hunt the sea-otter either 

 from the shore or in canoe parties. They were shot with arrows from 

 behind screens when they landed to bask on the sand or on the rocks, 

 or approached noiselessly by canoe parties when asleep on the water. 



