[99] FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 923 



Halibut-hooks — Continued. 



Territory, 1883. 72,648 to 72,650. James G. Swan. The knots are 

 split into small pieces, and after being shaped with a knife they 

 are inserted in a hollow piece of kelp-stem and steamed in hot 

 ashes until pliable. They are then bent into the required shape 

 and tied. A barbless bone spur is firmly lashed to the lower 

 side of the hook with slips or thin ribbons of spruce, or with 

 strips of the bark of wild cherry. The upper end of the hook 

 is recurved and served with bark to prevent splitting. A thread, 

 made of whale sinew, is usually fastened to the hook for the 

 purpose of tying on the bait, which is commonly a piece of an 

 arm of the cuttle-fish or squid (Octopus ttiberculatus). Another 

 piece of loosely-twisted cord of sinew is used to fasten the hook 

 to the line. As the mouth of the halibut is vertical, instead of 

 horizontal, like that of most other kinds of fish, it readily takes 

 the hook, the upper portion of which passes outside and over 

 the corner of the mouth and acts as a spring to fasten the barb 

 into the fish's jaw. 



Halibut-hooks (13). 



Curved wooden stock, with straight bone shanks ; no barbs. Used 

 by Indians. Length, 4£ to 10 inches. Northwest coast of 

 America. 



Halibut-Hooks (3). 



Wooden stock and shank lashed together at a point; bone barbs. 

 Made by Indians. Length, 6£ inches; barbs, 1£ to 2 inches. 

 Northwest coast of America. 653. Collected by George Gibbs. 



Halibut -hooks (6). 



Wooden stocks and shanks, lashed together in a point at lower 

 ends ; iron barbs ; stocks grotesquely carved ; gangings, made 

 from the long fibrous roots of the spruce, are rove through 

 middle of stocks. Length, from 10 to 12£ inches; spread, from 

 4 to 6 inches. Alaska. 1,153; 9,103; 9,104; 9,271; 20,889. 



Halibut-hooks (6). 



Wooden stocks and shanks, lashed together in a point at lower end; 

 iron barbs; stocks rudely carved to represent human figures, 

 fish, birds' heads, &c. ; gangings, made from the long fibrous 

 roots of the spruce, rove through middle of stocks. Length, 9 

 to 1 2 inches ; spread, 5 to 5 J inches. Northwest coast of Amer- 

 ica. 1873-75. 16,315; 18,909; 20,750. Collected by William 

 H. Dall and James G. Swan. 



Halibut-hooks (5). 



Wooden stocks and shanks, lashed together in a point at lower ends, 

 or cut from a single curved knot ; iron barbs ; some stocks 



