28 THE INDIANS OF CAPE FLATTERY. 



not been described in any work of reference I have seen, I shall have to describe 

 them simply by their common and Indian names. The cottoids are very plenty and 

 of several varieties, all of which are eaten. The largest, which is called tsa-daitch, 

 measures twenty-seven inches in length. It is an uncouth, repulsive-looking fish, 

 dark greenish-brown, the body larger in proportion to the head than other sculpins ; 

 but it is of good flavor, either boiled or fried. One specimen weighed ten pounds. 

 The buffalo sculpin, kab'-bis and other small varieties, are quite common, and are 

 usually taken with spears. The kla-hap-pak resembles the " grouper" of San Fran- 

 cisco. Its color is red ; the scales large and coarse ; the meat white, and in large 

 flakes. It is excellent, either fried, boiled, or baked. The whites call it " rock 

 cod," but it is not of the cod species, although the flavor and appearance of the 

 flesh, when cooked, resemble that. The tsa-ba-hwa is much like the rock-cod 

 of Massachusetts. It is variously marked, but the general color is olive-green on 

 the back, shaded down to a yellow belly, and covered with reddish or brown spots 

 or freckles ; some are of a sepia-brown, with blue spots. It is a nice pan fish when 

 fresh, but soon gets soft. Its flesh varies in color with the locality where it is taken, 

 and the diff"erence of food, and may be found with shades ranging from a pure white 

 to a greenish-blue — the latter color being very disagreeable to most of the white 

 men, who regard it as produced by a poisonous agency. I have eaten freely of 

 this fish, and found that the color of the flesh made no difi'erence either in flavor or 

 quality. It can be taken by the hook while trolling for salmon, but is usually caught 

 near the rocks with small hooks and lines. The cul-tus or " bastard cod," as it is 

 termed by the whites, which abounds, and is taken at all seasons of the year, forms 

 an important article for fresh consumption. This fish, in general appearance, 

 somewhat resembles the true cod, but difi'ers from it in many material respects. 

 The dorsal fins are double, and extend from the head to the tail. These, as well 

 as all the other fins, are thick, gelatinous, and palatable. This also differs from the 

 common cod, in wanting the barbel under the lower jaw, which is longer than the 

 upper, and in having both upper and lower jaws armed with strong teeth. The 

 liver contains no oil, but the flesh has a portion of fat mixed through it. It is 

 most excellent food, and especially when cooked, closely resembles the true cod. 

 Exceedingly voracious also, in taking it the Indians use no hook; they simply 

 secure a small fish, usually a perch or sculpin, to the line, and when the cod closes 

 its jaws upon the bait, it holds with bull-dog tenacity, and is hauled into the 

 canoe and knocked on the head. The Indian name for it is tush-kaii. A fish 

 closely resembling this, and perhaps of the same species, is sold in the San Fran- 

 cisco market under the name of cod. At certain seasons, particularly during the 

 spring, it is found around the rocks and in coves of shallow water, and is then 

 easily speared. The Indians seldom dry it, preferring to boil and eat it fresh. 

 The true cod, ka-datl, is taken in limited quantities. In some seasons it is more 

 plentiful than at others. It is caught on banks and shoals, in from thirty to forty 

 fathoms of water. This fish abounds in the more northern waters of the Pacific 

 coast ; but the extreme depth and swift currents of Fuca Strait make it difRcult 

 to fish for them there, except at those times during the summer months, when it 

 approaches near the shore. Another fish, termed by the Indians be-sho-we, or black 



