Linton — The Marqncsas Islands 399 



by a single horizontal or vertical hole. The square end has along either side two to six 

 notches which are used to facilitate tight lashing of the bone barb. In the specimens examined 

 there was also a short longitudinal groove in the center of the lower surface which served no 

 practical purpose. The point of the hook is of bone, with a slight but well marked barb just 

 behind the tip on the lower side. The modern Tahitian and Tuamotuan hooks of the same 

 type are usually barbless. The base of the bone point is pierced with two holes. The point is 

 attached to the strip by close lashings, formerly of coconut fiber cord. The ends of the lash- 

 ings are gathered together into a single strand at the forward end of the bone point and 

 carried along the upper surface of the strip to its pointed end, where they are again attached 

 to it by lashings passed through the hole in the strip. The strand is continued beyond the 

 hook and serves to attach the whole to the line. As the lashings at the inner end of the hook 

 are loose enough to allow some play, the pull of the line comes directly at the base of the bone 

 point. When a fish strikes, the pull is said to draw the point slightly downward and inward, 

 making escape more difficult. This movement, if it occurs at all, is negligible, but the pull 

 coming at this point does serve to tighten the lashings and prevent the point from slipping on 

 the strip. The bark upon the point is of little value, and unless a tight line is kept the fish 

 will escape. 



In some hooks of this type a small bunch of pig's hair is tied transversely 

 at the rear end of the strip as an additional lure but this is not a constant fea- 

 ture (PI. Lxxi, 5, i), In one specimen collected an additional strip of shell is 

 tied to the upper side of the main strip, probably with the idea of strengthen- 

 ing and weighting the hook. 



That sinkers were employed in line fishing is shown by two terms given 

 by Dordillon (17); pokau, which is defined as a sinker, and pokoc. which is 

 defined as a stone twisted with a fish hook which falls off when the hook sinks 

 to the depths. It seems probable that such sinkers were unworked pebbles. 



Dordillon also gives a term (pc'cfai) which he translates as "to fish with 

 a line while swimming" but this method is now obsolete and no information 

 was obtained in regard to it. 



NETS 



Net fishing was probably the most important of the Marquesan methods 

 of fishing, and a considerable variety of nets were employed. Very few of 

 these nets have been preserved in collections, however. The only specimens 

 studied were two imperfect fragments in the Bishop Museum. One of these 

 fragments evidently formed part of a small net in the form of a flat pouch or 

 envelope with square corners. (PI. Lxxi, C). 



The net is woven of two-strand fau bark cord hardly more than 1/32 of an inch in 

 diameter with a very small mesh decreasing in size from 3/8 of an inch at the bottom to 3/16 

 of an inch at the top. The upper edge is finished with a single strand of twisted fau bark cord 

 about three times as heavy as that forming the body of the net. Immediately below this 

 edging a second cord of the same weight runs around the net, apparently serving as a draw- 

 string. The second fragment is so badly torn that the original form of the net cannot be de- 

 termined. It is woven of extremely fine two-strand pineapple fiber cord scarcely heavier than 

 carpet thread, with a uniform mesh of 5/8 of an inch. The form of knot employed in both 

 nets may be seen from the accompanying drawing (fig. iij. 



[139] 



