130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



Wlieii engaged in the salniou fishin:.; they ordinarily congregate at 

 the most suitable place near their respective villages in order to make 

 and repair in common the barriere or wood pole staking across the 

 stream while the " kuntzi " or cylindrical Vmskets are individually set 

 by heads of families in the place assigned them by traditional right. 

 In the same way when trout fishing is conducted on a huge scale, as 

 is usual when in the fall of the year, they gather their winter supply, 

 each family or aggregate of homogeneous families, has its own parti- 

 cular shot in the livers or in the vicinity of islands in the lakes from 

 which tliey are not at liberty to wander in search of a better position. 



Fishing in the winter is a rather uncomfortable occupation. Having 

 previously cut a hole in the ice of about one foot in diameter' our 

 Dene stretches himself thereover on the frozen surface. He then 

 holds \\\) with the left hand a small stick to which is suspended bone 

 imitations of fry (figure 4.) which he gently o.scillates in the water, 

 so as to give them a life like appearance. He will j)atiently wait well 

 wrap))ed up in his blanket for the larger fish to Itite, even though it 

 may be 30° or more below zero of Fahrenheit. If fortune favouis 

 him, he speedily spears his fi.sh with the bone harpoon already s])oken 

 of, which in this case is only four times larger than that of figiu-e 2, 

 and fixed in a short handle. 



A more interesting mode of fishing is when, during the cool S[)ring 

 nights, the Carriers lazily glide over their country lakes carrying in 

 their canoes flaming pine torches which have the effect of attracting 

 fish of every description, and by dazzling and, as it were, charming 

 them, render them an easy i)rey to the harpoon. 



The Sekanais disdain fish of any kind and regard fishing as a de- 

 grading occupation unworthy of a hunter. They live almost entirely 

 on moose, cariboo, bear, marmot or beaver meat with lynx and rabbits 

 in their season. 



IX. 



Before the North West Company's advent in the country, there 

 was very little fur-hunting done save what was indispensable to 

 the family's subsistence and clothing, and even then among the two 



> Formerly this was done by means of heated stones. 



