Fish, Fishing and Fisheries of Pennsylvania. 



long birches and tied their tops tog-ether, and went about a stone's cast 

 above our said pinfold; then hauling^ these birch boughs down the 

 stream, where we drove thousands before us, but so many got into our 

 trap as it would hold. And then we began to haul them on shore, as 

 fast as three or four of us could, but two or three at a time, and after 

 this manner, in half an hour, we could have filled a three-bushel sack of 

 as good, large herrings as ever I saw. And as to beef and pork, here is 

 a great plenty of it, and cheap, and also good sheep. The common 

 grass of this country feeds beef very fat; I have killed two this year 

 and, therefore, I have reason to know it ; besides, I have seen this fall, 

 in Burlington, killed eight or nine fat oxen and cows on a market day 

 and are very fat. And though I speak of herrings only, lest any should 

 think we have little other sorts, we have great plenty of most sorts of 

 fish that I ever saw in England, besides several other sorts that are not 

 known there, as rocks, catfish, shads, sheepsheads, sturgeons ; and fowls 

 plenty, as ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants, partridges and many other 

 sorts that I cannot remember, and would be too tedious to mention. 

 Indeed, the country, take it as a wilderness, is a brave country, though 

 no place will please all. But some will be ready to say, he writes of 

 conveniences, but not of inconveniences. In answer to those I honestly 

 declare, there is some barren land, as (I suppose) there is in most places 

 of the world, and more wood than some would have upon their lands ; 

 neither will the country produce corn without labor, nor cattle be got 

 without something to buy them, -nor bread with idleness, else it would 

 be a brave country, indeed. And I question not but all then would give 

 it a good word. For my part, I like it so well I never had the least 

 though of returning to England, except on account of trade." 



That nets were largely used by the Indians, has been proved beyond 

 the shadow of a doubt. Not only do Ogelby, Loskiel, Mahlon Stacy, 

 Peter Kalm and other early writers bear witness to having seen them, 

 but still more ancient signs of their use have been found. On all vil- 

 lage sites are found remains of Indian pottery, and this "pottery the 

 Aborigines were fond of ornamenting, and much of it in this connection 

 bears the imprint of fish nets. Besides this a few meshes, evidently 

 centuries old, have been found in the Mammoth cave. These impres- 

 sions and the meshes found show, curiously enough, that the knots with 

 which the nets were made are identical with those in use to-day by the 

 whites. 



Sieves and gill nets had lead lines made of small circular flat stones 

 having two deep notches to keep the lines from slipping. These 

 "leads" have been found by the thousand in the Delaware and Susque- 

 hanna rivers. One of the most curious finds of these relics was made 

 by Dr. C 0. Abbott, curator of the Archaeological Department of the 

 University af Pennsylvania, from whom the greater number of the facts 

 contained in this chapter are obtained. Some years ago, in a mud de- 



