THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 305 
In the transparent waters of the lagoons and 
sheltered bays, fishes of great variety and beauty 
are seen; and as many of them are of large size, 
and of exquisite flavour, the obtaining of them 
forms no small part of the occupation of the Poly- 
nesians. Some of their modes of fishing are highly 
curious and ingenious. One, which is very suc- 
cessful, reminds us of a wire mouse-trap. A cir- 
cular space in the lagoon, of about three or four 
yards in diameter, is enclosed by building up a 
wall from the bottom to the surface, in a part where 
it is not very deep. In oné part of the top an 
opening is left a foot or two wide, and five or six 
inches deep. From each side of this aperture an- 
other stone wall, likewise reaching to the surface, 
is built to the length of fifty or a hundred yards 
in a diverging direction, so as to include a large 
space of water, which is open at one end, but, be- 
coming narrower and narrower, leads into the cir- 
cular pen. Fishes are usually found in these traps 
every morning, which are either taken out with a 
hand-net, or allowed to remain till wanted, as ina 
preserve. 
Many fishes, which have the habit of springing 
out of water when alarmed, are taken by means 
of rafts. These are from fifteen to twenty feet 
long, and six or eight feet wide, built of light wood, 
such as the native hibiscus. Along one side a fence 
or screen is raised to the height of four or five 
feet, by fixing a row of upright stakes in the raft, 
to which slender poles are attached horizontally, one 
above another. A large party of men proceed with 
20 2c2 
‘ 
