306 THE OCEAN. 
twenty or thirty of these rafts to a shallow part of 
the lagoon, and then arrange themselves in a large 
circle, enclosing a large space of water. They then 
gradually narrow the circle by approaching each 
other, keeping the fenced edge of the raft on the 
outside. At this juncture a few persons go into the 
circle with a canoe, and beat the surface of the water 
violently with long white sticks, making as much 
commotion as possible. The fish, alarmed, dart away 
towards the rafts, and leaping out of water, endea- 
vour to clear them; but, striking against the perpen- 
dicular fence, they fall on the raft, and are gathered 
into baskets, or into canoes prepared on the outside 
of the circle. 
From the seeds of some of the native plants, a 
liquor is prepared, which has the property of in- 
toxicating fishes, and rendering’ them insensible. 
The mixture is frequently poured into the water 
in narrow places near the shore, or upon the reef; 
soon after which the fish come out of their retreats, 
and float in considerable numbers on the surface 
as if dead, when they are caught without resist- 
ance, 
Sometimes the long leaves of the cocoa-nut are 
tied up in bunches, and affixed along a line, which 
being carried out and dropped into the water, the 
two ends are towed in two canoes towards the shore. 
This rude apology for a net, drives many fishes 
into the shallows, whence they are taken out with 
hand-nets, or speared. Nets, however, made on 
the same principle as our own, are manufactured 
by them, and are exceedingly well made. They 
