NATIVE MODE OF FISHING. 197 



four feet. I had a g-ood opportunity of witnessing- 

 the mode of fishing' with the seine practised by the 

 natives of the Louisiade. One of these nets, appa- 

 rently of the usual dimensions, measured 130 feet 

 in length, with a depth of a yard only. The upper 

 border is supported, when in the water, by nume- 

 rous small thin triangular floats of light wood, and 

 the lower margin is strung with a series of perfo- 

 rated shells — chiefly single valves of Area scapha — 

 serving as sinkers. The cordage is of a white 

 colour, very light, and neatly laid up, the meshes 

 are an inch wide, and the centre of the net ends in 

 a purse-like bag. A party of eight men poled 

 along the shallow margin of the reef in their canoe, 

 using the seine at intervals. When a shoal of fish 

 is seen, three men lay hold of the net and jump out 

 into the water, — it is run out into a semicircle, the 

 men at the extremes moving onwards with one 

 person in advance on each side splashing the water 

 with long poles and stones to drive the fish towards 

 the centre. The canoe now makes a sweep and 

 comes up to the opening, when the net is closed in 

 upon it, and hauled in-board with its contents. 

 This mode of fishing would appear to be practised 

 also at some of the islands of Polynesia, for similar 

 seines are exhibited in the ethnological gallery of 

 the British Museum from the Feejees and elsewhere. 

 In addition to the seine, we had occasionally ob- 

 served in canoes alongside the ship a small scoop- 

 net Avith a very long handle, and once procured a 



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