200 A NATUBALIST IN CELEBES ch. viii 



by a stone, fastened to it by a rattan binding, and the other 

 end is fashioned into an angular odd figure exhibiting 

 many variations. They are called lawak by the natives. 

 I have reason to believe that originally the figure carved 

 on these floats was that of a long-necked sea-bird, such as 

 a heron or whimbrel, and the figure we now find is merely a 

 conventional representation that has gradually come to be 

 used instead of the more elaborate carving. 



'Another common method of fishing,' says Guppy in 

 his book on the Solomon islands, ' which resembles in its 

 idea that of the kite-fishing, consists in the use of a float of 

 wood about three feet in length, and rather bigger than a 

 walking-stick. It is weighted by a stone at one end, so that 

 it floats upright in the water. The upper end of the float, 

 which is out of the water, is rudely cut in imitation of a 

 wading bird, and here we have the same idea exhibited 

 which I have described above in the case of kite-fishing, 

 the figure of the bird being supposed to attract the larger 

 fish. There is, however, this difference : a glance at the 

 figure will convince anyone that a fish is not likely to be 

 deceived by such a sorry representation of a bird. Doubtless 

 we have here an instance of a survival of a more effective 

 mode of fishing, in which the idea has been retained, but 

 the utility has been lost. This plan is in fact nothing more 

 than the employment of a float which is thrown into the 

 water by the fisherman, who follows it up in his canoe and 

 looks out for its bob ' (28). In the figure the two floats on the 

 right-hand side are from the Sangir islands, the two on the 

 left from Santa Cruz. It will be seen at once that the bird 

 design is much better preserved in the larger specimen 

 from Santa Cruz than in either of those from Sangir. 



The hook is a simple piece of bent twig. It is precisely 

 similar in shape to that used by the natives of Santa Cruz, 

 where it is made of bone or tortoiseshell. No bait is used. 



