FISH WEIRS AND TRAPS. 



491 



The Indians catch fish by means of these weirs or traps 

 in large numbers, and this mode of capture is practised 

 by most of the North American tribes ; the traps varying 

 in construction according to the locality or the ingenuity 

 of those by whom they are erected. The one by which 

 we were fortunately enabled to procure a supply of fish 

 at the Pike Eiver consisted of a fence of poles, stretching 

 from one side of the river to the other ; they were 

 sloping in the direction of the current, like the inside of 

 a mill-dam, and allowed the water to pass through but 

 not the fish. Near the river bank, on one side, there 

 was an opening in the weir about a yard in width to 

 allow the fish descending the river to pass into a rectan- 

 gular box, with a grated bottom sloping upwards, through 

 which the water flowed and left the fish dry. The fish 

 very seldom entered this pound in daylight, but during 

 the night they poured in in great numbers. In order to 

 secure all that come into the trap when it is prepared 

 for catching fish, an Indian sits beside it all night with a 

 wooden mallet in his hand, with which he strikes the 

 larger fish on the head to prevent them jumping out. 

 He is kept busily employed pitching them out on the 

 bank, and in the morning there is a large heap for the 

 women to clean and cut up. The fish came into the 

 trap almost as fast as we could pitch them out, and we 

 caught in a short time 111 gold eyes, 44 wall-eyed pike 

 (called perch by the half-breeds), 16 sucking carp (or 

 suckers), and 11 pike, making 182 altogether. 



The average width of the Pike Eiver is about a chain 

 and its depth about five feet, with a moderate current ; 

 its banks half a mile from its mouth are of light-coloured 

 clay five to ten feet high, and covered with a rich dark 

 mould, supporting a thick growth of aspen, spruce, tama- 

 rack, birch, and balsam. Near the basket there is an old 

 log-house, formerly a missionary station, but now aban- 



