180 MODE OP CATCHING FISH. Chap. XI. 
the different Oriental countries which he had visited 
in the 4 Actaeon.’ 
After this digression I will proceed with my 
narrative. During the last days of April the 
sea-shore was lined with natives of both sexes, 
who were busily engaged in catching a curious 
species of fish, which, it seems, visits these parts 
for a few days at this season of the year. The 
mode of catching the fish was novel and interest- 
ing. Each fisherman had a pair of decoys — that 
is, living fish of the same kind as the intended 
prey, A long line was attached to each fish, 
being fastened to the skin on the top of its head. 
The slack of this fine was wound up on a piece of 
wood, and unrolled at the pleasure of the fisher- 
man. Then a net was fastened to, and slung be- 
tween, two bamboo poles, these forming the two 
sides of a triangle. The third side of the triangle 
was open, with the mouth of the net hanging be- 
neath it, and in this state it was pushed forward 
into the sea. The line was now unrolled, and the 
decoys were sent forth into deeper waters, to make 
friends with other members of the tribe who were 
still free. A sufficient time being allowed for 
these gay deceivers to get a congregation around 
them and to expatiate on the luxuries of the land, 
the fisherman hauls the line gently home until the 
decoys and their near friends, who have followed 
them, get in the water above his net. The net 
is then lifted rapidly upwards out of the water, 
and decoys and decoyed are entangled in its 
