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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Mr. J. S. Emerson, of Honolulu, furnishes the following account of a fishing 
expedition he made with a native, when he used a bag net somewhat similar to the 
two just described: 
We started at sunrise from the shore in a little canoe capable of holding two persons. The native 
had only a malo (breech clout) for his dress. He had with him some of the candle nut (kukui). This 
he chewed up in his mouth and spat the chewed material on the surface of the water. This produced 
a film so that he could look down from the now calm surface of the water to a depth of 6 fathoms or 
more and locate the little caves and holes in the coral where the fish were. When he had discovered 
the proper location of these fish holes, he laid his paddle down in the boat and took a hand net in one 
hand. The hag of this hand net was like a purse. There were two sticks to hold it open and these 
were upon two sides of a triangle; the mouth of the net was tied' to the sticks. In the other hand he 
had a fish brush — a rude fly brush about 3 feet long — composed of a stick to which were tied bits of 
bark, etc., to make a brush to drive the fish. He sprang into the water — in one hand the net and in 
the other the fish brush. I noticed sometimes he had it in one hand and sometimes in the other, it 
apparently did not matter which. He dove down, propelling and guiding himself entirely with his 
feet, with his eyes wide open, and approached the spot at the bottom, 6 or 8 fathoms deep, with the 
brush in one hand and the net in the other, ready for work. Then with the one hand he stirred up 
the fish from their resting places and drove them into the net as one would drive little chickens. 
Having secured all the fish from that particular spot he closed his net, held the net and brush in the 
same hand and used the other hand to paw his way to the surface. On arriving there he blew the 
water out of his mouth and nose, threw his head back and got into the canoe. He remained below 
the surface about two minutes. There were in the net 3 or 5 fishes about 6 or 7 inches in length. He 
then chewed up some more of the nut and proceeded for a few rods ahead, spat out the nut on the 
water, looked down, and went through the same operations again, finding a few more fish there. 
This he did for several times, say, possibly, at a dozen places. 
Certain methods of bag-net fishing which were in vogue years ago have been 
entirely abandoned, or at most are but rarely used. Among these is lau kapalili, 
which was called the “fishing of kings,” as they only could command a sufficient 
number of canoes, men, and lau. The late Kamehameha V, whose favorite residence 
was at Waikiki, frequently ordered it. The following is a description of this 
fishery: 0 
Lau kapalili is the use of a large bag net, smaller than the kolo but larger than 1 the ohua or iiao 
net, but of the same general shape, and called a papa. Two rope laus of 300 or 400 fathoms in length, 
with ki leaves attached, the same as in lau ohua, and generally the lau of two or more ohua nets 
joined, are piled onto a large double canoe, which is taken out 2 or 3 miles from shore, attended by a 
fleet of from 60 to 100 single canoes. The head fisherman always goes on the canoe containing the net 
and lau. Arrived at the proper distance, which must be just opposite the final drawing place, the end 
of one rope is joined to that of the other, and two canoes, manned by 8 or 10 strong men, take the 
other end of the rope or lau, one each, and start in opposite directions and exactly parallel with the 
shore, while the double canoe remains stationary till all the lau is paid out. In the meantime the 
rest of the canoes have divided into two companies and follow the leading canoes, stationing themselves 
at certain distances on the lau and helping to pull it. 
When the lau is all paid out the two leading canoes then curve in to form a semicircle, at the 
same time always moving toward the shore. When a perfect semicircle has been made by the lau the 
double canoes and all the others move gradually forward with it, while the leading canoes are pulling 
with all their might straight in to the shore. When either end is landed the men immediately leap 
out, and taking hold of the line pull on it, at the same time going toward each other, which has the 
effect of narrowing the semicircle, while most of the canoes keep backing on to the double canoe, 
which always keeps the center. Arrived at a suitable place, always a clean, sandy one a few rods 
from shore, the laus are untied and attached to each end of the papa net. Men, women, and children 
a Hawaiian Fisheries and Methods of Fishing, with an Account of the Fishing Implements used hy the Natives of the 
Hawaiian Islands. By Mrs. Emma Metcalf Beckley. Pp. 18, 19. 
