POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
295 
mother-of-pearl shell, five or six inches long, and three- 
quarters of an inch wide, carefully cut, and finely 
polished, so as to resemble the body of a fish. On the 
concave side, a barb is fastened by a firm bandage of 
finely twisted romaha, or flax; the barb is usually an inch 
and a half in length, and is of shell or bone. To the 
lower part of this, the end of the line is securely fastened, 
and being braided along the inner or concave side of the 
shell, is again attached to the upper end. Great care 
is taken in the manufacture of these pearl-shell hooks, 
and they are considered much better than any made in 
Europe. 
The line is fastened to the hook in a curious manner, 
and when taken to sea, is attached to a strong bam¬ 
boo-cane, about twelve or fifteen feet long; light single 
canoes are preferred for catching dolphins, bonitos, 
or albicores. Two or three persons usually proceed 
to sea, and when they perceive a shoal of these fish, 
those who angle sit in the stern of the canoe, and hold 
the rod at such an elevation, as to allow the hook to 
touch the edge of the water, but not to sink. When the 
fish approach it, the rowers ply their paddles briskly, 
and the light bark moves rapidly along, while the fisher¬ 
man keeps the hook near the surface of the water. The 
deception of the hook is increased by a number of hairs 
or bristles being attached to the end of the shell, so as 
to resemble the tail of a flying-fish. The bonito, &c., 
darts after, and grasps its prey, and is itself secured. 
During the season, two men will sometimes take twenty 
or thirty large fish in this way, in the course of the 
forenoon. 
The most ingenious methods, however, of taking these 
large fish is by means of what is termed a tira^ or mast. 
