322 
A VOYAGE T O 
1778. from the fkins of the two firft being frequent amongft 
■s-jaa^ y them, hut from the great number of implements, of all 
forts, intended to deftroy thefe different animals; which 
clearly points out their dependance upon them; though 
perhaps they do not catch them in great plenty at all 
feafons ; which feemed to be the cafe while we lay there, 
as no great number of frefh fkins, or pieces of the flefh, 
were feen. 
The fame might, perhaps, be faid of the land-animals, 
which, though doubtlefs the natives fometimes kill them, 
appeared to be fcarce at this time ; as we did not fee a fingle 
piece of the flefh belonging to any of them ; and though 
their fkins be in tolerable plenty, it is probable that many 
of thefe are procured by traffic from other tribes. Upon 
the whole, it feems plain, from a variety of circumftances, 
that thefe people procure almoft all their animal food from 
the fea, if we except a few birds, of which the gulls or 
fea-fowl, which they flioot with their arrows, are the moft 
material. 
As the Canadian pine-branches and fea-grafs, on which 
the fifh roe is ftrewed, may be confidered as their only win¬ 
ter-vegetables ; fo, as the fpring advances, they make ufe 
of feveral others as they come in feafon. The moft com¬ 
mon of thefe, which we obferved, were two forts of lilia¬ 
ceous roots, one limply tunicated, the other granulated 
upon its furface, called mahkatte and koohquoppa , which 
have a mild fweetifh tafte, and are mucilaginous, and 
eaten raw. The next, which they have in great quanti¬ 
ties, is a root called aheita , refembling, in tafte, our li¬ 
quorice ; and another fern root, whofe leaves were not yet 
difclofed. They alfo eat, raw, another fmall, fweetifh, 
infipid root, about the thicknefs of Jarfaparilla ; but we 
10 • were 
