Page:Aboriginesofvictoria01.djvu/476

392 {| Fig. 230 shows the form of fish-hook used by the natives of New Zealand. It was presented to the late Mr. A. F. A. Greeves by the late Dr. Alexander Stewart (Assistant-Surgeon 19th Regt.), who received it from Ne Penuta, chief of the tribe of Wairau natives, in token of gratitude for relief from a dangerous illness which necessitated the performance of a delicate and difficult operation. It was used for catching a fish called Kaiwai, which appears to have some resemblance to the salmon. It was employed very much in the manner the sportsman uses the fly—the shell, when revolving, by its brightness attracting the fish and causing them to rise. The barbed point made of bone is firmly attached by twine (of vegetable fibre) to the shank. The front part of the shank—that part next the barb—is of shell (Dr. Stewart in his description calls the shell a species of mussel, but it is a section of a haliotis), and the back part is of Totara or ironwood. It is well and firmly fixed to the line; and the shell and wood are very carefully carved so as to make the work smooth and almost of one piece.
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This hook is figured, in order that the reader may compare the work of the Australian with that of the New Zealander. Excellent as it is, it is not superior to the hook of the Rockingham Bay natives.

This kind of hook—formed of shell and wood—is common in the islands of the South Seas.