no part of the whale which here does not find its use.

From the middle of May till our departure on the 24th of June, we caught great quantities of excellent flat-fish, trout, and herrings. Upward of three hundred of the former, besides a number of sea-trout, were dragged out at one haul of the seine, the 15th of May. These flat-fish are firm, and of a good flavour, studded upon the back with round prickly knobs, like turbot, and streaked with dark brown lines, running from the head toward the tail. About the end of May the first herring season begins. They approach in great shoals, but do not remain long on the coast. They had entirely left the bay before we sailed out of it the first time, but were beginning to revisit it again in October. It has been already mentioned, that the herrings were remarkably fine and large, and that we filled a great part of our empty casks with them. The beginning of June, large quantities of excellent cod were taken, a part of which were likewise salted. We caught too, at different times, numbers of small fish, much resembling a smelt, and once drew out a wolf-fish.

Notwithstanding this abundance of flat-fish, cod, and herring, it is on the salmon fishery alone that the Kamtschadales depend for their winter provisions. Of these, it is said by naturalists, there are to be found on this coast all the different species that are known to exist, and which the natives formerly characterized by the different months in which they ascend the rivers. They say, too, that though the shoals of different sorts are seen to mount the rivers at the same time, yet they never mix with each other; that they always return to the same river in which they were bred, but not till the third summer; that neither the male nor female live to regain the sea; that certain species frequent certain rivers, and are never found in others, though they empty themselves nearly at the same place.

The first shoals of salmon begin to enter the mouth of the Awatska about the middle of May; and this kind, which is called by the Kamtschadales Tchavitsi, is the largest and most valued. Their length is generally about three feet and a half: they are very deep in proportion, and their average weight is from thirty to forty pounds. The tail is not forked, but straight. The back is of a dark blue, spotted with black; in other respects they are much like our common salmon. They ascend the river with extraordinary velocity, insomuch that the water is sensibly agitated by their motion; and the Kamtschadales, who are always on the watch for them about the time they are expected, judge of their approach by this circumstance, and immediately let drop their nets before them. We were presented with one of the first that was caught, and given to understand that it was the greatest compliment that could be paid us. Krascheninicoff relates, that formerly the Kamtschadales made a point of eating the first fish they took, with great rejoicings, and a variety of superstitious ceremonies; and that after the Russians became their masters, it was for a long time a constant subject of quarrel between them, to whom the first should belong. The season for fishing, for this species, lasts from the middle of May till the end of June.

The other sort is of a smaller kind, weighing only from eight to sixteen pounds; they are known by the general name of the red fish, and begin to collect in the bays, and at the mouths of the rivers, the beginning of June; from which time, till the end of September, they are caught in great quantities both upon the eastern and western coast, where any fresh water falls into the sea, and likewise all along the course of the rivers, to their very source. The manner in which they draw their nets within the bay of Awatska, is as follows: they tie one end of the net to a large stone at the water's edge, they then push

off in a canoe about twenty yards in a right line, dropping their net as they advance, after which they turn and run out the remainder of the net in a line parallel to the shore; in this position they wait, concealing themselves very carefully in the boat, and keeping a sharp look-out for the fish, which always direct their course close in with the shore, and whose approach is announced by a rippling in the water, till they find that the shoal has advanced beyond the boat, when they shoot the canoe to shore in a direct line, and never fail of enclosing their prey. Seldom more than two men are employed to a net, who hawl with facility, in this manner, seines larger than ours, to which we appoint a dozen. We at first met with very poor success in our own method of hawling; but after the Kamtschadales had very kindly put us in the way, we were not less successful than themselves. In the rivers, they shoot one net across, and hawl another down the stream to it.

The lakes that have a communication with the sea, which was the case of all those that I saw, abound. with fish, that have very much the resemblance of small salmon, and are from four to six pounds' weight. I could not understand that the inhabitants thought it worth their while to fish for them. As these lakes are not deep, they become an easy prey to the bears and dogs during the summer; and if I might judge from the quantity of bones to be seen upon the banks, they devour vast numbers of them.

The inhabitants, for the most part, dry their salmon, and salt very little of it. Each fish is cut into three pieces, the belly-piece being first taken off, and afterward a slice along each side the back-bone. The former of these are dried and smoked, and esteemed the finest part of the fish, and sold, when we were at Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's, at the rate of one hundred for a rouble. The latter are dried in the air, and either eaten whole as bread, or reduced to pow

der, of which they make paste and cakes, that are not unpleasant to the taste. The head, tail, and bones, are hung up and dried for winter provision for the dogs.

List of the Animals found in Kamtschatka, communicated by Mr. Pennant. *

* The quadrupeds and birds mentioned in this part of the voyage are marked

in this list with a double asterisk.

There were no domestic animals in Kamtschatka, till they were
introduced by the Russians. The dogs, which seem to be of
wolfish descent, are aboriginal.

*The birds which are not described by Linnæus, are referred to the History of
Birds, now publishing by Mr. Latham, surgeon, in Dartford Kent.

(Latham, ii. 305.)

(Latham, ii. 351.)

287

ib.

331

ib.

338