Fishing.
CROTON SETIGERUS
(Ind. Tu-tal)
American Dove Weed. The beautiful dwarf plant is very common throughout the coastal region and far into the inland valleys. It appears about July in most barley fields after the harvest. It is truly a paradise for wild turtledoves, and the hunter who goes into a place where the Croton setigerus grows may be sure of bagging a good number of doves in a short time.
The Indians gathered the plant for use in their fishing operations, and some of it was stored away for winter use. The weed has a strongly intoxicating effect on fish.
A place was selected along the stream bed in a rather shallow spot and dammed across.
After this, a regular mat, formed of Setigerus, was laid on the surface of the water, while a large number of Indians went upstream to herd the schools of fish downstream and into the trap. Quite a simple procedure, as the herding was done by merely beating the water ahead of them. A barricade built of brushwood behind them prevented the fish from going upstream. The water in the pond having become impregnated with the Setigerus affected the fish so that they soon floated helplessly on the surface of the water where the Indians just picked them out by hand. When a sufficient supply had been taken, the Croton setigerus was removed and piled up on the bank of the stream to dry and be used again. The dam and barricade were also done away with and the uncaught fish were allowed to get into fresh water to recuperate.