r clothes and lay themselves along to
bask in the sun, in the same manner as we had seen practised at their
village. Their canoes of the larger sort are, indeed, sufficiently
spacious for that purpose, and perfectly dry; so that, under shelter
of a skin, they are, except in rainy weather, much more comfortable
habitations than their houses.

Though their food, strictly speaking, may be said to consist of every
thing animal or vegetable that they can procure, the quantity of the
latter bears an exceeding small proportion to that of the former.
Their greatest reliance seems to be upon the sea, as affording fish,
muscles, and smaller shell-fish, and sea-animals. Of the first,
the principal are herrings and sardines; the two species of bream,
formerly mentioned, and small cod. But the herrings and sardines are
not only eaten fresh, in their season, but likewise serve as stores,
which, after being dried and smoked, are preserved, by being sewed
up in mats, so as to form large bales, three or four feet square. It
seems that the herrings also supply them with another grand resource
for food; which is a vast quantity of roe, very curiously prepared. It
is strewed upon, or as it were incrustated about small branches of
the Canadian pine. They also prepare it upon a long narrow sea-grass,
which grows plentifully upon the rocks, under water. This _caviare_,
if it may be so called, is kept in baskets or bags of mat, and used
occasionally, being first dipped in water. It may be considered as the
winter bread of these people, and has no disagreeable taste. They also
eat the roe of some other fish, which, from the size of its grains,
must be very large; but it has a rancid taste and smell. It does not
appear that they prepare any other fish in this manner, to preserve
them for any length of time. For though they split and dry a few of
the bream and _chimaerae_, which are pretty plentiful, they do not smoke
them as the herrings and sardines.

The next article, on which they seem to depend for a large proportion
of their food, is the large muscle; great abundance of which are found
in the Sound. These are roasted in their shells, then stuck upon
long wooden-skewers, and taken off occasionally as wanted; being eat
without any other preparation, though they often dip them in oil as a
sauce. The other marine productions, such as the smaller shell-fish,
though they contribute to increase the general stock, are by no means
to be looked upo