Fishing No. 2

Engraver Matthew Dubourg (fl 1786 - 1808)

Artist John Heaviside Clark (Scottish, 1770 - 1863)

Publisher Edward Orme (British, 1775 - 1838)

Date1813

Object number00004390

NameEngraving

MediumColoured aquatint on paper

DimensionsOverall: 341 x 366 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionTwo men fishing from a Nawi (canoe). Illustration from 'Field sports &c. &c. of the native inhabitants of New South Wales' by John Heaviside Clark published in 1813, engraved by Matthew Dubourg after a drawing by John Heaviside Clark.HistoryThe text to plates Fishing No.1 and Fishing No. 2 from 'Field sports &c. &c. of the native inhabitants of New South Wales': Catching Fish with the hook and line is, generally, the employ of the females. The lines are manufactured from the tough inner bark or rind of various trees, which is beaten with a stone until it becomes fibrous. The finer strings are then twisted into strands, and the line, which usually consists of two strands, is made to any length. The hooks are made with infinite labour from the pearly part of shells, but not barbed. The canoes are constructed of bark, securely lashed at the extremities, and cemented with yellow resin, which renders them perfectly water-tight. They have stretchers to regulate the width, and are sometimes large enough to contain four persons. The natives who inhabit the coast are excellent swimmers, and manage the canoe very dexterously. The men fish with the spear or fish-gig, which instrument can be in creased, by joints, to any manageable length, that the depth of the water may require, and are armed with two, three, or four points, or prongs, each barbed with bits of shell or fish bone. In fine weather, it is usual for the natives to lie across the canoe, with their heads beneath the surface of the water, and the spear raised, in readiness to strike the Fish which may chance to glide within their reach; this they do with such certainty, as rarely to miss their aim. When a Fish is speared too large to be conveniently taken into the canoe, they proceed, with the greatest caution, to the shore, where the necessary assistance can be obtained. A heap of weed at one end of the canoe enables them to preserve their fire, even at sea.