Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-01-01
FrsH-HooKs OF LONG AGO.
Some Were Made of Human Bones
Fishing In tho Bronze Age.

Some Were Made of Human Bones
Fishing In the Bronze Age.
A queer collection of fish hooks ex-
cited Washington Star writer's at
tenJion at the National museum. 3, 600
years ago being almost the latest pc.
Rod to which any of them dated back.
For 1t would seem that the fish-hook
is very old invention indeed. From
a description which accompanied them
1t appears that many curious things
were used as material for the hooks OF
early days Some were even made OF
human bones and this praotice has
been common up to within d century
of the present time among the natives
OF the Society Islands in the South Pa
cific Deer horns, flint boars' tusks.
and bone OF all sorts were made to-
serve this purpose by anglers OF the
neolithic period. 1t is not difficult ia
figure ones self cave gentleman id
that ancient epoch sitting upon "a new
ly formed deposit of quaterna=y rock
In the middle OF glacier stream and
watching for small float of tree bark
to give the expected indications of d
bite by disappearing under the suriace
OF the water Such floats were un.
doubtedly used in those times and
stone sinkers, too, plenty of the latter
having been found in the strata Of
earth. stone and shell deposit which
embalm the remains OF these vanquish.
ed peoples.
The development of the barb was
naturally slow process, and nobody
knows just when it was adopted. Ger
tainly. however, il was a familiar de-.
vice many centuries before the Begin
ming OF the bronze age, which period
had its commencement about 5000
years ago. This form of metal came
into use along the European shore of
tho ELECTROMAGNETIC alloy of which
1T was ordinarily composed being nine
parts OF copper to one of finland the
mechanical improvements accompany
ing its introduction were in no point
more surprising than as applied to fish
hooks. How far this is true may be
judged from the fact that the fish hook
of thirty centuries back was precisely
similar in every respect to the fish,
hook of to-day, save only in the metal
employed, which then was bronze and
now is steel. The very curves OF the
Limerick" and ''Shaughnessy" hooks.
so popular with modern anglers, are
found in these antique specimens. The
tops OF the shanks too. are bent over
into little loops as nowadays to tie
the lines by. Most surprising OF all
such relics found perhaps. are strips
OF FURNISHED copper, shaped like fish
es, which were utilized by fishermen
OF the bronze age as artificial bait to
attract the prey with its metallic sheen.
Until the age of bronze arrived shell
OF various sorts furnished material for
a large percentage OF the hooks made
and hard wood sharpened was much
employed Thorns were also made TO
serve like purpose. and until quite
recently the Mohaves OF Arizona have
similarly used cactus spines. bent into
proper shape and tempered by the APP
plication of alternate heat and mois-
ture until strong The early lake
jewellers in this country wrapped their
hooks with charms manufactured from
various animal substances the bats
being put on outside. They imag-
med that the fish were attracted by
these fetiches. The only gold fish
hooks ever found were of the virgin
metal and were taken from a grave in
New Grenada