The articles they brought off were, as before, skins, fish, fishing CHAP.
implements, and nic-nacs. Their peltry consisted of the skins of he
seal, of the common and arctic fox, the common and musk^vat
marten, beaver, three varieties of ermine, one white, one with a light
brown back and yellow belly,and the third with a gray spottej^whi e
and yellow; the American otter, the white hare, the polar bear, the wo
the deer and the badger. Their fish were salmon and herrings : their
implements, lances, either of stone or of a walrus tooth fixed to the end
of a wooden staff; harpoons precisely similar to the Esquimaux; arrows;
drilir and an instrument, the use of which was at first not very evident.
It was part of a walrus tooth shaped something like a shoehorn, wi h four
holes at the small end communicating with a trough that
the middle of the instrument and widened as it neared the bioad
p rt From the explanation given o fit by the natives, it was evidently
7 d to procure blood from dying animals, by inserting the end
with the holes into the wound, and placing the month at the op-
I d of the trough to receive the liquid as it flowed. From the
S c t i o n that was ertnced by the describer during the exp anation,
it is evident that the blood of animals is as much esteemed by these
people as by the eastern Esquimaux*. On the outside of this and other
Ltrnments there were etched a variety of figures of men beasts, and
birds &c with a truth and character which showed the art to be common
among them. The reindeer were generally in herds; in one
p icL T th e y were pursued by a man in a stooping posture m snow-
r o e l in another he had approached nearer to his game, and was in
the act of drawing his bow. A third represented the manner of taking
seals with an inflated skin of the same animal as a decoy ; it was placed
n p t the ice, and not far from it was a man lying upon his belly with a
h a r p o l r e a l to strike the animal when it should make its appearance
Z t Z was dragging a seal home upon a small sledge; and several
baidars were employed harpooning whales which
shot with arrows; and thus by comparing one with anothei a little
h L try was obtamed which gave ns a better insight into their habits
than could be elicited from any signs or intimations.
• See Captain Barry’s Second Voyage, 4to, p. 510. ^ ^ ^
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