324 THE LABRADOR PENINSULA. CHAT. xix. 



mosquitoes, but the same form of lodge is found among the 

 Ojibways of the Lake of the Woods. The only articles of 

 daily use in which I observed any difference were the snow- 

 shoes ; these were very broad and much shorter than 

 those used by the western Indians. I measured one pair 

 in Otelne's tent, which were nineteen inches broad and 

 thirty-three inches long ; while a pair I brought with me 

 from Eed River in 1858 were forty-six inches long and 

 only ten inches broad. 



The Nasquapee who was buried yesterday left two 

 wives sisters. I was informed the poor fellow died a 

 lingering death ; he had not hunted for an entire year, and 

 during the whole of that time was supported by his wives. 

 When these people arrive on the coast they have some 

 difficulty in procuring food, except in the spring and the 

 fall, when wild fowl are abundant. They have to learn 

 how to hunt the seal, and many of them are not familiar 

 with fire-arms, so that they find it very difficult to kill 

 birds on the wing. Their fish-hooks are of two descriptions 

 -one as described in Chapter XIII., the other formed 

 of two pieces of bone, which lie parallel to one another 

 when baited, but as soon as the fish bites and a sharp pull 

 is given by the fisherman, the pieces of bone separate, 

 assume a position at right angles to one another, and 

 stretch across the jaws of the fish. They have a dis- 

 gusting habit of preserving a small portion of the tobacco 

 which remains in the bottom of their pipes after a smoke, 

 and chewing it, enjoy the strong flavour of the oil it 

 contains, which Europeans are generally glad to reject. 

 Caribou fat is one of their chief delights ; they preserve 

 it in a piece of the skin of the animal made into 



