﻿SNOW-PIOUSES. 349 



severest frosts, by constant gnawing. It is a watch- 

 ful creature, with acute senses of sight and hearing ; 

 but it is no match for the Eskimo hunter, who has 

 carefully studied all its habits from his infancy. 

 As the days lengthen, the villages are emptied of 

 their inhabitants, who move seaward on the ice to 

 the seal hunt. Then comes into use a marvellous 

 system of architecture, unknown among the rest of 

 the American nations. The fine, pure snow has 

 by that time acquired, under the action of strong 

 winds and hard frosts, sufficient coherence to form 

 an admirable light building material, with which 

 the Eskimo master-mason erects most comfortable 

 dome-sliaped houses. A circle is first traced on 

 the smooth surface of the snow, and the slabs for 

 raising the walls are cut from within, so as to 

 clear a space down to the ice, which is to form 

 the floor of the dwelling, and whose evenness was 

 previously ascertained by probing. The slabs re- 

 quisite to complete the dome, after the interior of 

 the circle is exhausted, are cut from some neigh- 

 bouring spot. Each slab is neatly fitted to its 

 place by running a flenching-knife along the joint, 

 when it instantly freezes to the wall, the cold atmo- 

 sphere forming a most excellent cement. Crevices 

 are plugged up, and seams accurately closed by 

 throwing a few shovelfuls of loose snow over the 

 fabric. Two men generally work together in raising 



