224 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



eter, with half a large blue-glass bead glued to the middle of 

 each. Others are shaped like plugs, and are made of black, white, 

 or gray stone. They used to pick up the stoppers of Worcester- 

 shire-sauce bottles that we threw away, and make labrets of 

 them. All they had to do was to grind off the knob on top a 

 little, to make it fit comfortably between the lip and gum. 



Their clothes are made almost wholly of the skins of wild ani- 

 mals, though they sometimes wear outside frocks of calico or 

 drilling. The skin which is most commonly used is that of the 

 reindeer, which is perhaps the best material that could be found 

 for clothing in a cold climate. It is very warm and at the same 

 time very light, and can be had of various thicknesses, from the 

 short-haired fawn-skin, fit for making handsome thin clothing, to 

 the heavy winter coat of the buck, suitable for blankets or thick 

 clothing, to wear in the very coldest weather. 



A man's full suit of clothes consists of a loose frock, with no 

 opening except at the neck, provided with a hood that can be 

 drawn up over the head, and a pair of close-fitting knee-breeches, 

 tied down with draw-strings over the tops of the long boots. In 

 cold weather a second frock is worn under the first, with the hair 

 side next the skin, and an extra pair of breeches. On the feet are 

 worn long stockings of thick deer-skin, with the hair next the 

 skin, and outside of these the tight-fitting boots, which in winter 

 are made of the short-haired skin of the deer's legs, with soles of 

 sealskin tanned white, and in summer of water-proof sealskin, 

 with the hair carefully scraped off without removing the black 

 epidermis, with soles made of the skin of the bearded seal or the 

 white whale. These boot-soles are very neatly crimped up all 

 round the foot, like the soles of moccasins. The crimjung is done 

 with the teeth, which is one reason why the women's teeth wear 

 out so quickly. 



I know of no warmer and more comfortable foot-gear for a 

 cold climate than the Eskimo fur stocking and deerskin boot, 

 with the elastic pad of whalebone shavings worn under the foot, 

 between the stocking and the boot as they wear it. 



The man's frock is cut off square across the skirts, and reaches 

 about to the middle of the thigh. The women wear a good deal 

 longer frock, which comes down in two rounded flaps, one in front 

 and one behind, nearly or quite to the knees. This frock, too, is 

 made looser in the back than the man's, so as to make room for 

 the mother to carry her little baby inside, and there is a special 

 bulge in the hood just at the back of the neck to make room for 

 the youngster's head. Instead of breeches and boots, the woman 

 wears tight-fitting pantaloons all in one piece with the shoes, 

 which have soles like those of the men's boots. These pantaloons 

 are made of deer-skin in winter, but in summer they are made of 



