DOG-SHEARING. 215 



shadow of the silent forest, has often scared my 

 horse, and for the moment startled me. 



West of the Rocky Mountains I have never seen 

 Indians use dogs for any system of transport ; 

 they either pack what they have to carry on the 

 backs of horses, where canoes are not available, 

 or failing either of these, the unfortunate squaws 

 do the work of beasts of burden. The inland 

 tribes use dogs solely for the chase and protection 

 of their camps. Along the coast several tribes 

 at one time kept dogs of a peculiar breed, having 

 long white hair, that were annually shorn as we 

 shear sheep, and the hair so obtained was woven 

 into rugs, sometimes mixed with the wool of the 



O ' 



mountain goat, at others duck feathers, or wild 



o 



hemp, finely carded. Several of these most 

 curious rugs are in the Ethnological room at the 



o o 



British Museum, visible to any who may be 

 curious to see weaving in its most primitive 

 form. I obtained them at different places along 

 the coast. The simple machine or loom, if it 

 may be so designated, used in weaving these rugs 

 is also visible in the collection of the ' Economic 

 Museum ' at Kew. 



It is a singular thing if these remote tribes 

 discovered for themselves the art of weaving ; 

 for they knew and practised weaving dog-hair 



