306 Dr King on the Physical Characters of the Esquimaux^ 



land braid it, and tie it up in a bunch on the top of the 

 head.* 



The circular band of white reindeer fur worn usefully by 

 the natives of the Great Fish River and Labrador, is occa- 

 sionally used by some of the communities as a mere ornament, 

 and is frequently formed of brass, either plain or serrated at 

 the upper edge,t or of brass-buttons strung together.| In 

 some cases, the men thus ornament themselves, which, among 

 the inhabitants of Kotzebue's Sound, consists of alternate blue 

 and white shells ; and at Melville Peninsula, of several strips 

 of skins sewn together, alternately black and yellow. Near 

 the upper edge, some hair is artfully interwoven, forming, with 

 the skin, a very pretty chequer- work. Along the lower edge 

 is suspended more than a hundred small teeth, principally of 

 the deer, neatly fastened by small double tags of sinew, and 

 forming a very appropriate fringe.§ Necklaces, bracelets, and 

 ear ornaments, are seldom worn. But one instance of the 

 former is on record, that of a native woman of Kotzebue's 

 Sound, recorded by Captain Beechy. This necklace consisted 

 of pieces of amber strung together. Bracelets and ear orna- 

 ments are generally worn by the natives of Prince William's 

 Sound, II and but rarely by the inhabitants of Kotzebue In- 

 let.lF The bracelets are formed of iron or copper ;** pieces of 

 amber or shells, or beads strung together .ft The eair ornar 

 ments consist of blue glass beads at Kotzebue Inlet, and at 

 Prince William's Sound, of pieces of tubulose shells in small 

 bunches. These people were, moreover, singular in both 

 sexes, wearing ear-drops.JJ The ears were not pierced after 

 our fashion, but with several holes about the outer and lower 

 part of the edges. Neither Kotzebue nor Beechy have stated 

 whether the same kind of perforations were adopted by the 

 natives of Kotzebue's Sound. At the Great Fish River, the 

 ermine skin was the favourite ear ornament ;§§ and Sir John 

 Ross obtained from a native of Regent's Inlet, a small bar of 

 iron ore, suspended by sinew for the same purpose. Lieutenant 



OHeiHy, Egede. t Parry, Curtis. | Probisher. f Parry. 



I) Cook. IT Kotzebue, Beechy. ** Kotzebue, Beechy. 



tt Cook. XX Cook- §§ I^ing- 



