318 cook's voyage to oct. 



Catalogue of Arctic Animals, with references to his 

 work, and permission to insert it. It will be found 

 at the end of this chapter ; and I feel myself ex- 

 tremely happy in laying it before the reader, and 

 thereby presenting him with what could have been 

 furnished from no other quarter, one entire view of 

 Kamtschadale zoology. 



Fish may be considered as the staple article of food 

 with which Providence hath supplied the inhabitants 

 of this peninsula, who in general must never expect 

 to draw any considerable part of their sustenance 

 either from grain or cattle. It is true, the soil, as 

 has been remarked, affords some good and nourishing 

 roots, and every part of the country abounds in 

 berries ; but though these alone would be insufficient 

 for the support of the people, yet, at the same time, 

 they are necessary correctives of the putrescent qua- 

 lity of their dried fish. In short, fish may, with 

 much greater justice, be here called the staff of life, 

 than bread is in other countries; since it appears, 

 that neither the inhabitants, nor the only domestic 

 animal they have, the dog, could exist without it. 



Whales are frequently seen, both in the sea of 

 Okotsk and on the side of the eastern ocean, and 

 when caught are turned to a variety of uses. Of the 

 skin they make the soles of their shoes, and straps 

 and thongs for various other purposes. The flesh they 

 eat, and the fat, is carefully stored, both for kitchen 

 use and for their lamps. The whiskers are found to 

 be the best materials for sewing together the seams 

 of their canoes; they likewise make nets of them for 

 the larger kind offish ; and, with the under jaw-bones, 

 their sledges are shod. They likewise work the bones 

 into knives; and formerly the chains with which their 

 dogs are tied w 7 ere made of that material, though at 

 present iron ones are generally used. The intestines 

 they clean, then blow and dry like bladders, and it 

 is in these their oil and grease is stored ; and of the 

 nerves and veins, which are both strong and slip 

 readily, they make excellent snares; so that there is 



