784 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



several times by threes, between which is the alternating dentate ijat- 

 tern, the result of the interlacing, or alternate approximation, of points, 

 the intervening surface resulting in a fine zigzag pattern. The simple 

 zigzag lines occur near the middle of the specimen, while the small lat- 

 eral ornaments resembling bird tracks are conventional tree patterns. 



The incisions are all stained with what appears to be red ocher. 

 Total length is 12 j^ inches; has a sharp cutting edge and shows evi 

 dence of much use. 



The ivory snow knife (fig. 4) was collected by Mr. E. W. Nelson at 

 the Ohalitmut village, and occupies the bottom place on plate 15. The 

 specimen is 14J inches in length and 1|^ inches across the widest part 

 of the tolerably sharp blade. The bottom of the handle is ornamented 

 with seven projections representing seal heads, the eyes and mouth of 

 each being clearly cut and blackened. Along the top or back of the 

 blade are three parallel creases, crossed at intervals by short lines. 

 The upper edge of each side of the blade has two parallel lines extend- 

 ing from the base to near the tip, from the lower one of which extend 

 short <^ shaped ornaments resembling the legs on some of the Eskimo 

 mythic animals. The line, extending almost halfway along the bottom 

 edge of the blade, has single short lines projecting backward, at a slight 

 angle, at intervals of about half an inch apart. This is a simpler form 

 of ornament, though of the same type as that upon the upper side of 

 the blade. 



Along the center, on either side, is a line terminating at the middle 

 of the blade in a circle within which is another and a central perfora- 

 tion filled with a hard wooden peg. 



The central line on each side has simple, short, oblique lateral 

 incisions as ornaments, while the outer circle has lines radiating at the 

 cardinal points. 



On plate 18 are reproduced three bone skin dressers, figs. 1 and 3 

 being obtained from the Thlingit Indians, while fig. 2 was secured at 

 Sitka, no specific tribe being referred to in the records accompanying 

 the object. 



The ornamentation on plate 18, fig. 1 consists chiefly of three rows of 

 small squares being arranged in order to resemble a checkered surface, 

 the one series of squares being plain while the other is specified by 

 cross lines. At the upper edge, embracing a little more than one- third 

 of the surface, is a longitudinal surface marked by pairs of diagonal 

 lines. 



The specimen on plate 18, fig. 2, has most of the surface of one side 

 divided off into three rectangles, all but one of the lines forming the 

 boundaries, being decorated on the inner side by broken series of small 

 triangles. This is a common Eskimo pattern, but has not the oppos- 

 ing fellow so as to form the zigzag. The pattern does not occur on 

 other specimens of like workmanship from the Thlingit Indians, or 

 from Sitka, excepting in the specimen on plate 46, fig. 3, in which two 



