38 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC" AMERICA. 



the ajdk-}calji(ja]:, or ivoiy fisli-bait. It is about four inches in Icnfrth^ 

 and is nnnlc to h)ok as much like a lish as i)0ssiblc. A hue is i)assc(l 

 througli the middle of the back, and is fastened on the belly j here is a 

 small ivory hook that reaches from an inch to two inches below the fish. 

 The i)rincipal use of the ajalJcaljiijak is not, however, to hook lish, but 

 to lure them within reach of the spear. The Eskimo takes his ivory lish 

 and bobs it up and down iu the water, f;enerally in a tide crack or a. 

 hole iu the ice on i)urpose, and watches till he s])ies a fish making for it. 

 He then gently begins to liaul in on his line, if the lish follows the lure, 

 till it is -within reach of his sjiear; sometimes a greedy lish will swallow 

 the bait and get caught with this ]U'ijnitive gear. At the ])resent 

 day they seldom use this implement. Iron lish-liooks aresupi)lied them 

 from the ships; but they are ])oor lishermen compared witli the Green- 

 landers. 



One little imi)U'nu'Ut of comparatively insignilicant imi)ortance seems 

 not to have been superseded by any modern substitute as yet. It is the 

 Jcadjulc, a small piece of ivory of different shapes, used to insert in the 

 lips of the seals while dragging them over the ice. We have given illus- 

 trations of the principal patterns we found in use. Xo. Sis the same as 

 No. 7 when seen from the top. This is a very ingenious piece of work. 

 The main body of the piece is hollow, and the portion No. 11 has a lu-ad 

 which i)revents it ])ulling through, but at the same time turns freely, 

 and i)revents the line liom twisting when the seal turns over. It is so 

 well made that the inside piece cannot be got through any of the open- 

 ings. Xo. 3. is No. 2 seen from the top. No. 10 is sometimes used as a 

 part of the chisp on the sealing liiu'. Nos. 1, 4, and 9 are the coinMion- 

 est patterns. No sealer's line is without one or more of these imple- 

 ments of some pattern or other; they are all made from walnis ivory. 



Of prime importance to the T^skimo hunter is his hook for catching 

 the young seal. Ilere again tlu-ir old i»attcrn lias been niodilicd by 

 their contact with the whites. A glance at the accompanying ligures. 

 will sulliciently exi)lain the shape of these im]tlements. The upjuT 

 ligure represents the ancient i)attern; it was found in a grave in the 

 Greater Kingwah Fjord, but so iiui< li drcnycd as to fall to pieces wlien 

 hand]e<l ; the hook i>art was nia<le from a portion of a reindeer's antler, 

 "witlj a small l)arl) <'ut neartlu' jxiint. Its resemblance to the iron hook 

 of the present day is v<'ry apparent. 



The sealing hook of the ]>resent day is niiuh' generally' fiom a dis( ;i!(h'd 

 whale la nee ; llie handle is a lii;ht wooden shall about ti\e leet in leii-t h. 



