56 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



clotliin.£: of the Cumberliind Eskimo made from the skins of tLc young 

 seal ; tlioy at first mistook it for bear. I was informed that, in the vicinity 

 of Disko at least, tliey never i^rocnrc enouj^h of the skins of the yoiing 

 in the Mliite coat to use them for elotliiii.ii' 1t» any extent. 



In the Cumberhmd waters they are resident, and do not migrate at all 

 unless much distnrl)e(l, and then they merely seek a more secluded 

 locality. On the (Ireenland coast they appear to migrate uj) the ico 

 fjords in sunmicr, l)ut to be more generally distributed at other seasons. 



The netsick shows a decided predilection for the quiet still bays and 

 fjords, seldom venturing far from land. Tiiej" are the onlj' seal caught 

 througli the ice in Minter, and are conse<inently the chief and almost 

 sole dependence of the Eskimo for food, iiu'l, light, an<l clothing. 



The skins of the adults are made into summer clothing, Avhile the 

 yoiiug are in great demand for under-garments and for trou*sers. 

 Children often have entire suits of the young in the white coats; such 

 clothing looks very beautiful when new, but it is new but a few 

 days, and after this it is repulsive enough. The females were found 

 enceinte in the latter jiart of October, and a ftetus nearly ready for birth 

 was taken from the uterus January IG. It was two feet from the end of 

 nose to the end of hind tlippers. It was so doubled in the uteriLs, how- 

 ever, as to occupy a space hardly a foot in h'ugth: tin- liiiid tlippers 

 were turned forward on the tibite, the fore liippers hugged the sides, and 

 the head bent over on the neck and inclined to one side. 



In a large fjord known as the Greater Kingwah the tide runs so swiftly 

 at one locality that it never freezes for a space varj-iug from ten to one 

 hundred acres. Here the netsick gather in considerable numbers all 

 winter, and it is a favorite resort for sucli Eskimo as are fortunate 

 enough to possess a gun. Ueing but a few miles from our winter liarhor, 

 there were almost daily excursions to these tide rifts by our l^skimo 

 hunters. Alter the 1st of .March very few ])regii:int t'eiiiales were killed 

 at tills i>lace, they having l)y this time chosen the localities for having 

 their young. Those killed after this date were all adult '' tigak," or old 

 stinking males. ' 



It was interesting that the young — yenrlings ;ind some two-year olds, 

 such as had not yet arrived at maturity — were st'ldom, if ever, killed in 

 this open water, l)ut lived in colonies by themselves. When an Eskimo 

 finds a u\un])vv()l' <itlnJ:.s (breathing-holes) neartogetln'r, he always marks 

 tlir pkice by raising liltle iiiounds ol snow near the holes, for lie knows 

 tliat liere is a colony ol" \onng animals, wliicli li;i\-e better skins and 



