THE MUSEUM. 



25 



prepared a catalogue of illustrations 

 of many of the finer showy shells. 

 This list will figure nearly 200 species 

 and we trust will be found handy to 

 shell collectors both in identifying 

 shells and in bringing to their notice 

 pictures of many rare and desirable 

 species. It will be ready about the 

 time subscribers get this copy of the 

 MrsEi'M, and a copy will be sent to 

 any one notifying us with a 2ct. stamp 

 enclosed. .-\s we have recently come 

 into possession of a very fine and rare 

 collectiou of nearly 20,000 shells 

 which will be broken up and sold in as 

 small lots as desired, we shall be able 

 to supply our friends with nearly all 

 shells illustrated in the list at nominal 

 prices. 



Among the Alaska Siwash. 



Of the various parts of the globe 

 that delight the curio hunter, Alaska 

 in our own country can offer a fine 

 field in the way of curiosities and im- 

 plements of a little known race of peo- 

 ple, the Siwash Indians. 



Now that the eyes of the world are 

 turned on Alaska, it is well to remem- 

 ber that "all that glitters is not gold," 

 for to the eyes of some, the sight of an 

 old and battered implement of other 

 days has a fascination equal to the 

 spell that the yellow metal has for the 

 prospector. 



In many of the low flat houses along 

 the beach are found queer carved 

 boxes that contain their "iktas". A 

 preserved collection of family heir- 

 looms that have been handed down 

 from generation to generation, each 

 with histories. When one hears their 

 queer designs translated, the)' imagine 

 their ancient owners were a very gifted 

 and wonderful people. Many relics 

 they refuse to part with, others can be 

 bought if you have the price and many 

 of the modern articles are openly of- 

 fered for sale. 



The old rirticles represent ivory and 

 stone dishes, spear heads, and various 

 ornaments. The designs carved on 

 their surface represent various crea- 



tures but idealized to such an e.xtent 

 as to be hardly recognizable. Other 

 old pieces may be of stone fashioned 

 into pipes, axes and fleshers, often in- 

 laid with abaloney shells. Other thin, 

 shale-like pieces of rock of uniform 

 size, having odd designs on the sur- 

 face and a hole or two near the edge 

 are said to once have been the cur- 

 rency among the people. 



The various paraphanalia of the old 

 medicine men is now rapidly becom- 

 ing very scarce, their practice being no 

 longer tolerated among the more ad- 

 vanced tribes. His ingeniously carved 



cssE^;^ 



rattles are now rarely seen — hollow 

 affairs, grotesquely decorated, that 

 were believed to keep off the devil. 

 About all they wore on their "visits" 

 to the sick is a necklace of human 

 bones that arc sometimes found in the 

 dead houses where these special peo- 

 ple of the tribe were buried. The 

 various articles formerly used in their 



