510 ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC KEGIONS. 



much so, that their animation is not often destroyed 

 until after they are flayed. I have, indeed, seen 

 them successfully attempt to swim, when in a state 

 too shockingly mangled to be fit for description. 



The uses of the seal are various ; and, to some na- 

 tions, highly important. It yields train oil, which, 

 when extracted before putrefaction has commenced, is 

 beautifully transparent in its appearance, free from 

 smell, and not unpleasant in taste. The skin, when 

 tanned, is extensively employed in the making of shoes ; 

 and when dressed with the hair on, serves for the co- 

 vering of trunks, &c. To the Esquimaux, the seal is 

 of as much importance as bread is to a European. 

 Its flesh forms their most usual food ; the fat is 

 partly dressed for eating, and partly consumed in 

 their lamps ; the liver when fried, is, even among 

 sailors, esteemed as an agreeable dish. The skin, 

 which the Esquimaux dress by processes peculiar to 

 themselves, is made water proof. With the hair 

 off, it is used as coverings, instead of planks, for 

 their boats, and as outer garments for themselves ; 

 shielded with which, they can invert themselves and 

 canoes in the water, without getting their bodies 

 wet. A single effort with their paddle restores them 

 to their proper position. It serves also for coverings 

 for their tents, and for various other purposes. The 

 jackets and trowsers made of skin by the Esquimaux 

 are in great request among the whale-fishers for pre- 

 serving them fi'om oil and wet. 



2 



