20 NOTES ON THE KURIL ISLANDS. 



happened when the weather was too cold and boisterous to get 

 about, or when they had used up all their ammunition. 



The flesh of the sea-otter, which is very rank to a civilized 

 palate, was their favourite food. The intestines of the animal, put 

 into a saucepan just as they were taken from the carcase, without 

 any attempt at cleaning, and stewed, was considered a great 

 delicacy. 



Like all the rest of the northern tribes, they were extremely 

 fond of spirits. I have, however, met a few who would not drink. 

 On Saghalin I have seen a native Ainu woman give her baby at 

 the breast neat rum, which the little one appeared to enjoy, for 

 i t cried for more, and would not be quieted till it got it. 



The dresses of these natives were made of birdskins, sewn 

 together with sinews of the sea-lion. The feathers were worn 

 inside next the skin. The outside of the dress was usually adorned 

 with the yellow plumes and brilliantly coloured beaks of the tufted 

 and horned puftin. The edges, and around the neck, were trimmed 

 with narrow strips of fur sealskin. In shape the parka was like 

 a large shirt. It was put on over the head, and had an opening 

 halfway down the front. At the neck it was fastened by strings, 

 on the ends of which were ornaments made of puffins' beaks and a 

 small piece of fur. A girdle of sea-lion hide was used by the men 

 to tie in at the waist. The women generally wore theirs loose, 

 and it was made longer than the men's, because, I suppose, they did 

 not wear trousers as a rule. 



The overhanging fold above the girdle was used instead of a 

 pocket. It was a receptacle for everything. In bringing off" skins 

 to trade, they would invariably be stowed away inside their parka, 

 and produced one at a time, and when the bartering power of 

 that one skin was exhausted, another would be produced, and so 

 on. Everything got in exchange, that would go inside this gar- 

 ment, was put there, and it was common to see tins of powder, 

 boxes of caps, pieces of lead, tobacco, tea, sugar, cooked rice, 

 beef and pork, old shirts and trousers, etc., all stowed away, in- 

 discriminately mixed up, around a man's waist. Sometimes they 

 would bring off seafoAvls' eggs, and not a few would get broken. 

 The state of things inside their parka can be imagined. 



For lower garments they wore trousers made of birdskins also, 

 when they could not obtain any old cloth ones in trade. Trousers 



