Implements and Artefacts of the North-east Greenlanders. 411 



thus taken alive, it is imperative tliat the stones be heavy enough 

 to resist any attempt on the part of the victim to thrust them aside; 

 the trap itself, also, must be erected on a floor of solid rock, to 

 prevent burrowing out beneath the stones. 



It is this type of fox trap which was formerly employed through- 

 out the whole of Greenland, and which is still in use to some ex- 

 tent. In the colonised parts of West Greenland, where wood is 

 more generally available, another type is now also used, without 

 the falling door. In this case, a board is laid in a sloping position 

 lengthwise through the chamber of the trap, with one end resting 

 on the ground at the rear wall, the other being held, by a contri- 

 vance similar to that already described, on a level with the roof of 

 the entrance. A pull at the bait releases the hold, and the board, 

 weighted with stones, falls down upon the inmate and kills it. 



