682 rnocEEDrxas of the national museum. vouxxvin. 



made several more winter trips to the same house, as well as to the 

 spriiio- provision reiidezNous on the ice, already mentioned. By the 

 autumn of 1865, liowM^cr. several new huts were l)uilt at intervening- 

 distances from there to within some (K) miles from the post. This was 

 done at 1113" request, and th(Mr occupants met with some success in trap- 

 ping foxes and minks, with a few martens, in the wooded ravines 

 farther south. On this and subsequent winter trips to the coast, we 

 observed fresh traces of reindeer, while the Eskimos informed us that 

 some animals were occasionally seen, and a few shot, most every winter, 

 ver}' close to the ice-covered sea. The Fort Indians usually snared a 

 number of reindeer in spring 'md sunnner, l)ut their big annual hunt 

 was made in the fall, when they frequently shot and speared them by 

 the himdred. During the winter season they always succeeded in kill- 

 ing a few individuals now and then, but more, of course, when the 

 snow happened to be deeper than usual. 



When the fall of snow is light and the weather severely cold, the 

 reindeer are almost constantly on the move, and are then ver}^ difficult 

 of approach. At such times, especially when rabbits are scarce, the 

 " caribou-eating'" Indians frequenth' suffer much privation for want of 

 food while following them for a living in their winter peregrinations. 

 The skin of the reindeer furnishes the Eskimos with nearl}- all of 

 their summer and winter clothing. The hair or fur is never removed 

 in this connection; the made-up skin of the fawn forms the inner shirt, 

 with the fur side next the body. (The skin of the musquash is some- 

 times used in a similar manner.) The outer tunic, shirt, or capote, with 

 hood attached, is made from selected portions of adult late sunmier or 

 early fall skins, with the hair outside and having the borders trimmed 

 with a thin strip of the fur of the wolf or wolverine. A sufficient 

 num))er of similarly scraped l)ut undressed skins are sewed together 

 and mounted on poles to form a summer tent or lodge, and also for 

 sleeping rt)])es or l)lankets for personal and family use. These robes 

 are as flexibly prepared as the tunics, and are ver}" comfortable on a 

 cold, windy night. The Indians are also generally indebted to the 

 reindeer for winter robes and capotes, and likewise for tents and dressed 

 leather for making moccasins, gloves, tunics or shirts, trousers, game 

 bags, and women's and children's clothing. Certain inferior and many 

 lly-cut skins are converted into ""babiche" for lacing snowshoes, and 

 other suitable skins are made into deer snares and parchment for win- 

 dows, while the tendons of all are split and twisted into line and excel- 

 lent thread for general use. 



The remarks made under R. cai'lhou in respect to th(» number and 

 appearance of the young ut birth, etc., are equally applical)le to this 

 species. I may here remark that all)inos are very rare among the 

 northern deer. In 1886 I obtained a line example, which was for- 

 warded to the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. It had been 



