34 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.73 



Siouan stock that had attained to its use. (See remarks, p. 25.) 

 The bow may be termed a more advanced invention, allowing one man 

 with ease to bore holes. 



The hearth is made of any suitable wood. It is commonly stepped 

 and has slots. The central hole with groove is also found. These 

 hearths are preserved carefully, and fire has been made on some of 

 them many times. 



The distribution of the central-hole hearth (see fig. 19) and the 

 slot-and-step hearth (see fig. 32) is rather striking. The central holes 

 are found in the specimens observed from the north coast of Alaska, 

 insular British America, and Greenland, exclusively. The stepped 

 hearth with edge holes and slots is by far the more common in west- 

 ern Alaska, though the other method crops out occasionally; both 

 ways are sometimes used in the same tribe. More often the central 

 holes are bored on a groove (fig. 30), which collects the ground-off 

 particles and facilitates ignition. Rarely fire is made by working the 

 drill on a plane surface, in single, nonconnecting holes. 



The difference between these features is that it is found to be more 

 difficult to get fire by a single hole without groove or slot than when 

 the latter features are added. The powder forms a ring around the 

 edge of the hole, is liable to be dispersed, and does not get together 

 in auflBcient amount to reach the requisite heat for ignition. Of course 

 this is obviated when a second hole is bored connecting with the first, 

 when the latter becomes a receptacle for the powder. 



It is found that these different ways are due to environmental 

 modification, showing itself as remarkably in fire making as in any 

 other Eskimo art. Both the stepped and central-hole hearth are dif- 

 ferent devices for the same end. The step on the hearth is to keep 

 the pellet of glowing powder from falling off into the snow, so universal 

 in Eskimo land; hence, the simple hearth of primitive times and 

 peoples of warmer climates has received this addition. The same 

 reason caused the Eskimo to bore the holes in the middle of the 

 block. 



By following the distribution of the center-hole method a clew may 

 perhaps be gotten to the migrations of the Eskimo. 



From Labrador to Norton Sound, by the collections in the Museum, 

 the center hole is alone used; south of Norton Sound both methods 

 prevail, with a preponderance of the stepped-hearth species. The 

 step seems to be an addition to the Indian hearth ; the center is an 

 independent invention. 



The operation of the drill is well told in the oft-quoted description 

 by Sir E. Belcher. The writer can attest to the additional statement 

 that the teeth of civilized man can scarcely stand the shock. He 

 says: 



