196 



EXPLORATIONS IN THE FAR NORTH 



is of willow, 5.7 inches long; it passes around the head in a 

 groove made to receive it and, doubling back upon itself, is 

 firmly bound with babiche; the head is of a dark, coarse-grained 

 trap rock and weighs i6}4 ounces. 



Harness Swivels. These are used to prevent the traces from 

 becoming twisted. The collection contains two specimens 

 from the Diomedes. They are of walrus ivory, with heavy 

 loops of seal thong at each end; the link of one, No. 11,004, is 

 carved to represent a seal, with inlaid eyes of whalebone. It 

 is 2.8 inches long and 1.2 inches in its greatest diameter. The 

 pin is carved as a seal head and works freely in the larger end 

 of the link, through which it is prevented from passing by a 

 narrow shoulder. It is 1.5 inches long by .4 of an inch in 

 diameter. 



The other specimen, No. 11,005, has a heavy barb of ivory 

 instead of a link. A short loop is fastened to holes in the end 

 of this and the pin turns upon the center. Both pieces are 

 carved to represent seal heads. 



Walrus Ivory. A few pounds of walrus tusks are yet obtained 

 annually from the natives of Behring Sea and Strait. They 

 are brought on board the vessels tied in pairs by a sinew cord 

 passed through holes drilled in the point. An unusually large 

 pair was obtained from the Diomede Islands. They are 33.5 

 inches long, and 3.75 inches in diameter at the point of inser- 

 tion, whence they taper slightly towards the base and gradually 

 to the blunt tips. They weigh 24 pounds. 



Drawings. The Eskimos exhibit no mean degree of skill in 

 drawing, carving, or engraving upon ivory. Captain Beechey, 

 as early as 1826, says of the natives of Kotzebue Sound: " On 

 the outside of these instruments there were etched a variety of 

 men, beasts, and birds, and so forth, with a truth and character 

 which showed the art to be common among them." At both 

 East Cape and Cape Tchaplin specimens of engraving were 

 offered to us for barter. The designs were darkened with 

 soot or gunpowder, and sometimes dyed red or green. The 

 collection contains a slab of ivory, No. 11,022, 17 inches 

 long, with 11 figures of men, women, and seals engraved upon 

 it. A companion piece, No. 11,023, has in the center a draw- 

 ing of a building which has evidently been copied from a 

 tea chest. There are two thin ivory plates, Nos. 11,024 and 



