THE SKAL-KISTA. 425 



the " Skal-Sten." When the peasant sees that it is asleep, 

 he pulls gently at the line, which brings the net to the 

 surface, and surrounds the stone in the manner of a quad- 

 rangular fence. The animal, on awakening from its 

 slumbers, casts itself headlong into the water, but cannot 

 extricate itself from the toils before the man, with his 

 harpoon or other implement of destruction, reaches the 

 spot and puts an end to its existence." 



THE SKAL-KISTA. 



The Skdl-Kista, or seal-box, is another device to 

 capture these animals. In principle it is the same as the 

 so-called Watten-Giller,i\ie expedient commonly adopted 

 to catch rats and mice, viz., a " balance board," placed 

 across a tub of water. It is constructed of logs, and 

 square in form, as seen in the above diagram, and is sunk 

 in the water up to the letter Y. Large stones are after- 

 wards heaped up around and about it, especially at both 

 ends, so as to make it resemble a " Skal-Sten " as much as 

 possible. The trap-door T consists of an oblong flat stone, 

 or of plank ends, and swings on an iron bar, the extremi- 

 ties of which rest on the side-walls of the " Skal-Kista " 

 itself. To prevent the trap-door T from falling too low 

 there is a spring or stop, so that on the pressure ceasing 

 it at once resumes its horizontal position. This device, as 



