NELSON] SOMATIC FEATURES 27 



beard two or three inches in length, with a well-developed mustache 

 (plates iv, V). No such development of beard was seen&quot; elsewhere in 

 the territory visited. 



The people in the coast region between the mouths of the Kuskokwim 

 and the Yukon have peculiarly high cheek bones and sharp chins, which 

 unite to give their faces a curiously pointed, triangular appearance. 

 At the village of Kaialigamut I was impressed by the strong develop 

 ment of the superciliary ridge. From a point almost directly over the 

 pupil of the eye, and extending thence inward- to the median line of 

 the forehead, is a strong, bony ridge, causing the brow to stand out 

 sharply. From the outer edge of this the skull appears as though 

 beveled away to the ears, giving the temporal area a considerable 

 enlargement beyond that usually shown. This curious development of 

 the skull is rendered still more striking by the fact that the bridge 

 of the nose is low, as usual among these people, so that the shelf-like 

 projection of the brow stands out in strong relief. It is most strongly 

 marked among the men, and appears to be characteristic at this place. 

 Elsewhere in this district it was noted only rarely here and ther e. 



All of the people in the district about Capes Vancouver and Koman- 

 zof, and thence to the Yukon mouth, are of unusually light complexion. 

 Some of the women have a pale, slightly yellowish color, with pink 

 cheeks, differing but little in complexion from tha o^f a sallow woman 

 of Caucasian blood. This light complexion is so^exceptionally striking 

 that wherever they travel these people are readily distinguished from 

 other Eskimo; and before I visited their territory I had learned to know 

 them by their complexion whenever they came to St Michael. 



The people of the district just mentioned are all very short and 

 squarely built. Inland from Cape Vancouver lies the Hat, marshy coun 

 try about Big lake, which is situated between the Kuskokwim and the 

 Yukon. It is a well-populated district, and its inhabitants differ from 

 those near the coast at the capes referred to in being taller, more 

 slender, and having more squarely cut features. They also differ strik 

 ingly from any other Eskimo with whom I came in contact, except those 

 on Kowak river, in having the bridge of the nose well developed and 

 at times sufficiently prominent to suggest the aquiline nose of our 

 southern Indian tribes. 



The Eskimo of the Diomede islands in Bering strait, as well as those 

 of East cape and Mechigme and Plover bays on the Siberian coast, and 

 of St Lawrence island, are tall, strongly built people, and are generally 

 similar in their physical features (plates xi, xn). These are characterized 

 by the unusual heaviness of the lower part of the face, due to the very 

 square and massive lower jaw, which, combined with broad, high cheek 

 bones and flattened nose, produces a wide, flat face. These features are 

 frequently accompanied with a low, retreating forehead, producing a 

 decidedly repulsive physiognomy. The bridge of the nose is so low 

 and the cheek bones so heavy that a profile view will frequently show 



