124 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH.ANN. 18 



Hares are snared and netted in spring by setting the nets or snares 

 among the bushes which they frequent, so that they become entangled 

 while moving about, or by setting fine sinew nets in open spaces 

 among the bushes and then making a drive and frightening the animals 

 into them. This method is practiced for taking both the large Arctic 

 hare and the white rabbit. 



Parry s marmot is a common animal in many parts of Alaska, par 

 ticularly about the head of Norton sound and along the shore of 

 Kaviak peninsula. Their skins are highly prized for making light 

 frocks for summer use and form a prominent article of trade among 

 these people. They are best when taken early in spring, soon after the 

 marmots have come out of their holes and while they are still in the 

 soft, grayish winter fur. They are taken in several ways. One method 

 consists of a noose fastened to the end of a willow or alder stick 4 or 

 5 feet long, with the large end planted firmly in the snow or ground. 

 The small end, having the noose attached to it, is bent down so that 

 the noose hangs just over the marmot s runway in the snow or on the 

 ground, and is held in place by a small cross stick above it, which is 

 hooked under a stick bent across the runway with its ends thrust into 

 the ground. It is fastened so lightly that as the animal passes a touch 

 releases the trigger and the bent stick springs up and catches it. 



Figure 4, plate LI, is an example of this style of snare from Cape 

 Darby. The noose is made of whalebone, and is passed through a 

 small wooden cylinder, which causes it to run freely and at the same 

 time helps to hold it in position. 



Similar nooses were obtained from the head of Kotzebue sound with 

 the cylinders made from the hollow wing-bones of birds. In these 

 latter a hole is made in one side of the bone at the lower end, in which 

 is tied the end of a flue rawhide line. This line passes up through 

 the cylinder, and has a small, round block of wood tied crosswise at 

 the other end of the cylinder. 



Figure 38 is another style of marmot trap, from the head of Norton 

 sound, made from a cylinder of wood a little over eight inches in 

 length. The cylinder is made in two parts, fastened together by means 

 of a willow-bark lashing through holes made along the line of junction 

 on both sides. A slot is cut through the upper side and a deep groove 

 runs around the inside from it, and there are two holes near the other 

 end. A strong running noose, made from feather vane or whalebone, 

 is inserted through the upper slot and lies concealed within the groove 

 on the inside. At the upper end of the noose is a sinew cord, which is 

 attached to a bent stick having one end planted firmly in the ground 

 and held in position by a strand of willow bark tied to it, passed down 

 through the two holes in the cylinder, and knotted on the under side. 

 As the animal comes out of a hole or along a runway, where the trap 

 is set, it enters the cylinder, and finding the passage barred by the 

 strand of willow bark across the end, bites it off. This releases the 



