MURDOCH.) PSYCHICAL CHARACTERISTICS. 41 



even when practiced on theinselves. They are generally peaceable. 

 We did not witness a single quarrel among the men during the two years 

 of our stay, though they told ns stories of fatal quarrels in former years, 

 in which firearms were used. Liquor may have been the cause of these 

 fights, as it is said to have been of the only suicide I ever heard of 

 among them, which I am informed by Capt. E. E. Smith, the whaling 

 master already referred to, occurred in 1885 at Nuwuk. Disagreements 

 between man and wife, however, sometimes lead to blows, in which the 

 man does not always get the best of it. 



When the station was first established many of the natives began 

 pilfering from our stores, but they soon learned that by so doing they 

 cut themselves off from the privilege of visiting the station and enjoying 

 the opportunity for trading which it afforded, and were glad to promise 

 to refrain from the practice. This promise was very well observed, 

 though I think wholly from feelings of self-interest, as the thieves when 

 detected seemed to have no feeling of shame. Some, I believe, never 

 yielded to the temptation. There was seldom any difficulty in obtaining 

 restitution of stolen articles, as the thief s comrades would not attempt 

 to shield him, but often voluntarily betrayed him. They acknowledged 

 that there was considerable thieving on board of the ships, but the men 

 of Utkiavwlu tried to lay the blame on the Nuwiik people, and we may 

 suppose that the charge was reciprocated, as was the case regarding 

 the theft of the Plover s sails. 1 We also heard of occasional thefts 

 among themselves, especially of seals left on the ice or venison buried 

 in the snow, but men who were said to be thieves did not appear to lose 

 any social consideration. 



liobbery with violence appears to be unknown. We never saw or 

 heard of the &quot;burglar-alarm&quot; described by Dr. Simpson, 2 which I am in 

 clined to believe was really a &quot;demon trap&quot; like that described by 

 Lieut. Kay (see below, under Religion). 



They are in the main truthful, though a detected lie is hardly con 

 sidered more than a good joke, and considerable trickery is practiced in 

 trading. For instance, soon after the station was established they 

 brought over the carcass of a dog, with the skin, head, feet, and tail 

 removed, and attempted to sell it for a young reindeer ; and when we 

 began to purchase seal-oil for the lamps one woman brought over a tin 

 can nearly filled with ice, with merely a layer of oil on top. 



Clothing and other articles made especially for sale to us were often 

 very carelessly and hastily made, while their own things were always 

 carefully finished. 3 



Their affection for each other, especially for their children, is strong, 



1 Simpson, op. cit., p. 248. 



2 Op. cit., p. 247. 



3 Compare Nordenskiold s experience in Siberia. The &quot;Chukches&quot; sold him skinned foxes with the 

 head and feet eut off for hares, (Vega, vol. 1, p. 44ri), young ivory gulls for ptarmigan, and a dog s skull 

 for a seal s (vol. 2, p. 137). Besides, &quot;While their own things were always made with tin: greatest care, all 

 that they did especially for iis was done with extreme carelessness&quot; (ihid). The Eskimos at Hotham 

 Inlet also tried to sell Capt. Beechey tishakius sewed together to represent fish. (Voyage, p. 285.) 



