248 



THE POINT BARROW ESKIMO. 



Fig. 251a represents one, of these boxes (No. 50505 [138]) intended 

 for spare blades for the whale harpoon. This is rather neatly carved 

 from a single block of soft wood, apparently spruce, though it is very 

 old and much weathered, in the shape of a &quot;bowhead&quot; whale, 9 inches 

 long. The ends of the flukes are broken short off, and show traces of 

 having been mended with wooden pegs or dowels. The right eye is 

 indicated by a simple incision, but a tiny bit of crystal is inlaid for the 

 left. Two little bits of crystal are also inlaid in the middle of the back. 

 The belly is flat and excavated into a deep triangular cavity, with its 

 base just forward of the angle of the mouth and the apex at the 



Fio. 250. I lipiicr toggles. 



&quot;small.&quot; It is beveled round the edge, with a shoulder at the base and 

 apex, and is covered with a flat triangular piece of wood beveled on 

 the under face to fit the edge of the cavity. About half of one side 

 of the cover has been split off and mended on with two &quot;stitches&quot; of 

 whalebone fiber. The cover is held on by three strings of seal thong 

 passing through holes in each corner of the cover and secured by a 



