CARVINGS WHALES, ETC. 



405 



rv wliiilf 



but otherwise a very good representation, neatly carved. The flukes 

 in particular are especially well done, 

 and the flippers are in high relief. 

 The eyes, the spiracles, and the out 

 line of the mouth are incised and the 

 first blackened. The material is a 

 rather poor quality of walrus ivory, 

 about half &quot;core.&quot; The specimen 

 was made for sale. No. 89327 [991] 

 from Nuwiik was also made for sale. 

 It is a little whale 1-6 inches long, 

 rudely carved in walrus ivory. 



Fig. 411 (No. 56G19 [60] from TJt- 

 kiavwlii) represents a pair of little 

 whales, each carved from a walrus 

 tooth, which probably served for 

 buttons or toggles of some sort, though 1 do not recollect ever seeing 

 such objects in use. The belly of each is flat and has in the middle a 

 stout lug perforated with a transverse eye, and they are 

 tied together by a piece of thong about 14 inches long. 

 They are quite well designed and executed, but rather 

 &quot;stumpy&quot; in outline, with the outline of the mouth and 

 the spiracles incised and blackened, and little round 

 bits of tooth inlaid for eyes. In the middle of the back 

 of each was inlaid a small blue glass bead, which still re 

 mains in one of them. They are old and dirty and somewhat chipped 

 about the flukes. 



Fig. 412 (No. 89507 [904] from Nuwiik) represents an imaginary 

 quadruped 2-5 in 

 ches long, with a 

 short, thick body and 

 legs, no neck, and a 

 human head, with the 

 eyes and mouth in 

 cised. It is roughly 

 carved from light 

 gray soapstone, and 

 ground pretty 

 smooth. This figure 

 is not new, and has 

 ]&amp;gt; rob ably connected 

 with it some story whicli we did not succeed in learning. The seller 

 called it an &quot; old man.&quot; No. 89332 [994] from Nuwfik, is a fanciful 

 monster, 4-2 inches long, carved in ivory. It has a human head with 

 the tusks of a walrus, the body, tail, and nippers of a seal, with human 

 arms. The hands, each of which has four fingers, clasp some round 

 object against the belly. It is not old, but apparently was not made 



Fio.412. Snap- 

 BtoDe image of 

 imaginary ani 

 mal. 



a 



FIG. 413. Ivory curving, seal with fish s head. 



