938 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



natives in the boat to the right. This portrayal of the whale s fluke, 

 although utilized as a simple ornament or decorative design in many 

 instances, is here portrayed in imitation of the system adopted by the 

 New England whalers, as represented in plate 80. 



Plate 68, fig. 1, is a drill bow from Cape Nome, 15 J inches in length 

 and f of an inch square. Upon the side shown in the illustration are 

 a series of semicircles, with tooth-like attachments on the upper sur 

 face, the interior being 1 filled in with vertical lines. Between each of 

 these semicircles is a cross-like figure denoting a bird. The semicircles 

 themselves are conventional characters to represent whales. 



At the extreme right is the outline of a reindeer facing toward a 

 native, who has his arms in the attitude as if holding a bow, part of 

 the character being obliterated. Upon the opposite side of this bow 

 are a number of curious looking objects somewhat resembling the gen 

 eral outline of a whale with a peculiar mandible-like attachment extend 

 ing upward and forward from the head, while to the back are attached 

 short, inclined lines almost resembling harpoons. The fact that these 

 short lines are placed in position by pairs indicates that they denote 

 legs, the mandible being in reality the mouth of the mythic creature 

 which it represents lying upon its back with the feet uppermost. At 

 the extreme right of this record are three small creatures of the same 

 species, though not as carefully represented as the preceding ones. 



Upon the top of the bow the left and middle portion is occupied by 

 reindeer, and a habitation, near to which is a meat rack and human 

 figures with arms outstretched. At the right of the record is a very 

 delicately engraved picture of a village with six habitations. 



The bottom of the bow is ornamented by a continuous line of nucle 

 ated rings of several sizes, the central perforations in nearly every 

 instance being unusually deep, while the rings themselves surround 

 ing the perforations are generally deeper on one side as if the instru 

 ment with which they were made had not been held directly at right 

 angles with the surface operated upon. 



COMPARISON. 



Plate 81 represents a &quot; History of a Year of the Chukch.&quot; It is repro 

 duced from a lithographic print by Doctor Carlos Bovallius, and is in 

 imitation of the original, drawn on walrus skin, and it is alleged to 

 have been the work of some Chukche natives. It is not known whether 

 Doctor Bovallius has published a history in detail of this pictographic 

 record, but attention was called to the record by Doctor Walter Hough 

 of the National Museum, who received the above information, in turn, 

 from Doctor Bovallius, to the effect that the record refers to the avoca 

 tions and hunts of one entire year. 



The preceding paragraph was written one year ago and the interpre 

 tation given at that time, and in connection therewith, was based upon 

 the application of Eskimo pictographs of known signification, and 

 upon information possessed relative to such interpretation in general. 



