HABITS, PRODUCTS, AND THE CHASE. 625 



considerable extent upon fish. I have found in them the re- 

 mains of Cottus scorpiusj C. grcenlandicus, Gadus agce (com- 

 monly), and Liparis vulgaris. During the time the adults are 

 shedding, and for nearly a month previous, I could detect 

 nothing but a few pebbles in their stomachs; they become poor 

 at this time, and will sink when shot in the water. 



" The milk is thick and rich, and is sometimes eaten by the 

 natives. The excrement looks like pale, thickly-clotted blood. 



" Albinos are sometimes found, of which the Eskimo tell mar- 

 velous stories, one being that when they rise to breathe in their 

 atluks they come stern first, and in fact they think such ani- 

 mals have their breathing apparatus on the posterior end of the 

 body. I imagine this originated from a native once harpooning 

 an albino in its atluk and finding his harpoon fastened in one 

 of the hind flippers. A hairless variety of this Seal is some- 

 times caught, which the Eskimo call Okitook. I have seen one 

 such skin; it had a few fine curly hairs scattered over it, but 

 they were different in texture from the ordinary hair. I do not 

 know if the specimen otherwise differed from the ordinary Seal. 



" Toward spring, when the sun is shining brightly, these 

 Seals can be seen in all directions basking on the ice. Although 

 to all appearance asleep, they manage to wake up regularly 

 every few minutes to make sure that there is no danger about. 



"At this season it is a favorite method of the Eskimo to 

 hunt them by crawling flat on his belly toward the Seal, and, 

 when discovered, to imitate the movements of the animal, and 

 to advance only when the Seal looks in the opposite direction ; 

 in this manner they often approach so close as to be able to 

 push them away from their atluks. 



" This Seal is of some commercial importance, the Scotch 

 whalers often buying from the natives during the winter a thou- 

 sand skins. These are brought with the blubber, and often cost 

 the purchaser not over three to seven cents apiece, and this 

 mostly in tobacco, trinkets, or ship-stores. To encourage them 

 to procure more skins, they are furnished with a cheap breech- 

 loading gun and a few hundred cartridges, which they soon 

 waste, and then their guns are of course worthless. At the rate 

 both young and adults are slaughtered at the present day, they 

 will soon become so scarce that there will not be enough to sup- 

 ply the wants of the natives." * 



* Copied', with slight verbal changes, from Mr. Kmnlien's MS. notes, since 

 published iii "Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus.," No. 15, pp. 55-61. 



Misc. Pub. No. 12 40 



