THE SPRING AWAKENING 333 



in thousands, but in millions. The Eskimos prize 

 them as a food delicacy, and utilize their skins for 

 shirts. They are wonderfully dexterous in skinning 

 them. This is done by loosening the skin around the 

 neck, and stripping it off, by pulling the body 

 through the neck, without cutting the skin. All the 

 fat is then peeled off by putting the skin in the 

 mouth, after which the skins are fastened on strings 

 stretched across the tupek, until thoroughly dried, 

 when they are made as soft and pliable as kid gloves, 

 by chewing. 



Several of the men were preparing to net the birds 

 and I joined the party. The net used is similar to 

 a crab-net, but very shallow and much larger. It is 

 made of sealskin, cut into small cords with the hair 

 scraped off, and woven into a narrow mesh. The 

 ends of the nets are lashed to poles about twelve feet 

 in length, by which they are carried by the hunters. 



The birds seemed to have no fear of us whatever, 

 and as we ascended a hillside they flew over and 

 around us in thousands, skimming along like autumn 

 leaves carried before a heavy breeze. When the net 

 was held perpendicularly they flew into it, their heads 

 becoming entangled in the mesh, much in the manner 

 in which fish are gilled. In three hours Oxpuddy- 

 shou and myself captured considerably more than a 

 large sack full. Oxpuddyshou dexterously locked 

 the wings of those that we could not get into the 

 sack in such a manner that they hung together as 

 though tied on a string, and were thus easily slung 

 over the back and carried to camp. I counted the 



