SPITZBRHGKX AM) f;REKXT,\Xn. 81 



ours. They arc slenderer in the body, and a great deal 

 swifter. 



Their skins are brought to us, which are very comfortable 

 to those that travel in the winter ; they prepare or dress the 

 slvins at Spitzhergen after this manner : they heat sawdust, 

 and tread these skins in it, which sucks up the fat, and the 

 skins become to be dry, after the same manner as we use to 

 take out spots of fat out of fine linnen or other clothes, when 

 we hold it against the sun : they are of the same bigness as 

 ours, great and small : their hair is long, and as soft as wool : 

 their nose and mouth are black before, and their talons also 

 black. The fat of their feet melted out, is used for pain of 

 the limbs ; it is also given to women in travail, to bring away 

 the child ; it causes also a plentiful sweat. The said fat is 

 very spongy, and feels very soft ; it is best to try it up there 

 presently ; I strove to keep it until I should come home, 

 but it grew foul, rancid, and stinking. I believe it would 

 be very good to try it up with orris-root, for then it would 

 remain the longer good and smell well. 



The other is like suet when it is tryed up, it becometh thin 

 like train-oyl, or the fat of whales ; but this is not to be com- 

 pared to the other for vertue and goodness, it is only used in 

 lamps, where it does not stink so much as the train-ovl : the 

 skippers melt it out there, and bring it home with them to 

 sell it for train-oyl. Their flesh is -whitish and fat, like that 

 of a sheep, but I did not care to try how it tasted, for I was 

 afraid that my hair would turn grey before its time, for the 

 seamen are of opinion, that if they eat of it, it makes their 

 hair grey. They suckle their young with their milk, which 

 is very white and fat, as I observed, when we cut up an old 

 suckling she one. They say our bears have a very soft head, 

 but I found the contrary in these at Spitzhergen, for we 

 struck them with large and thick cudgels upon their heads, 

 with such blows that would have knock'd doAvn a bullock, 

 and yet they did not matter it at all. When we had a mind 



