A NATURALIST'S ADVENTURES 



One drilled a hole and a half in an unfinished sinker for 

 me with a steel drill, using no bow and mouthpiece because 

 he had traded them away. The bills of the razor-billed 

 auk, being red and having appendages which when dry have 

 the appearance of an imperfect salmon egg, are used on 

 the fishing lines as a lure, and ivory or bone imitations of 

 fish are similarly used. 



Thursday, September 9 



The King's Island people came aboard again this morn- 

 ing and brought a few ethnologica. We got under way 

 for the Diomedes, and before night we were abreast of 

 Cape York. The coast in that vicinity is mainly low — flat 

 bluffs backed by high hills. Some of the hills are clustered 

 in curious parallel cones. The country looks quite barren. 

 There is a little snow on the high peaks. Before we left 

 Port Clarence an Eskimo brought aboard eight eider which 

 he had speared. 



Friday, September 10 



Reached Big Diomede or Ratmanoff Island at 7 A. M. 

 Several bidarras containing Eskimo come out to trade. 

 Captain Herendeen bought a great lot of little auks and 

 Mr. Baker brought off six young ones from the island. 



There is no good landing; there are large and small 

 bowlders on the shore just as at Little Koniushi Island. 

 The granite cliffs rise steep and high, and the top is flat. 

 There is a village on the north or northwest shore; the 

 observing station was on the southeast. Several flowering 

 plants were collected, a chickweed among them. 



Captain Herendeen traded for some walrus tusks, blue, 

 white, and cross foxes. We got three lance heads. The 

 people are not troublesome; they are dirty and shabbily 

 clad, and hungry for tobacco and " cow-cow " (food), but 

 quiet and orderly enough. Their bidarras are very well 

 made. Reindeer skins (white) they hold at a high figure. 

 I offered one of tl em a pair of pantaloons or a coat for 

 one, but he wanted a whole suit. They have few labrets 

 and none of them good. They are of medium height, not 

 so tall as the whites; light copper color or swarthy, very 

 much like the Plover Bay people. They asked first for 

 tobacco, next for " lum." Guns and ammunition are their 

 choice. 



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