NELSONJ SLEDS DOG HARNb:S8 209 



inch wide; they have a flange-like projecting edge along tlie outside 

 of the upper border, and are held together by three rounded wooden 

 crossbars 14 inches long, with two grooves in their ends, held in posi- 

 tion by strong rawhide lashings that pass through two holes in the 

 upper edges of the runners. The front ends of the runners are curved 

 upward and have a large slot in them for attaching the cord by which 

 the sled is hauled. In the rear end of each runner are two holes, in 

 which are inserted stout rawhide loops, and a hole just in front of the 

 second crossbar serves for another rawhide loop; these looj^s receive 

 the lashings with which the load is held in place. 



DOCi HARNESS AND ACCOUTERMENTS 



The ordinary style of harness used for dogs is made of rawhide 

 straps. It consists of a collar with a strap extending down from the 

 back of the neck to the middle of the back, where it meets a strap 

 which passes from the lower part of the collar between the fore-legs 

 and up on each side over the ribs, to be attached to the back strap ; at 

 this point is made fast the leading line, which is from three to five 

 feet long, and is attached either directly to the front of the sled or to a 

 single straight leading line fastened to the sled and extending forward 

 to a tlistance sufficient for the attachment of all the dogs belonging to 

 tlie team. When the team consists of more than three dogs, they are 

 attached to the main leading line in pairs, with the most intelligent 

 dog in front as a leader. 



When the load is very heavy, or the dogs are too numerous to work 

 well in a single team, they may be attached to the forward stanchions, 

 sometimes one or even two on each side, in addition to the team in 

 front. 



On the islands of Bering strait and along the Asiatic coast, long- 

 handle whips are used for driving dogs; specimens of these were 

 obtained on Sledge, King, and St Lawrence islands. The handles of 

 the whips from King and St Lawrence islands are round rods of spruce, 

 a little over forty inches in length, and have rawhide lashes fastened 

 to them with sinew cord. 



One of these whips from St Lawrence island (figure 15, plate lxxvi) 

 has a lash made from a piece of sealskin, with the edges sewed together, 

 forming a round cord, with a slender strip of sealskin at the tip for a 

 cracker. On the handle is a ferule of walrus ivory, rudely represent- 

 ing the head of a white bear; the end of the handle is wedged into the 

 ferule, which projects spur-like on one side. 



A King island whip (number 45407) has a stout lash made of a piece 

 of walrus hide, with a small rawhide cracker at the tip. At the butt 

 of the handle is a round ivory ferule, sloping to a flaring rim, which 

 extends around it. The use of these whips also extends to the main- 

 land of the American coast at Cape Prince of Wales, and thence north- 

 ward to Point Hope on the Arctic coast. 

 18 ETH 14 



