22 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



and pick up such scraps as offer themselves rather than to strike out for 

 themselves and live independently and in comparative plenty. 



As to meals, or regular meal-times, they eat when hungry, if they have 

 anything. They always eat in the morning before going out to hunt; 

 but the principal meal is in the evening, on their return. When supplied 

 with rations by the ships, they often have their regular meals aboard ; 

 but this does in no wise hinder them from taking their usual evening 

 allowance of raw meat when they return to their huts. 



That the Eskimo possess considerable powers of abstinence cannot 

 be disputed ; but it is not so remarkable after all, for they certainly have 

 had ample experience in this direction. That they are able to bear tem- 

 porary or sustained exertion better than the whites is doubtful. They 

 are acclimated and have clothing suited to the climate, and readily adapt 

 themselves to the rude shelter of a snow-bank, if necessary ; but give a 

 healthy white man as good clothes, and he will stand as much fatigue, 

 and perhaps more. 



While hunting with the Eskimo, we often had our nose and face frozen, 

 when it did not seem to affect the Eskimo in the least ; but when it came 

 to a tramp through the snow all day long, few of them would stand it 

 any better than we could. 



Some have judged their powers of endurance from the manner in 

 which they will follow their game ; but it seems to us it is rather their 

 wonderful patience, for we have known them to follow animal tracks for 

 a whole day, when we confess we could not discover the faintest trace 

 of a track, except at long distances apart. They will discover any traces 

 of animals on the snow that a white man would pass by and not notice. 

 Wlien traveling either on the ice or water, they make the journey by 

 short, easy stages, stopping as soon as they feel the least tired, and re- 

 cruiting ; if they were required to walk a given distance, as on a regular 

 march, they would give out. 



The Cumberland Eskimo are known to make better and more beau- 

 tiful clothing than the tribes of ^Northern Hudson's Bay and Straits. 

 During the summer, and> in fact, at all seasons, except when the weather 

 is very severe, the outer garment of the men is made from the skins of 

 adult or, more properly speaking, yearlings, as they are the best 

 Pagomys fcetidus. In very cold weather, they betake themselves to deer- 

 skin clothing ; but as these clothes are less strong than the seal-skin, 

 they make the change as soon as the weather permits. The women wear 

 the deer-skin clothes much later in the season than the men; their dress 



