78 REPORT ON THE INTRODUCTION OF 



Rainbows in the summer are of frequent occurrence. During the 

 long' spells of rainy weather there are times when the snn will break 

 through for a few hours, and generally a beautiful rainbow will appear. 

 They are often of gorgeous hues, and the different colors and shades 

 appear to stand out more distinct than I have ever seen in any other 

 country, caused doubtless by the atmosphere being so pure and clear. 



In winter the northern lights are often seen, and are sometimes 

 startlingly grand. On Christmas eve the most sublime meteoric dis- 

 play I have ever witnessed spanned the northern horizon and rose 

 almost to the North Star, which stands in such a position that were a 

 pendulum suspended from it the lower end would swing almost directly 

 over the station. 



Whenever the sun shines and there is no wind, the weather is delight- 

 ful both in winter and summer. A slight breeze, however, even in the 

 spring months makes it cold, and although the sun may stand directly 

 over us it does not seem to have much influence. This can hardly be 

 wondered at, for it blows over a vast area of snow and ice. 



From October 1 until June 1 we dressed in reindeer clothing through- 

 out, entirely abandoning our heavy underclothing, and I must say I 

 have never felt so warm and comfortable as when thus clothed. We 

 wore a suit of light skins, with the fur next to the flesh, and this gave 

 us a suit of buckskin on the outside. It was all the clothing necessary 

 indoors, and would answer for outdoor wear unless the weather were 

 very cold. In severely cold weather we wore another suit of reindeer 

 clothing over the under suit, and when thus dressed could stand the 

 most severe weather. 



From the day of our arrival here we laid aside our leather shoes and 

 adopted the Eskimo boot, or "kummuk," as it is called. Besides being- 

 warm, it is the most comfortable covering for the feet I have ever worn. 

 Some are made to come just above the ankles, and others to the knees. 

 They are made loose enough to admit of putting grass in the bottom, 

 and in cold weather a pair of sealskin socks are worn. The soles are 

 made of heavy sealskin and turned up about an inch all around. Two 

 straps of thin sealskin are sewed on either side of the sole, crossing the 

 foot sandal fashion, tying over the instep or heel, as the wearer prefers. 

 On the tops of the boots is a piece of seal string, which is drawn 

 around the leg as tightly as desired, and by this means rain or snow is 

 kept from getting inside. In winter reindeer or sealskin boots are 

 generally worn with the fur outside. 



You know it is said of some people that they are a nation of fighters. 

 It can be truthfully said of the Eskimo that they are a nation of 

 scratchers. Lice are as natural t* an Eskimo as hair is to a dog, and I 

 verily believe if any single one was selected from them all to be thor- 

 oughly renovated a hundred or more lice would be found upon him. 



They arc so common that every house has what is called a " koom- 

 oon," It is a stick about 18 inches long, on one end of which is a round 



