MtjRDocH.] FLOATS TOdfJl.ES. 947 



toes, leaviuy the claws on. All iiutnral or afcidoiital apeit iiirs aiv .'are 

 fully sewed up, except the genital opening, into which isinscilcd a ring 

 of ivory, which serves as a mouthpiece for inflating tli(^ skin and is 

 corked with a plug of wood. The cut in the throat is caiclully sewed 

 up, and the neck puckeicd togctlier, aiul uiapiicd witli seal liiong into 

 a slender shank al>ont 1 inrii long, leaving aliaiiotskin which is wiaiiiicd 

 round a rod of l.oiie 1 inciics long an<l I in diameter, set across the 

 shank, and wound with thong. This nuikes a iiandletor loojiingon (he 

 harpoon line. 



All the floats used at i'oiiit I'.aridw are of the same general i)attern 

 as this, and are geneiaiiy made of tlM> skin of the rough seal 

 though skins of tlie harlior seal ( T. vilniina) are sometimes used. 

 One of these floats is attached to tlie walins harjioon, l>nt two are used 

 in whaling.' Five or si^ floats are carried in each boat, and are inflated 

 before starting out. I liaxc seen them nsed for seats during a halt on 

 the ice, when the boat was being taken out to the -lead." The use of 

 these large floats is not i.e( iiliar to Point Harrow. They are employed 

 by all Eskimo who luirsue the larger marine mamnials. 



Flipper toggles.— Wo collected two i)airs of iieeuUar imi.lemcnts, in 

 the shape of ivory whales about o inches long, with a perforation in the 

 belly through which a large thong could be attaclied. We undeistood 

 that they were to be fastened to the ends of a stout thong and used 

 when a wliale was kiUed to toggle his flijii.ers togetlier s.. as to keep 

 them in i.lacc wliile towing him to the ice, by laitting holes in th<' flip- 

 pers and passing the ivory through. We unfortunately never had an 

 opportunity of verifying this story. Neither jiair is new. Fig. lioOa 

 represents a pair of these im])lements (ka'gotin) (Xo. niir.so |L'-;7]). 

 They are of white walrus ivory. In tlie middle of each belly is exca- 

 vated a deep, oblong cavity about three fourths of an inch long and one- 

 half wide, acros-; the middle of which is a stout transverse bar for the 

 attachment of the line. Oiu' is a -bow head" whale (Bahcna mys- 

 ticetus), 4i inches long, and the othci- evidently intended for a "Cali- 

 fornia gray" (Khachinectes glamais). it has light blue ghiss beads 

 inserted for eyes and is the same length as the other. 



Fig.250(No.56r.flS[407|) is a similar pair, which are both "bowheads" 

 nearly 5 inches long. I'.oth have cylindrical jilugs of ivory inserted for 

 eyes, and are iiuide of a piece of ivory so old that the surface is a light 

 chocolate color. The name, kagotin, means literally "a pair of toggles." 



HarpiKtH hii.trs ( ii'dhni or n'hliui, litcrdlli/ "<( iiesf.''') — The slati^ har])oon 

 blades already described wen^ very apt to be lost, or broken, so they 

 always carried in the boat a sMp].ly of spare Idadcs. These were kept 

 in a small box carved out of a block of soft wood, in the shape of the 

 animal to be pursued. 



' I le.im from our old int*?rprct('r, Capt. K. P. Herendeen, who has spent three years in whaliii;^ at 

 Point Harrow since the retnni of the e,xi)iMliti(in, that a third float is also used. It is atlaehed by a 

 lonsiM- linn than the others, and serves aa a s<irt of •■ telltale," eouiiui; to the surfaee some lime alieiid 

 of the whale. 



