I liave 



Tlio ueat be 

 end wrapped 



254 THE POINT UAKKOW ESKIMO. 



The use of this iiniileiiient. as shown by Mr. Nelson's collection, extends 

 or extended fioni Point liairow to Norton Sound. He collected speci- 

 mens from St. Lawrence Island and Cape Wankarem in Siberia. Nor- 

 denskiold speaks of the use; of this implement at Pitlekaj and 

 a specimen.' The other instrument appears to be less common, 

 called it a seal rattle. 



iSial rattle— Wi: obtained only two six'cimens, No. 50533 [409], which 

 seem to be a pair. Fig. 254 is one of tlicse. It is of cottonwood and 4 

 iiurhes louf^r, rouf;ldy carved into the shape of a seal's head and painted 

 red, with two small trans])arent blue glass beads inlaiil for the eyes. 

 g co7isists of three or four tuins with the 

 (1 them. The staple on which the ivory 

 lants liang is of inm. This is believed to 

 be a rattle to be shaken on the ice l)y a string 

 tied to the becket for the purjiose of attracting 

 seals to the ice net. It was brought in for sale 

 at a time during our first year when we were 

 very busy with zoological work, and as some- 

 thing was said about "netyi" and "kubra" 

 ("seal" and "net") the collector concluded 

 that they must be floats for seal nets, and they 

 were accordingly catalogued as such and laid 

 away. We never happened to see another 

 speeinien, anil as these were sent home in 1882 

 we learned no more of their history. The late 

 Eniil liessels, however, on my return called 

 ittention to the fact that in the museum at 

 euhagen there is a single specimen very 

 lar to these, which was said to have been 

 1 in the manner (lescril>ed above. It came 

 I soinewhi'rc^ in eastern America. There is 

 Fill. i::i4._s«iiratii.'. ,,in,^ In. f„],j jin.^ j,i i\^q lUitish Museum from 



iiering Strait. The, National Museum contains several specimens col- 

 lected by Mr. Nelson at Point Hope. It is very probable that this is 

 the correct exi)lanation of the use of these objects, as it assigns a ftinc- 

 li"|| '" 111!' i\(>ry pendants which would otherwise be useless. They 

 have been .-ille.l "(l,,g bells,"l)ut the Eskimo, at Point Barrow, at least, 

 are nut in the habit of marking their (h)gs in any way. 



watching for a seal at his breathing hole a 

 , slender rod of ivory, which is held loosely in 

 plaee by a cross ]iieee ,,r a bunch of feathers on the end. When the 

 seal rises lie jmshes up this md, which is so light that ho does not no- 

 tice it, and thus wains tli.' hunter wIk'ii to shoot or strike with Ms 

 spear. .Most of (he .seal limiting was done at such a distance from the 



Dr. 



-/ nulirafo, 



-\Vb 



station that 1 



ly one 



>n when this implement was 



' Vosa, vol. 2, p, 117, Fig. 3. 



