NEEDLES AND THIMKEKS. 319 



meant tor sewing huat skins. Witli tins niTillc l)clnnns a peculiar large 

 bone or ivory thimble. Tlie remaining nccillcs aii- all \cr\ nnirh alike 

 though some are more ronglily made than tiic (illi.is. 'i'lucc of (licni 

 have the butt square instead of rounfh'd. and half of ilnin, incjudin"- 



some whieh are undoubtedh- 



point 



er's needle. The longest is .". inches long and tlic shortest l-l inches, 



but the eominonest length is about li or I'.i, inches. Siniilai' b needles 



are mentioned by various authors.' 



Nearly all the wonu'u now use onlinary metal t hindtles, obtained in 

 trade, but they wear them in the old 

 forefluger. Some of the older women, 1 



leather thimble. There are two i)atterns of these: one inrended for (In 

 fore-finger only, and the other of such a shape that it may also 

 on the other fingers as a guard against chating in pulling stout thread 

 through thick leather. It is often so used at the jiresent da,\. 



We collected threeof the first-mentioned pattern, which is represented 

 by Fig. 3266 (^o. 8939(5 [1202, 124«| ). It is made by cutting out a narrow 

 ring of raw sealskin 0-7 inch in diameter, with a circular flap O-o inch 

 in diameter on the outside of the riug and a cori'esponding one on the 

 inside of the same size, cut out of the middle of the riug. The flaps 

 are doubled over so as to make a pad on the inside of the foretinger 

 when the tip of the latter is inserted into the riug. The butt of the 

 needle presses against this pad. 



The third thimble, which belongs \vith the ueedlecase (Xo. 89371 

 [127(5]), is of precisely the same form and dimensions. 



There appeared to be little if any variation among those which we 

 saw. Capt. Lyon^ figures two similar thimbles from Iglulik, which 

 are described on page 537 of the same work as being made of leather. 

 The flaps, however, seem to be only semicucular and not folded over, so 

 that the shield consists of only one thickness of leather. 



A similar thimble with theflaj) also not tblded is used at (Jumlx-rland 

 Gulf.^ 



The other pattern, of which we brought home nine specimens, is rep- 

 resented by No. 89389 [1191], which belongs with the set of bone needles 

 of the same number. It is a tube, open at both ends, oue of which is larger 

 than the other, made by bending round a strip of spUt walrus hide and 

 se-wing the ends together. It is 0-4 inch long and 2-1 in ciicumference 

 at the larger end. It is worn smooth with handling, and impregnated 

 with grease and dirt and marked with small pits where it has been 

 pressed against the butt of the needle in use. 



Four other old thimbles (No. 89393 [1194], ti-om Utkiavwin, are nuule 



' Formerly tlioy used the bones of Uahes or thf very fluf l)oui-a of liirila insteail of needli-s. I ■r.mty.. 



