118 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



fully divesting it of all fleshy attachmeuts and fat. Then she cut free 

 the stomach itself and turned it inside out, carelessly- scraping the gas- 

 tric walls clean of copious biliary secretions, the inevitable bunch of 

 ascarifi, etc. She then told the boy to take hold of the duodenum end of 

 the small intestine, and, as he walked away with it, she rapidly cleared 

 it of its attachments, so that it was thus uncoiled to its full length of 

 at least 00 feet. Then she severed it: and then it was recoiled by the 

 "melcliiska," and laid up with the other members just removed, except 

 the skin, which she had nothing more to do with. She then cut out the 

 liver and ate several large pieces of that workhouse of the blood before 

 dropping it into the meat pouch. She then raked up several haiidfuls 

 of the "leaf lard," or hard, white fat that is found in moderate quan- 

 tity around the viscera of all these pinnipeds, which she also dumped 

 into the flesh bag. She then drew her knife through tlie large heart, 

 but did not touch it otherwise, looking at it intently, however, as it still 

 quivered in unison with the warm flesh of the whole carcass. She and 

 the boy then poked their fingers into the tumid lobes of the immense 

 lungs, cutting out portions of them only, which were also i)ut into the 

 grimy pouch aforesaid. Then she secured the gall bladder, and slipped 

 it into a small yeast powder tin, which was produced by the urchin. 

 Then she finished her economical dissection by cutting the sinews out of 

 the back in unbroken bulk from the cervical vertebra to the sacrum ; 

 all these were stufl'ed into that skin bag, which she threw on her back 

 and supported it by a band over her head. She then trudged back to 

 the barrakbie, from whence she sallied a short hour ago like an old 

 vulture to the slaughter. She made the following disposition of its 

 contents : The i^alms were used to sole a pair of tarbosars, or native 

 boots, of which the uppers and knee tops were made of the gullets : 

 one sea-lion gullet to each boot top; the stomach was carefully blown 

 up, and left to dry on the barrakbie roof, eventually to be filled with 

 oil rendered from sea-lion or fur-seal blubber. The small intestine 

 was carefully injected with water and cleansed, then distended with 

 air, and pegged out between two stakes 60 feet apart, with little cross 

 slats here and there between, to keep it clear of the ground. When it 

 is thoroughly dry it is ripijed up in a straight line with its length and 

 pressed out into a broad band of parchment gut, which she cuts uj) and 

 uses in making a water-proof "kamlaikie," sewing it with those sinews 

 taken from the back. The liver, leaf lard, and lobes of the lungs were 

 eaten without further cooking, and the little gall bag was for some use 

 in poulticing a scrofulous sore. The mustache bristles were a venture 

 of the boy, Avho gathers all that he can, then sends them to San Fran- 

 cisco, where they find a ready sale to the Chinese, who pay about 1 cent 

 apiece for them. When the natives cut u}) a sea-lion carcass, or one of 

 a fur seal on the killing grounds for meat, they take only the shoulders 

 and the loins. Later in the season they eat the entire carcass, which 

 they hang up by the hind flipi^ers on a "labaas" by their houses. 



The St. George natives manage to secure a good many cod and hali- 

 but, but the St. Paul people have very poor luck fishing; so what they 

 get in this line is really unimportant. In the early years — 1870-1878 — 

 they all used their own boats, i. e., bidarkas: but during the last ten or 

 twelve years, they have purchased yawls and Whitehall boats of our 

 make, for fishing, egging trips, etc. They are not active fishermen in 

 any sense of the word. They are very fond, however, of sea eggs, and 

 frequently the natives have brought a dish of sea urchins' ovaries for 

 our table, offering it as a great delicacy. I do not think any of us did 

 more than to taste it. The native women are the chief hunters for 



