76 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT  , (ETH. ANN. 18 
people of the lower Yukon and thence southward to the Kuskokwim 
were specially expert in its application. 
A small notch is cut in the fire stick, in which the point of the drill 
is inserted, while the upper end, which usually is capped with a piece 
of stone or bone, is held in the mouth; the rapid revolution of the drill 
develops sufficient heat to set fire to the dust produced by the friction 
which accumulates around the pivot of the drill. This fire is then 
transferred to a small piece of punk or tinder and fanned into a flame. 
Plate xxxtv, 3, represents a flat stick, from Norton sound, used for 
fire making. It is of dry spruce, having a deep groove along its 
upper surface, with a series of little notches opposite each other in 
pairs along the whole length; near one end are four small circular 
pits, where the drill has been used. Figure 2 of this plate shows the 
drill intended for use with the fire stick. It is a round, slightly 
tapering stick of spruce, about 19 inches in length, and has the upper 
end painted red; the bow also is made of spruce, and is about 16 
inches long, with a rawhide sealskin cord attached to the holes in the 
ends. With this is used the ordinary mouthpiece cap (figure 1 of the 
same plate) slightly crescentic in form, with a square piece of white 
quartz set in its lower side. " 
Figures 4, 5, 7, and 8 of plate xxxrv illustrate a set of fire-making 
implements, from Chalitmut, consisting of a large drill, the cap of which 
has a piece of obsidian set in its lower surface, a double-hand drill 
cord with handles made from the points of small walrus tusks, and a 
broad fire stick with a step-like ledge on one side and several holes 
along the center where the drill has been used. 
In plate Xxxtv, 9, is shown a broad fire stick obtained at Cape Van- 
couver. It is made with a ledge along one side which slopes inward 
a trifle toward the center, where holes have been bored in making fire. 
The surface of this specimen is covered with deep holes, showing that 
it has frequently been used. 
Plate XXXIV, 6, represents a tinder box from St Michael. It is 64 
inches in length, and is made from a section of reindeer horn, truncated 
at each end and of roughly oval shape in cross section. It has a long, 
oval opening on one side, through which the interior was excavated. 
In addition to procuring fire by means of drills the Eskimo make 
common use of flint and steel. Sometimes the steel is replaced by a 
piece of iron pyrites, but usually a fragment of an old knife-blade or 
other steel object is carried. The flint is held between the thumb and 
forefinger of the left hand, just above a little wad of tinder which fre- 
quently consists of fur plucked from a garment. The steel is grasped 
in the right hand, and as the downward blow is struck the spark ignites 
the tinder, which is then transferred to the bowl of the pipe, or to a 
larger piece of tinder surrounded by fine shavingsif the operator wishes 
to kindle a fire. 
Of late years matches have been sold by the fur traders and are 
greatly prized by these people, who are always anxious to obtain them. 
