NELSON] PAINT BOXES—POTTERY 201 
the flippers and the bottom of the box, are colored red. The rear end 
of the cover is blue, and the remainder of the box is black. 
An oval box from St Lawrence island (number 65267) represents the 
rude outline of a seal with a smaller one on its back, which forms the 
cover, fitting like a stopper. On the back of the cover are inlaid six 
halves of blue beads. A sinew cord projecting several inches through 
the cover serves for raising it. The eyes of the larger seal are formed 
by round pieces of ivory, with some black substance filling a hole in 
the center of each to indicate the pupil. 
An oblong wooden box from Nunivak island (number 43878) is made 
of two pieces, the lower two-thirds forming the main part and the other 
the cover, which is held in place by two bone pegs inserted in the lower 
edge, at each end, and fitting into corresponding holes in the ends of 
the lower portion of the box. On the sides and ends of the box are inlaid 
square strips of ivory, about half an inch from the edge, and a number 
of small ivory pegs are set in the space between the inlaid strips. 
POTTERY 
* 
The manufacture of pottery from clay is widely spread among the 
Eskimo with whom I came in contact, but the women are the only 
potters. The process of making vessels from clay, as witnessed at St 
Michael, is as follows: 
A quantity of tough, blue clay is moistened and kneaded thoroughly 
with the hands until it assumes plasticity; then short, tough blades of a 
species of marsh grass and a small quantity of fine, black, voleanic sand 
from the beach are mixed with it. A round, flat layer of the prepared 
ciay is worked out to form the bottom of the vessel, and about the edge 
of this a wall is built up with a thin band of clay, carried around a num- 
ber of times until the desired height is reached. The top is then 
smoothed, and is either left plain or slightly scalloped with the fingers. 
The sides of the vessels are usually left plain, but sometimes they 
are ornamented with a series of simple, incised lines made with a stick. 
Several vessels obtained at St Michael have the sides curving slightly 
until near the top, where they are somewhat constricted and the rim 
is made slightly flaring. 
After the shaping and the ornamentation of the vessel are completed, 
it is placed near the fire until it becomes dry; then a fire is built both on 
the inside and the outside, and it is baked for an hour or two with as 
great a heat as can be obtained. 
In a summer camp at Hotham inlet a number of pots were seen, 
varying in capacity from two to three’ gallons. Several of the larger 
ones had the tops scalloped and were slightly constricted in outline 
below the rim, On the sides they were ornamented with short, paral- 
lel, horizontal lines, beginning near the rim and forming a band extend- 
ing to the bottom, as shown in figure 60, from a sketch made at the 
time. 
