352 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [ETH. ANN. 18 
Over this frame is stretched a cover of walrus or white-whale intestine, 
held in place by a cord in a groove around the middle of the frame. It 
has a large handle, 26 inches long, made of the same material as the 
frame, and largest on the inner end, which is in the shape of a sea-par- 
rot’s head. On the back of the bird’s neck is a square notch, an inch 
deep, into which the frame fits, and outside of which the handle projects 
about 20 inches. The bill of the sea-parrot is colored red; therest of the 
handle is the color of the wood, except a band of red near the middle. 
These large drums are frequently held by one man while the other 
beats them with a long, slender rod. As with the smaller drums, they 
are frequently struck so that the rod taps against the frame at the 
same time that it strikes the cover, thus producing a sharp, rapping 
sound which mingles with the more resonant tone. 
The International Polar Expedition obtained at Point Barrow large 
drums, somewhat similar to that collected by me at Cape Vancouver, 
with handles alsocarved on the inner ends to represent the headsof birds, 
one of which is that of a cormorant and another the head of a murre. 
Fig. 138—Ivory baton for beating time on a stick (7%). 
_ Inthe country between the lower Yukon and the Kuskokwim, as well 
as on the American shore of Bering strait, I saw large and small drums 
used at the same time, producing a pleasing combination of sound. 
The drum is held by the handle in the left hand, the top slightly inclined 
away from the drummer and about on a level with his chin. When 
excited by the sound and movement, the drummers sometimes raise the 
drums almost at arm length, so that the handles are on a level with 
their brows. They are beaten in measured time, two strokes in quick 
succession, then a short pause, and two strokes again. Each drummer 
has a single slender, flat rod about 12 to 16 inches long, which he holds 
in the right hand. ; 
While witnessing a festival to the dead on the lower Yukon, I saw 
people dancing near the graves to time beaten with a stick on the end 
of a log projecting from one of the houses, and another party dancing 
on the ice on the river to time beaten on a piece of driftwood which had 
been taken to the river for the purpose. This was the only instance 
south of Norton sound in which 1 saw such an accompaniment to danc- 
ing. On the American shore of Bering strait, and thence northward 
