NELSON] FINGER MASKS 413 
pierced by a doubly rounded hole for the insertion of two fingers. Itis 
surrounded by a groove in which is set a strip of deerskin with the long 
hair upstanding and with a quill tipped with downy feathers extending 
out over each side and up from the top. On one side of figure + is a 
grotesque semihuman face, with the mouth commencing as a down- 
turned corner on the right side, thence extending over and down on 
the other side, then sweeping up around the left border of the face and 
forehead. The eye upon the left side is absent; upon the right side is 
a crescentie eye with corners down-turned, and the nose is curved 
around toward the right. In the other example (figure 3) the block 
is surrounded near its border by a ridge from which a narrow bevel 
extends outward to the edge and another one inward to the border of 
a face in relief which occupies the middle. This face has no nose, but 
has the two crescentic eyes inclined downward toward the center and 
a crescentic mouth with down-turned corners cut into the block. This 
is used in ceremonial dances, as are other objects of this kind. The 
distorted countenance of the mask shown in figure 4 represents the 
supposed features of a tunghik. 
Figure 1, plate crv, from Norton sound, is a rounded, flattened disk, 
5 inches long by 23 broad, with the center removed, forming a ring and 
connected below by a short neck to an enlarged ring-like appendage 
for the insertion of two fingers. The hole through the center is nearly 
an inch and a half in diameter and is crossed by two small strips of 
wood. On each face of the disk, or ring, just inside the border, is a 
shallow groove. Along another groove, around the outer edge of the 
ring, are inserted five long, downy feathers. This specimen was col- 
lected by Mr L. M. Turner, who states that it was intended to represent 
a star, the feathers indicating the twinkling of the light. This finger 
mask was used by women in certain ceremonial dances. 
Figure 1, plate cv, from Big lake, between Yukon and Kuskokwim 
rivers, is a ring 44 inches in diameter inclosing a second ring a little 
over 24 inches in diameter, which is attached to the outer one by two 
projections on opposite sides. On the lower side is a rounded projec- 
tion about an inch in length and two inches broad, through which 
are pierced holes for the insertion of two fingers. Each one of the 
wooden rings is grooved entirely around the middle, and the outer one 
is beveled on the inner half toward the center, while the inner oue is 
beveled both ways from the middle. The outer ring has its border 
white, and is black, with white spots, on the beveled inner half. The 
inner ring has its outer portion white, with black spots, the inner por- 
tion being red, with white spots. Surrounding the border is a strip of 
deerskin with upstanding hair, and five tail-feathers of the old-squaw 
duck tipped with downy plumes. This mask also is used by women in 
ceremonial dances, but its signification is unknown. 
Figure 3, plate cv, from Pastolik, is 43 by 2%inches, Itis a rudely 
carved wooden block, roughly pear-shape in outline, with a curiously 
