NELSON] MYTHIC ANIMALS 445 
had caught and devoured while she was getting water from the lake. 
In the tale of the creation by the Raven, as the latter and the First 
Man were traveling in the Skyland, the Raven cautioned his com- 
panion not to drink from the lakes which were passed, because in them 
were animals he had made that would seize and destroy any one who 
ventured near. These were the pél-rat-yuk. 
In the drawings of this animal on umiaks, at intervals along the 
body are open spaces, inside which are represented parts of a human 
body, showing the belief in its having eaten such food. It was said to 
live in the water, where it lay hidden among the grass, whence it sud- 
denly rushed to seize a person on the bank or to attack kaiaks when 
crossing its haunts. 
The curious likeness of these animals to the alligator, as shown in 
the accounts of its habits and in drawings representing it, is very 
remarkable. Nearly all of the umiaks in the country of the lower 
Yukon and to the southward have a picture of this animal drawn along 
the entire length on each side of the boat, with the head near the bow, 
and the figure is common also on wooden dishes in that region. It 
appears to be a local myth, and can scarcely have been brought to these 
people since the advent of the whites. The country where this myth 
Fic. 156—Drawing of the pél-rai-yik on an umiak (75). 
is most prevalent is one of the least visited of any along the coast of 
Bering sea. The accompanying figure 156 represents a model of an 
umiak from the lower Yukon, with the animal drawn along the sides, 
In one of the Raven tales a large beast is described as having been 
seen haunting a dry lake bed overgrown with tall grass while Raven 
and First Man were journeying in the sky land. It is said to have 
rested by lying down on the tips of the growing grass, without bend- 
ing the stems. When this animal was killed by the Sky people it was 
necessary for them first to place logs under it, for when dead it became 
so heavy that it would sink into the ground as will a lean seal in water. 
It is described as having a long head and six legs, the hind legs unusu- 
ally large and the fore ones short, with the small middle pair hanging 
from the belly. A fine, thick fur, like that on the shrew-mouse, is said 
to grow all over its body and is thickest about the feet. On the back 
of the head are a pair of thick, short horns, which extend forward and 
outward and then curve back at the points. The animal has small 
eyes and is very dark colored. This undoubtedly refers to the muskox, 
which has been extinct for ages in the region where these people live. 
Tin-mi-tik'-pik, the great eagle (Thunderbird). This is described as 
an enormous eagle which varies in its habits according to locality. 
