boas] seal hunting. 485 



to its hole, tu which if takes if mily WDiinded. An expert hunter can 

 kill from ten t(. tirim, s.-als in m,.. Way. 



Rae, in de.scrihing tlif method dI limiting, states (I, ji. 170) that 

 the women at Repulse Bay are very skillful, and when they have no 

 harpoon frequently use a small wooden club, with which they strike 

 the seal on the nose, killing it. 



Generally two men go sealing together. They set out early in the 

 morning on one sledge, and while one creeps toward the seals the 

 other keeps the dogs quiet. A single hunter cannot hunt successfully 

 at this season with a sledge, for when he leaves it the dogs will 

 either follow him or, if made fast to the ice, raise such a howling 

 that the seal is put upon its guard. Therefore it is necessary that 

 a continuous watch be kept on the dogs. When the shot is fired and 

 they perceive that the seal is killed, no amount of wliipping will 

 restrain them; they rush forward until they have reached the victim, 

 which is then lashed on the sledge. 



The hunters go on in search of a second seal, at the sight of which 

 the. dogs are again stopped. When the Eskimo intend to remain oiit 

 only a few hours they leave the dead animals at their holes and load 

 them on the sledge on the return journey. A single hunter cannot 

 leave the settlement for a long distance, but is limited to sealing near 

 the village and killing no more animals than he can drag to it him- 

 self. Sometimes it happens that the seals are fast asleej^. Then the 

 hiinter can go vip to them without any precaution and kill them im- 

 mediately, and even a dog team running at full speed can take them 

 by surprise. In winter a similar method of hunting is followed when- 

 ever the edge of the floe is close to the land. In such places all kinds 

 of seals lie on the ice, even in the midst of winter, and are piirsi;ed 

 in the way which has been already described. 



A strange metliod of hunting is reported by Ross (II. p. 4.51) as 

 practiced by the Netchillirmiut. Eight men slowly approached the 

 basking seal until it raised its head, when those in front stopped 

 and shouted as loud as they, could ; on which three others ran iip 

 with incredible swiftness and the leader struck it with the sj^ear. 



Still later in the season, when the snow is all gone, a very suc- 

 cessful method of hunting is practiced. All the inhabitants of the 

 settlements set out at once, men, women, and children, and occupy 

 every seal hole over a large area. The men keep their harpoons 

 ready to strike the animal when it comes up to blow, while the 

 Avomen and cliildren are |]rij\-ii|i'(l with sticks only, with which they 

 frighten away tlie seals whenever tliey rise where they are standing. 

 The animals are compelled to rise somewhere, as otherwise they 

 would be drowned, and thus an ample supply is secured in a short 

 time. 



After the breaking up of the ice the natives take to their kayaks 

 and the summer hunt is started. As at this season the methods of 



