140 MASKS AND LABRETS. 



to be pursuing, while the hunter was dressed in his woodeu armor and 

 provided with an enormous mask, all ornamented with feathers, seal 

 vibrissa', and tufts of hair, with a countless variety of wooden pendants 

 colored in gay patterns. All the carvings were of wood; the weapons 

 even were only facsimiles in wood of real weapons. Among the arti 

 cles represented were drums, rattles, dishes, weapons, effigies of men, 

 birds, fish, and mammals, and woodeu armor. 



1 have elsewhere 1 given an account of my investigations in a cave or 

 rock-shelter near the entrance to Delaroff Harbor, Unga Island, Skunia- 

 gin Islands. M. Alphonse Pinart, has also published an account 2 of 

 researches in the same vicinity, with figures of masks and other articles 

 of which he was able to make a collection. 



In 1868 Captain Eiedell gave me a perfect mask from this locality 

 (No. 7004), which I presented to the National Museum. Shortly after- 

 ward Dr. T. T. Minor, of the United States Kevenue Marine, presented 

 another (No. 7946), obtained at the same place. In 1871 the cave was 

 visited by M. Pinart, who secured the cream of what was left, though 

 leaving much that was valuable. In 1873 I was able to visit the cave in 

 pei sou, and collected every thing worth having which remained, including 

 one large and very perfect mask (No. 13002). These are here figured. 

 Besides these, a very large number of fragments, halves of masks, and 

 so on, were obtained. Most of them were of a cork-like consistency from 

 great age, and were more or less broken or injured. So soft were they 

 as to crumble under the brush used to remove loose dirt. 



These masks were all different from one another in details, but made 

 on one general type. They would average 14 inches high and (exclud- 

 ing the convexity) 10 or 12 in width. They were nearly all similar in 

 having a broad, thick, but not flattened, nose, straight, flat eyebrows, 

 thin lips, and a wide mouth, into which little woodeu teeth were in- 

 serted. They also agreed in being painted in various colors, usually 

 black aud red, in having bunches of hair pegged iu to indicate a beard, 

 sometimes hair across the upper edge of the forehead, in being pierced 

 only in the uostrils and mouth, aud iu having the ears large, flat, and 

 usually pegged on much above the normal plane iu human beings, gen- 

 erally at the upper posterior corners of the mask. 



1 Re mains of later Prehistoric Man, etc., pp. 28-30. 



2 Pinart has issued an elegant publication, referring to this cave, which he entered 

 in September, 1871, and has illustrated several masks aud parts of masks iu color. He 

 seems to consider that there was a difference between masks placed over the dead, in 

 which he includes those without a perforated mouth, and those which were worn by 

 the mouruers, which he believes to have been broken and thrown away at the time of 

 the funeral ceremonies. However this may be, I have not heard it referred to by those 

 from whom I have been able to obtain the few details I have given, and as I have 

 never had an opportunity of comparing notes on this subject with M. Pinart, 1 must 

 reserve my opinion. Certainly, I have found both kinds associated wi h the remains 

 of the dead and the kind with perfoiated mouth much more comuiou than the other 

 sort, and all the unbroken ones I have seen were of this kind. (Cf. La caverne 

 d'Aknafih, Isle d'Ounga, par A. L. Pinart. 4°. Paris, Leroux, 1875; and Comptes 

 Rendns, 1875, tome 80, pp. 1032-1334. 



