MURDOCH. } STYLE OF DRESS. 111 
off square, and is usually confined by a girdle at the waist. Under this 
garment is worn a similar one, usually of lighter skin and sometimes with- 
out a hood. The thighs are clad in one or two pairs of tight-fitting knee 
breeches, confined round the hips by a girdle and usually secured by a 
drawstring below the knee which ties over the tops of the boots. On 
the legs and feet are worn, first, a pair of long, deerskin stockings with the 
hair inside; then slippers of tanned sealskin, in the bottom of which is 
spread a layer of whalebone shavings, and outside a pair of close-fitting 
boots, held in place by a string round the ankle, usually reaching above 
the knee and ending with a rough edge, which is covered by the breeches. 
Dress boots often end with an ornamental border and a drawstring just 
below the knee. The boots are of reindeer skin, with white sealskin 
soles for winter and dry weather, but in summer waterproof boots of 
black sealskin with soles of white whale skin, ete., are worn. Over- 
shoes of the same material, reaching just above the ankles, with a draw- 
string at the top and ankle strings, are sometimes worn over the winter 
boots. When traveling on snowshoes or in soft dry snow the boots 
are replaced by stockings of the same shape as the under ones, but made 
of very thick winter deerskins with the flesh side out. 
Instead of breeches and boots a man occasionally wears a pair of 
pantaloons or tight-fitting trousers terminating in shoes such as are 
worn by the women. Over the usual dress is worn in very cold weather 
a circular mantle of deerskin, fastened by a thong at the neck—such 
mantles are nowadays occasionally made of blankets—and in rainy 
weather both sexes wear the hooded rain frock of seal gut. Of late 
years both sexes have adopted the habit of wearing over their clothes 
a loose hoodless frock of cotton cloth, usually bright-colored calico, 
especially in blustering weather, when it is useful in keeping the drift- 
ing snow out of their furs. 
Both men and women wear gloves or mittens. These are of deer- 
skin for ordinary use, but in extreme weather mit- 
tens of polar bear skin are worn. When hunting in 
winter it is the custom to wear gloves of thin deer- 
skin under the bearskin mitten, so that the rifle can 
be handled without touching the bare hand to the 
cold iron. The women have a common trick of wear- 
ing only one mitten, but keeping the other arm with- 
drawn from the sleeve and inside of the jacket. 
The dress of the women consists of two frocks, 
which differ from those of the men in being con- 
tinued from the waist in two rather full rounded 
skirts at the front and back, reaching to or below the knee. A woman’s 
frock is always distinguished by a sort of rounded bulge or pocket at 
the nape of the neck (see Fig. 52, from a sketch by the writer), which is 
intended to receive the head of the infant when carried in the jacket. 
The little peak at the top of the hood is also characteristic of the 
FG. 52.—Womans’ hood. 
