216 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol.. ir., No. 29. 



rilE IGLOO OF THE INNUIT.-^ — U. 



Among the natives of North Huclson's Baj-, 

 the first huts of the season, if there is a scarcity 

 of compact snow, are made of ice. Rectan- 

 gular shibs, three to fonr by six or six and 

 one-half feet, are cut from some neighboring 

 fresh-water lake where the ice has formed to a 

 thickness of six inches. As a rough approxima- 



slabs weigh nearlj' half a ton. When dragged 

 from the lake, the}' are turned on edge, and a 

 hole cut through their centre. By means of a 

 strong seal-skin line passed through this hole, 

 two strong men can handle a slab with consid- 

 erable ease, moving or sliding it long distances. 

 It takes four or five persons to put the first 

 two together, the slight inclination which is 

 given them holding them up when once in po- 



MAKING AN ICE-IGLOO. 



tion, these slabs may be said to be about the 

 size of an ordinary door. The slabs are placed 

 almost upright, resting on their ends, and joined 

 so as to form a circular pen of from ten to fifteen 

 feet in diameter. Over the top of this the sum- 

 mer seal-skin tent (too-pik) is spread for a 

 roof; being supported by the tent-poles cross- 

 ing at convenient places, and held in place b}' 

 a lashing of seal-skin about a foot below the 

 top of the ice-slabs. 



In one of the slabs, generallj- on the side 

 facing the south, a large opening is cut, which 

 is further protected bj' a smaller storm-igloo 

 having an entrance-hole no larger than the 

 girth of the most corpulent Innuit of that par- 

 ticular village. 



As an aid in cutting, a rectangle is marked 

 on the surface of the ice, having a width equal 

 to the length of the proposed slabs, and from 

 it they are cut with an ice-chisel (too-oke) . 

 This chisel is generally a heavy mortising- 

 chisel, securelj' lashed to the end of a pole 

 from six to seven feet long. I have seen baj'- 

 onets, sabre or sword points, or sharpened files 

 made to serve the same purpose. The Es- 

 quimaux around King AVilliam's Land used 

 the spikes from the wrecked ships of Sir John 

 Franklin's ill-fated expedition. The large ice- 



1 Continued from No. 28. 



sLtion. After this, two or three are all that are 

 needed to add each slab, until the house is 

 completed. When two slabs are abutted 

 against each other, the edges are trimmed with 

 a snow-knife to give as much bearing-surface 

 as possible ; and, when permanently set, snow 

 dipped iu water is applied to the joint inside 

 and out, corapleteh" closing all crevices, and, 

 when frozen, binding the two as solidly as if 

 but one. A handful is also put in the central 

 hole, which held the seal-skin thong, and the 

 ice-pen is practicalh* air-tight around its sides. 

 The floor of snow has become packed by the 

 treading of the builders ; and over it are laid 

 flat stones, on which are spread a great many 

 coarse robes of reindeer, musk-ox, and polar- 

 bear skins, and over these the finer reindeer- 

 skins that make the bed, which occupies over 

 half the floor. 



These ice-igloos are as transparent as glass ; 

 and before thej' are covered by the diifting 

 snow, or their interiors dimmed by the smok- 

 ing of the sooty lamps, a night-scene in one of 

 these villages, especiall}' if it be large, with 

 the brilliant burning stone lamps in full blaze, 

 is one of the most beautiful sights 1 have ever 

 witnessed, especiall}- in this dreary land. Could 

 one imagine the little Lilliputs living in flat 

 candy-jars with drumhead covers, he would 



