534 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



to keep up a continuous motion, as will be noted in the use of the 

 Aino drill (p. 551). 



For tinder, the bark of the arbor vitaj was used. It is finely frayed, 

 and is much improved by being slightly charred. They also use, pref- 

 erably, a tinder made from a fungus, because it is "quickerf" i. e., ignites 

 more readily than the frayed bark. 



The hearth is squared and measures 23 inches; the drill is of equal 

 length. 



Going southward from Sitka the next fire-making set in the series 

 is from Bella-Bella, British Columbia. These Indians are of the Sali- 

 shan stock, and are called Bilhulas. The horizontal is a piece of cedar 

 wood dressed square on three faces. It is apparently a piece of an oar or 

 spear handle. The fire holes are shallow, and the fire slots are qui! e 

 narrow (fig. 2). The drills have been scored longitudinally near the 

 rubbing end; this may be a device to cause the wood to wear away more 

 rapidly, and furnish fuel to the incipient fire. Fire has evidently been 

 made with this set. Both i)arts are 1| feet long; the drill is much 

 thinner than that of Sitka. The tinder is of frayed cedar bark. 



From a southern family of the Salishan stock, called the Quinaielt In- 

 dians, of Washington Territory, the museum has a complete set col- 

 lected by the late Charles Willoughby. It consists of a hearth, two 

 drills, and a slow-match. The hearth is a rounded piece of cedar wood; 

 opposite the fire-holes it is dressed flat, so as to rest firmly on the ground. 

 There are three fire-holes with wide notches. The drills taper to each 

 end, that is, are larger in the middle (fig. 3). The powder, a fine brown 

 dust, collects at the junction of the slot and fire-hole, where they form 

 a lip and there readily ignites. This side of the hearth is semi-decayed. 

 No doubt the slots were cut in that side for the purpose of utilizing this 

 quality. The drills are bulged toward the middle, thereby rendering 

 it possible to give great pressure and at the same time rapid rotation 

 without allowing the hands to slip down too rapidly, a fault in many 

 fire drills. The slow-match is of frayed cedar bark, about a yard 

 long, folded squarely together, and used section by section. Mr. Wil- 

 loughby says : 



The stick with three cavities was placed upon the ground, the Indian kneeling and 

 placing a knee upon each end. He placed one end of the smaller stick in one of the 

 cavities, and, holdiug the other end between the palms of his hands, kept up a rapid 

 half-rotary motion, causing an amount of friction sufficient to produce fire. With this 

 he lighted the end of the braided slow-match of cedar bark. This was often carried 

 for weeks thus ignited and held carefully beneath the blanket to protect it from wind 

 and rain. 



Fire is easily procured with this set. It takes but a slight effort to cause 

 a wreath of aromatic smoke to curl up, and the friction easily grinds off a 

 dark powder, which collects between the edges of the slot. When this 

 ignites it drops down the slot in a little pellet, and falls upon the tinder 

 placed below to receive it. Both drill and hearth are 18 inches long. 



