544 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



(t!«. Mo, Hi 



e&Jis nil 



Fig. 10. 

 FiKE-MAKiXQ Set. 



8B. U, 9. N. M, Natives of Talamnnoa 



!8. M.UctS'lljyPrpf. w. !y{. Q*b!i,) 



arrows or larger, is provided. Both ends of this 

 are rounded, but one end is made smooth, the 

 other is left slightly rough. The dried pith of 

 some kind of reed, or more probably of the yucca, 

 some fibers of the same loosely prepared like 

 hackled flax, some powdered charcoal, I think 

 formed by charring the yucca, and apiece of hard 

 thick leather similar to sole leather, completes 

 the outfit, which is carried in a leather bag made 

 for the purpose. The first described piece of 

 wood is placed upon the knees of the operator 

 with a quantity of the fibrous substance beneath 

 it which has been powdered with charcoal dust ; 

 some of the latter is put into one of the holes 

 and the rough end of the stick inserted, the 

 other end is put into an indentation of the 

 leather placed under the chin, so that a gentle 

 pressure may be exerted. The spindle is then 

 rapidly revolved by rolling it one way and the 

 other between the hands. The friction thus pro- 

 duced by the rubbing of the roughened surfaces 

 ignites the fine coal dust, which, dropping as 

 sparks of fire through the orifice at the bottom 

 of the hole, falls into the dry fibrous prepara- 

 tion, thus igniting that, then by the breath 

 blowing upon it a flame is produced and com- 

 municated to some fine dry wood and a fire is 

 soon obtained. The whole operation occupies 

 but a few minutes. 



One of the rudest fire-making appli- 

 ances in the Museum was collected by 

 Prof. W. M. Gabb, at Talamanca, Costa 

 Rica. The hearth is a rude bil'et of 

 charred, black wood, resembling mahog- 

 any. It has central holes, with no gut- 

 ter usaally, though sometimes a shallow 

 notch is cut on both sides of the fire- 

 hole. The drill is a light branch, rather 

 crooked, but dressed dowu roughly with 

 a knife. Another hearth is of partly de- 

 cayed, worm-eaten woodj with this a 

 hard wood drill can be used, the hearth 

 wasting away instead of the drill (fig. 

 16.) The absence of any fire slot, that 

 is, the use of the central fire-hole, is 

 worthy of notice in this locality. I have 

 only observed its use in various parts of 

 the Eskimo area, from East Greenland 

 to Kadiak ; outside of this range I have 

 not noticed it anywhere else among the 

 present tribes of the world. From de^ 



