[177] FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 821 



Cook's bell — Continued. 



U. S. Fish Commission. In common use on fishing vessels for 

 calling the crew to their meals. 



Snow cane. 



A slender wooden staff about one inch in diameter, with a projecting 

 handle-piece ; a circular piece of bone interlaced and lashed 

 with sealskin thongs fits over and is lashed to an ivory peg in- 

 serted in the recessed tip of the cane ; the tip of cane is served 

 with strips of seal-skin. Length, 48 inches. Cape Nome, Alas- 

 ka. 45,424. Collected by E. W. Nelson. Used by travelers 

 when walking with snow-shoes. 



Ditty-box. 



Pine wood veneered with walnut. TJ. S. Fish Commission. 57,893. 

 This was the ditty-box of one of the crew of schooner Grace 

 L. Fears, of Gloucester, Mass. The contents are shown with 

 it from No. 57,894 to No. 57,923, inclusive. Contents of ditty- 

 box : 1 broken dory-compass ; 1 spray of tree coral ; 1 bunch 

 of buttons; 3 spools of thread; 2 thimbles; 1 account-book 

 and pencil ; 1 shark's tooth ; 4 matches ; 1 brierwood pipe ; 1 

 broken clay pipe ; 1 whetstone ; 1 pair scissors ; 1 suspender- 

 buckle ; 1 palm thimble ; 2 rolls beeswax ; 2 line-splicers ; 2 

 "hurdy-gurdy" screws ; 1 jig-rasp; 1 file for sharpening hooks ; 

 2 needles for sewing gear ; 1 piece of pipe-stem ; 2 " lucky 

 cents " (one American, one British Provincial) ; 1 clothes-hook j 

 2 tobacco-knives ; 3 slot-swivels ; 1 brass swivel ; 1 mackerel- 

 splitting knife ; 1 piece cotton cloth for mending oil clothes ; 1 

 ball woolen yarn and needle; lot of screws and tacks. 



Improvised ditty-box. 



A rough oblong wooden box without cover. This was improvised 

 from some empty salt-box or something similar in which the 

 cook had brought stores on board the vessel. Gloucester, 

 Mass., 1883. 57,924. Gift of Peter Nelson, of schooner Grace 

 L. Fears, Gloucester. The contents are shown with it, from No. 

 57,925 to 57,946, inclusive. Contents of ditty-box : 1 grommet- 

 ring ; 1 pair scissors ; 1 suspender-strap ; 2 pieces of rubber 

 cloth for mending ; 1 horn needle-case ; 5 sewing-needles ; 1 

 cod-hook ; 2 shirt-buttons ; 10 old nails, a screw and tacks ; 5 

 broken clay pipes; 2 halibut trawl-hooks ; 2 trawl-beckets ; 1 

 thimble; 2 pieces pipe-stem; 2 line- splicers ; 1 file; 1 spool 

 black thread and needles ; 2 " hurdy-gurdy " screws ; 3 swivels 

 for trawl and hand line ; 1 bunch of buttons ; 1 spray of tree 

 coral ; 1 palm for sewing. 



