438 IGNORANCE OF POTTERY. DRESS. 



generally five in number, two on each side and one at the 

 bottom. Along the edges of each are small holes, about an 

 inch apart. The planks are sewn together with woodbine, 

 the holes being filled with a kind of bark beaten up until it 

 resembles oakum. Byron truly observes that in the absence 

 of metal, "the labour must be great of hacking a single 

 plank out of a large tree with shells and flints, even though 

 with the help of fire." 



The Fuegians have no pottery, but, like the North Ameri- 

 can Indians, use vessels made of birch, or rather of beech- 

 bark. On the east coast many of the natives possess guan- 

 aco-skins, and on the west some of them wear seal-skins. 

 "Amongst the central tribes the men generally possess an 

 otter-skin, or some small scrap about as large as a pocket- 

 handkerchief, which is barely sufficient to cover their backs 

 as low down as their loins. It is laced across the breast by 

 strings, and according as the wind blows, it is shifted from 

 side to side."* Many however, even of the women, go 

 absolutely without clothes. Yet, as Captain Cook quaintly 

 expresses it, " although they are content to be naked, they 

 are very ambitious to be fine ;" for which purpose they adorn 

 themselves with streaks of red, black, and white, and the 

 men as well as the women wear bracelets and anklets of 

 shell and bone. Dr. Hooker informs us that at the extreme 

 south of Tierra del Fuego, and in mid-winter, he has often 

 seen the men lying asleep in their wigwams, without a scrap 

 of clothing, and the women standing naked, and some with 

 children at their breasts, in the water up to their middles 

 gathering limpets and other shellfish, while the snow fell 

 thickly on them and on their equally naked babies. In fact, 

 fire does not appear to be a necessary with them, nor do they 

 use it to warm the air of their huts as we do, though some- 

 times as a luxury they take advantage of it to toast their 

 * Darwin's Researches in Geology and Natural History, p. 234* 



