394 Thomas Thomsen. 



had ever seen, were brought to Julianehaab by a family from Angmar- 

 selik, a place on the East Coast, said to be situated considerably farther 

 to the north than Captain Graah's farthest point". These two objects, 

 which are of interest as being the first ever brought home from Ang- 

 magsalik, are shown in W. Thalbitzer's work as Fig. 280c and 273, 

 both being there attributed, however, to the Holm collection. 



The water tub (Fig. 280c) is, it is true, larger than the other vessels 

 from the same locality preserved in the Museum, but is in the main of 

 the same shape as these. The dipper, however, (Fig. 273) merits closer 

 consideration, being an interesting item in itself, though its peculiarity 

 will hardly be realised at once from Mr. Thalbitzer's description. 



It is a bottle-shaped vessel, carved out of a lump of wood, but with 

 a separate bottom nailed on. The Editor describes it thus: "Besides 

 the drinking hole at the top of the neck there is a hole in the middle 

 of the side so that it can be half filled without being put quite down 

 into the water. This is very practical as the water-vessel is not always 

 quite filled, and it may be difficult owing to the melting pieces of ice 

 in it to let down the scoop or the bottle deep enough 1 ". 



The extremely practical nature of this arrangement is less obvious 

 when it is added, that the bottle is also furnished with a hole on the 

 opposite side, this last hole being bored some 5 cm. only above the bot- 

 tom. A thirsty man, attempting to drink from such a bottle, would 

 hardly appreciate the value of the holes, through one or other of which 

 the water would infallibly be spilt. From his photograph of the object, 

 Cand. Thalbitzer would of course only have been able to see one of 

 these holes, and he had by that time evidently forgotten what he could 

 hardly have failed to see when holding the object in his hand for actual 

 inspection. 



The Editor further says: "In Johan Petersen's collection there 

 were also a few water-scoops and mugs of the same peculiar forms (Mikee- 

 ki's water-scoop etc., Nos 213 — 216)" The expression "Mikeeki's water- 

 scoop etc." is incomprehensible to the uninitiated, referring as it does 

 to the unpublished catalogue of a private collection which the Editor 

 was at that time endeavouring to dispose of abroad" 2 . The collec- 

 tion has, however, since passed into the possession of the National 

 Museum, so that we are in a position to explain the Editor's mea- 

 ning. No. 213 is, it is true, of the same type, the others, however, 



1 Thalb. II, p. 548. 



2 The value of this collection could hardly have been unknown to the Editor, 

 since he mentions the name of the collector on the title-page of his work, 

 and gives illustrations of over 50 of the objects included. The owner of 

 the collection, however, could not be aware of its importance to the Danish 

 Museum; had he been so we may be sure, from his 'former services ren- 

 dered to the Museum, that he would first have offered the objects in 

 question to his own country. 



