444 BUREAU OF AMEHICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



To Dumont we are indebted for the only description of a native 

 manner of meeting that bane of the housewife, the moth : 



The savages have another secret for the preservation of their beaver, otter, 

 bear, or fox skins, from injurious animals, especially moths, and those French- 

 men who go to trade among them do not fail to take advantage of this in the 

 preservation of their pelts. For this purpose they make use of the body of a 

 certain bird which in many places is called a "fisher." After having dried 

 it, some of them cut it into many small pieces which they put here and there 

 on their skins Others reduce it to fine powder, which they scatter over the 

 skins side of the hair. In whatever way one makes use of it, it is certain 

 that the odor of this bird drives away moths and all other destructive crea- 

 tures which might be able to injure the peltries. It is asserted that the martin 

 (martinet), a kind of bird which resembles the swallow, has the same virtue 

 and the same properties. (Dumont, 1753, vol. 2, pp. 277-278.) 



Lawson is almost the only writer among the English who has any- 

 thing to say about skin dressing, and it is evident that the method 

 he had observed differed little from the Louisiana process: 



Their way of dressing their skins is, by soaking them in water, so they get 

 the hair off with an instrument made of the bone of a deer's foot; yet some 

 use a sort of iron drawing knife, which they purchase of the English, and after 

 the hair is off they dissolve deer's brains, which beforehand are made in a 

 cake and baked in the embers, in a bowl of water, so soak the skins therein 

 till the brains have sucked up the water ; then they dry [the skin] gently, and 

 keep working it with an oyster shell, or some such thing, to scrape withal till 

 it is dry; whereby it becomes soft and pliable. Yet these so dressed will not 

 endure wet, but become hard thereby ; which to prevent, they either cure them 

 in the smoke or tan them with bark, as before observed [Lawson, p. 311; see 

 p. 446 below] ; not but that young Indian corn, beaten to a pulp, will effect 

 the same as the brains. (Lawson, 1860, pp. 338-339.) 



As is often the case, Catesby parallels Lawson in considerable 

 measure : 



The method of dressing their skins is by soaking them in deer's brains, tem- 

 pered with water, scraping them with an oyster-shell till they become soft and 

 pliable. Maiz, when young, and beat to a pulp, will effect the same as the 

 brains; then they cure them with smoak, which is performed by digging a 

 hole in the earth, arching it over with hoop-sticks, over which the skin is 

 laid, and under that is kindled a slow fire, which is continued until it is 

 smoaked enough. (Catesby, 1731-43, vol. 2, p. xi.) 



Byrd, from observation of a Saponi Indian, remarks : 



The Indians dress them [skins] with Deer's Brains, and so do the English 

 here by their example. For Expedition's Sake they often Stretch their Skins 

 over Smoak in order to dry them, which makes them smell so disagreeably 

 that a Rat must have a good Stomach to gnaw them in that condition. (Bas- 

 sett, 1901, p. 274.) 



From a much later date comes Speck's account of Yuchi skin 

 dressing : 



In preparing hides and skins for use the brains of animals are employed 

 to soften and preserve them. Hides are placed over a log, one end of which 



