460 



part of the side surfaces being bevelled, so that the surface 

 of the base is only 0*7 to 1 cm broad, whereas the breadth 

 of the median cross section of the block is 1.7 cm. The form 

 of the cross section all through the implement approaches to 

 the form of an ellipse, which is thus broader in the upper 

 part of the block than in the lower part. 



The original form of the implement must have been sym- 

 metrical, but the symmetry has been destroyed by the breaking 

 off of one of the bottom corners. On the other hand, the 

 considerable slit which extends from the base up through 

 the whole breadth of the shaft, to the knob-like head, is an 

 integral part of the implement; quite narrow at the top, it expands 

 downwards, until, where it debouches into the basal surface, 

 it attains a breadth of 0*2 cm. It is probable that a blade of 

 some other material (iron?) has been wedged into the mouth 

 of the slit, and that the object before us is really the wooden 

 handle of a woman's knife, or skin-scraper {ulo). 



An ulo, or skin-scraper made of stone, of the same charac- 

 teristic form was found in North East Greenland by the Swedish 

 Expedition under Nathorst (Hammar)^). The form in this, as 

 well as in Amdrup's haft, is perhaps an imitation of a common 

 type of skin-scrapers of bone, the form of which in turn was 

 conditioned by the natural form of the bone. A skin-scraper 

 from Baffin Land made of bone and of the same form is figured 

 in Boas^), who also figures a series of scrapers the handles 

 of which are of wood, while the blades are of stone, bone, 

 or metal. These handles all have a knob-like expansion at 

 the upper end. Also from Alaska (St. Michael's) an example 

 is extant of this type of wooden handle for a scraper^ which 

 is figured in Mason ^), who describes it as follows: "Handle 

 of wood, grip cylindrical, shaft triangular, expanding downward 



1) Solberg 55. fig. 47; Stolpe PI. 3, fig. 10. 



2) Boas II, 33, fig. 40 b; fig. 41 с and d. 

 8) Mason VI, PI. 83, fig. 1. 



