470 W. Thalbitzer 



Fabricius does not refer, however, to a small apparatus used 



by the Ammassalikers in connection with the bird snaring, the 



DECOY WHISTLE (aartisaain or qartert^aat). It is an oblong wooden 



block with rounded edges (fig. 176, length 13*8cm.), with two quite 



narrow blow-holes right through the middle, in which is fixed a 



membrane of gutskin. When blown through, it makes 



a whistling noise. The ptarmigan are attracted by this 



noise to answer and thus display where they are. Also 



seals are said to be decoyed by means of this whistle 



Fig. 178. when hunted in the kaiak. — Similar decoy sounds, but 



Bone float for mostly produced by the mouth, are known from West 



bird snare. Greenland in hunting birds and seals i). 



Nualik. (Am- . ° 



drup coll ). Slings {ittiaartaahn) are not unknown either at Am- 



massalik. An oblong piece of skin is provided with a 

 string at each end and the one string ends in a loop to fold over the 

 middle finger. The stone is placed in the middle of the skin, where 

 there is a small hole. The other end is held with the hand and is 

 only let go when the stone is thrown. The slip-end of the string is 

 called sapaijiaq. 



The use of slings is mentioned among the Eskimo both in and outside 

 Greenland. In the southern parts of West Greenland already John Davis 

 was received in 1585 with stones thrown by slings : "With slings they spare us 

 not with stones of hälfe a pound weight." The same experience was made by 

 Cunningham in 1605: "There upon a sudden they began to throw stones with 

 certaine Slings — yea they did sling so fiercely that we could scarce stand 

 on the hatches." Later the natives returned, 63 men in all, crying ilyout, 

 with stones in bags, which they slung vehemently against the ship from the 

 cliffs^). Slings for warlike use are also mentioned in one of the old tales 

 from West Greenland)''). — Outside Green- 

 land the use of slings is reported among 

 the Resolution Island Eskimo by Ellis 

 and among the Winter Island Eskimo by 

 Parry*). The latter calls a sling illeiv, 

 probably the same word as that given 

 above {ilyout) and as the West Greenland 



itLoot 'a sling.' ** 



The cross-bow (p. 55) is a com- ^'è- 179. Fox-trap cleanser. Nualik. 

 , , . , . (Amdrup coll.). 



mon plaything among boys at Am- 

 massalik; with it they shoot ravens and small birds. The one 

 figured in fig. 180 a is unusually large (length of the cross-piece 

 Г31 m.); as a rule they are only 15 — 20 cm. long. 



1) Fabricius (1812 pp. 246—247. Thalbitzer (1904) pp. 323-326. Cf. in this 

 volume p. 401. 



2) Davis (1586) p. 400, cf. p. 398. Cf. also in this volume p. 402. J. Hall [Cunning- 

 ham's expedition] (1625) pp. 818 and 836. 



^'j Rink 1866) pp. 137—138 (the tale of Namak). Cf. d. 65 {Aqissiaq). 

 ') Ellis П 750) p. 140. Parry (1824) p. 567 (illeiv). Cf. K. I. V. Steenstrup (1889) 

 PI). 16 17. 



