THE SKINS. 411 
main, especially on the skins of the reindeer. The same author 
says, when treating of the Barren-ground Caribou: “The hide 
dressed with the fur is, as has been already mentioned, excellent 
for winter clothing, and supplies the place of both blanket and 
feather-bed, to the inhabitants of the Arctic wilds. When sub- 
jected to the process described in the article on the Moose Deer 
it forms a soft and pliable leather, adapted for moccasins and 
summer clothing, or, when sixty or seventy skins are sewed to- 
gether, they make a tent sufficient for the residence of a large 
family.” “ The undressed hide, after the hair is taken off, is cut 
into thongs of various thickness, which are twisted into deer- 
snares, bow-strings, net-lines, and, in fact, supply all the pur- 
poses of rope. The finer thongs are used in the manufacture of 
fishing-nets, or in making snow-shoes; while the tendons of the 
dorsal muscles are split into fine and excellent sewing-thread.” 
The portion of the skin of the Moose most prized for mocca- 
sins is that about the hock, which is peeled down without being 
cut open, is properly tanned with the hair on, and sewed up at 
the lower end, and is found to be well shaped by nature for the 
foot. The skin from the leg is firmer, and is more impervious to 
the water than that of the body, and the hair there is shorter, 
firmer, and more enduring than on other parts. 
The skin of the Wapiti Deer is less tenacious and less enduring 
than that of any other of the species. This fact was discovered by 
Lewis and Clarke, much to their cost. To cover their iron-framed 
boat above the falls of the Missouri, they selected Elk skins in 
preference to the skins of the buffalo, because they supposed 
they were ‘ more strong and durable,” but when it was too late 
they discovered their error, and the boat had to be abandoned. 
But my own experiments have been conclusive as to the com- 
parative worthlessness of the skin of the Elk. I have had them 
tanned by various processes and into various kinds of leather. I 
had a prime buck skin tanned into harness leather. It was soft 
and pliable, but had very little strength and endurance. Hitch- 
ing-straps made from it seemed very nice, but their tensile 
strength was very low, and they actually wore out by a few 
weeks’ use. Several skins from young Elk less than a year old, 
tanned into shoe leather, appear all that could be desired for 
shoes or soft boots, but they have so little strength that they can 
be torn in two by the hands like a piece of muslin, while I find 
all the skins of the other species of deer which I have in confine- 
ment, tanned in the same way, as strong as if tanned by the 
