SCIENCE. 



101 





The greater portion of their food is eaten raw, 

 especially in Winter. When they cook at all, they 

 only "simmer" it over their lamps in a pot of soap- 

 stone. These pots are from eight to twenty inches in 

 length, usually about sixteen inches, and though of 

 variable patterns, the length is generally three times 

 the width or depth. Among such Eskimo as are able 

 to procure old cast-away meat-cans from around the 

 ships, tin has superseded the soapstone both for lamps 

 and boiling-pots. 



In Summer, especially when on hunting excursions, 

 they very often "fry" meat by making a little fire- 

 place of stones, and laying a flat piece of stone on 

 the top. The opening to receive the fuel supply is to 

 windward. For fuel at such times they use Cassiope 

 tetragona and Ledum palustre ; these shrubs make a 

 quick and very hot fire. It would be comparatively 

 an easy task for these people to gather enough Cassi- 

 ope tetragona during the Summer to burn during the 

 coldest weather, and not rely wholly upon blubber. 



When the Eskimo have been simmering meat, espe- 

 cially seal, in their boiling-pots, they pour off the 

 liquor and mix it with about an equal quantity of 

 blood ; this makes a thick and rather greasy soup 

 that must be quite nourishing ; the children are very 

 fond of it. It seems possible that from this dish has 

 originated the popular error that these people drink 

 oil, a notion that is simply preposterous. 



I found among some of these people a little spoon, 

 or rather a miniature scoop, made of ivory, which 

 they used to drink the soup with ; it appears to be an 

 old utensil, now going fast out of use, for they can 

 now procure tin mugs. A reindeer's rib, pointed at 

 one end, is used to fish up the meat with, and some- 

 times to convey it to the mouth. These instruments 

 are found in the graves, but seem to be little used at 

 the present day. 



When a seal is brought to the encampment, espec- 

 ially if they have not been plenty for some days, all 

 the villagers are invited to the hut of the lucky hunter, 

 and the seal is soon dispatched. A couple of the 

 younger men skin the animal and distribute the pieces 

 to the assembled company as fast as needed. The 

 testicles, being considered as the choicest titbit, are 

 usually handed over to the hostess ; the spinal cord is 

 also rated as one of the choicest portions of the ani- 

 mal. During these feasts they gorge themselves to 

 their utmost capacity, and are in good humor and 

 hilarious. Though there may be ever so poor pros- 

 pects to procure more food for the morrow, this does 

 not deter them from gluttonously devouring the last 

 morsel, and then go. on allowance till they can get a 

 fresh supply. I have seen them thus gorge themselves, 

 and then lie down to sleep with a piece of seal meat 

 by their side, which they attacked every time they 

 awoke. 



The intestines of birds, notably Lagopus and Som- 

 ateria, are looked upon as choice parts, and birds 

 brought to the encampment are generally " drawn " by 

 the hunters. The fatty excrescence at the base of 

 the upper mandible of the male Som. spectabilis is too 

 great a temptation for them. It was with great diffi- 

 culty that we could induce them to bring these birds 

 to camp without having them thus mutilated. 



[ Continued.] 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents. No notice is taken of anonymous communi- 

 cations.] 



A Spark from Menlo Park. 



To the Editor of Science : 



My note book is so full of observations made during 

 a recent visit to Edison's laboratory, that I feel on look- 

 ing it over as if I had struck an intellectual gold mine. 

 The genius of Menlo Park is so exuberant, and his frank- 

 ness — -we may say naivete — so unbounded, that we 

 came into possession of many facts which we might 

 almost commit a breach of confidence in exposing. I 

 found him reserved, however, when the conversation was 

 turned to the subject of the arc electric light, and avoid- 

 ing criticism of the operations and machines of those 

 inventors who have devoted themselves to its improve- 

 ment and utilization. But he made quite merry over the 

 opinions expressed to him by many of the sight seers 

 who swarm to the laboratory. " Would you believe it 

 possible," said Mr. Edison, " that in spite of the general 

 and interesting descriptions I have seen in various publi- 

 cations of this and other countries, few of the visitors really 

 know what they come to see when they ask to be shown 

 the electric light ? Many are disappointed, because we do 

 not have a kind of inland light house with a 300 or 400 

 candle-power light in each pane of glass in the buildings. 

 Others think it a ' poor show ' when they examine an in- 

 candescent thread of 14 to 16 candle-power in bright 

 sunlight." 



There was one suggestion thrown off by him, while 

 conversing about the arc electric light, which I think 

 should not be suffered to remai nundeveloped ; Mr. Edison 

 is so devoted to ' his light ' that he only has time to give 

 an occasional thought in the other direction, and his 

 power of concentration prevents the dispersion of his 

 genius through a different medium. So I repeat, I do 

 not think I am committing any breach of confidence in 

 describing a sketch which grew up under my eye, drawn 

 by his rapid and luminous pencil ; for Edison possesses 

 that peculiar quality of pictorial illustration which we 

 have never seen, except in the sketches of that inventor- 

 artist, the great Leonardo da Vinci. 



" Our dynamo-machines," said he, "as we now build 

 them, are especially constructed for the purpose of 

 furnishing current tor the incandescent lamp ; but they 

 are, of course, as easily adapted to the arc light as to 

 other purposes. You see our lamp factory and electric 

 railroad are run by them. A very simple addition to a 

 machine would allow of its use in illumination where the 

 production of reverse currents is necessary. Imagine 

 the wire of a Gramme helix cut half way through the 

 solenoid, the four ends joined two and two to a commu- 

 tating wheel, and pairs of conductors leading to an arc 

 light, say Jablochkoff's candles. Now, by intermittently 

 joining the ends of the separated helices, by an appropriate 

 arrangement on the ordinary commutator blocks, you 

 will be able to use your main current for the small incan- 

 descent lamps, and the surplus for the arc lamp ; thus 

 supplying continuous and reverse currents from the 

 same machine." 



I hope this chance scintilla from the mind of the great 

 inventor will be allowed to sink through the pages of my 

 note book into your columns, without any violation of 

 the proprieties. If it incite Mr. Edison, en revanche, to 

 a development of the idea, we will bear the brunt of a, 

 perhaps, just resentment. 



F. T. Waters. 



