July 25, 1884.] 



SCIENCE, 



81 



I believe, from motives of real modesty — to 

 postpone the invitation, and issue instead a 

 large number of special requests to individuals 

 to attend from abroad the meeting of our as- 

 sociation at Montreal. This duty fell to the 

 local committee of Montreal in 1882. The 

 large number of foreign visitors who came re- 

 vived the hope that the British association 

 could be induced to come over as a body. The 

 matter was then independently taken up by the 

 Canadians, and pushed generously and eagerly 

 towards the great success which every one 

 now anticipates for the gathering at Montreal. 

 From the first it has been understood, that if 

 the original enterprise, which was in many 

 ways so full of difficulty, should be brought to 

 a successful issue, then the still greater enter- 

 prise should be broached, and the foundation 

 of a permanent international association be 

 attempted. 



It is hoped that the British association will 

 take some action in the matter. It has been 

 suggested that a committee with powers might 

 be appointed to confer with the American as- 

 sociation at Philadelphia. The organization 

 of the latter body is such that no further official 

 action on its part is possible until the time of 

 meeting itself ; but there can be no doubt as to 

 the cordiality with which an}' proposal emanat- 

 ing from the British association will be received. 

 At present no definite plans have been formed, 

 as it has been felt that public discussion was 

 necessary before making any decision ; but, as 

 it is advisable to gather as many suggestions 

 beforehand as possible, I shall be glad to cor- 

 respond with any one interested in the propo- • 

 sal. 1 



Charles S. Minot. 



THE IMPLEMENTS OF THE IGLOO. 



In my former article on the igloo of the In- 

 nuit, published in Science last August and 

 September, I said, in closing, "I should like 

 to give a few brief descriptions of those appur- 

 tenances that might be strictly called igloo ac- 

 cessories, as the native stone lamp and kettle, 

 the well to fresh water through the thick ice 



1 TDr. Minot's address is 2o Mt. Vernon St., Boston, Mass. 

 -Ed.] 



beside the snow-hut, and many other minor 

 items all growing out of the igloo itself; but 

 this article has already grown to such dimen- 

 sions that they must be laid aside." A letter 

 from the editor, requesting to know more about 

 the life of the Eskimos among whom I was 

 thrown, has induced me to take up my aban- 

 doned subject as an appendix to my former 

 article about the igloo itself. 



The snow-stick, called by the Eskimos ah- 

 now'-tuk, is a constant companion of the igloo, 

 and is used to knock the snow off of the rein- 

 deer clothes or bedding, when by any chance 

 it has gotten on them. After the igloos are 

 built, when camping on a sledge-journey, the 

 reindeer-skins that are to form the bedding are 

 given a beating with the ah-now-tuk as the}' 

 are taken from the sledge, before being put in 

 the snow-house ; and this beating must be very 

 thorough if there has been a high wind with 

 drifting snow during the day, or the sledge has 

 upset, or any mishap has occurred to fill the 

 hair with snow or ice. When a hunter comes 

 into an igloo from the chase or a journey, he 

 takes off his outer reindeer-coat (coo'-le-tah) 

 and outer trousers (kok'-liks) , both with their 

 hair turned outwards; and, if there be any snow 

 or ice on them, a few dexterous strokes with 

 the snow-stick soon rids them of it, when they 

 are carefully rolled up and put at the foot of the 

 bed, or, if the native is going to retire for the 

 night, under his head as a pillow. When severe 

 exercise brings on profuse perspiration, this is 

 taken up by the inner reindeer-clothes, with 

 their hair turned inwards, in the shape of an 

 evenly distributed moisture, which, in thick fur 

 especially, seldom reaches to the skin itself; 

 and, when these clothes are taken off for the 

 night, this freezes into a hoar-frost-like cover- 

 ing, which is beaten off by the ah-now-tuk in 

 the morning, before the}' are resumed. Some- 

 times it is impossible to thoroughly get rid of 

 this sabulous ice, and nothing is more disagree- 

 able to an explorer than to crawl out of a warm 

 sleeping-bag in the morning, and crawl into this 

 powdery ice still clinging to the fur of the inner 

 clothes ; but there is nothing to be done but to 

 grin and bear it for the few short minutes it 

 takes to warm the fur with the bare skin of the 

 body. 



The ah-now-tuk itself can be any sort of 

 handy club that one can wield with the right 

 hand, while the clothes, bedding, etc., are held 

 in the left : x but there is usually a particular 



1 I have spoken of the Innuit as right-handed. In connection 

 with this remark, I think it would not he uninteresting to repro- 

 duce a small portion of my address hefore the New-York academy 

 of sciences, Nov. 1, 1SS0, relating to the ambidexterity of the 

 Innuit. I there said, "I have often been impressed with the 



