582 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



its head above water, and is looking around, the bear sinks, swims 

 under it, and clutches it from beneath. 



When the sea-ice begins to make, we will say about the middle 

 of October to the 1st of November, the female bear captures and 

 kills several seals, which she hides away among the hummocks. 

 Then she retires to the land and eats moss, the object being 

 to produce an internal mechanical obstruction called " tappen." 

 After this she goes to her deposits of meat, and feasts upon seal- 

 blubber to her utmost limit of expansion. She is now ready for 

 retiring to her winter's home, which is generally an excavation 

 she has " chiseled out" of a glacier. Some time after entering she 

 brings forth her young, which sometimes number one, more fre- 

 quently two, and sometimes three. In this crystal nursery she 

 continues exercising her progeny daily by walking them to and 

 fro till about the 1st of April, at which time seals begin to bring 

 forth their young. The bear family then walks forth, the matron 

 snuffing the air. Perhaps it is charged with seal-scent. She then 

 follows up the scent till it brings her to a seal igloo. When she 

 is satisfied that all is right below, she prepares herself, gives a fear- 

 ful leap — high and far — striking forcibly with her paws upon the 

 roof, crushing it in, and seizing the young occupant of the house, 

 soon making of it a dainty feast for the young polars. 



It is a custom among the Innuits, dating from time immemo- 

 rial, that whoever first sees a Ninoo is entitled to the skin, no . 

 matter whether the fortunate person be man, woman, or child. 

 If the captured bear is a male, his bladder, with certain instru- 

 ments belonging to the men, must be placed for three days on the 

 top of the igloo or tupic. If the bear be a female, her bladder, 

 with one of the women's brass head-ornaments and some beads, 

 must be hung in like manner. 



The Innuits show a remarkable degree of ingenuity in all the 

 operations of life, and an astonishing readiness in emergencies. 

 They thoroughly know their waters and coasts. An illustration 

 of this is shown in the accompanying facsimile of a chart made by 

 Kooperneung, which I have in my possession. 



When traveling with a sledge they are accustomed to coat the 

 bottom of the runners with ice, thus making a shoe which is 

 smoother than any thing else that could be invented. The man- 

 ner of performing this operation is curious. The sledge is turned 

 bottom up, and the Innuit fills his mouth with water in which has 

 been mingled a little seal's blood, in order to give it tenacity. He 



