SCIENCE. 
§7 
order to insure the respectability of the mother or 
child. Such children are generally traded or given 
away to some elderly couple as soon as they are old 
enough to leave the mother. The foster-parents take 
quite as good care of such adopted children as if they 
were their own. 
So far as we could learn, they do not generally 
practice any rites or ceremonies of marriage. The 
best hunter, or the owner of the largest number of 
dogs and hunting-gear, will seldom have any difficulty 
in procuring the woman of his choice for a wife, 
even though she has a husband at the time. It is a 
common practice to trade wives for short periods or 
even permanently. They appear to have marriage rites 
sometimes, but we could induce no one to tell us, except 
one squaw, who agreed to, but only on condition that 
we became one of the interested parties and she the 
other. This was more than we had bargained for, 
and, although generally willing to be a martyr for the 
cause of science, we allowed this opportunity to pass 
without improving it. 
Monogamy is at the present time the most preva- 
lent. Polygamy is practiced only in the case of a 
man being able to provide for two or more wives. 
Three, and even four wives rarely belong to one man. 
Neither two nor three wives in one hut make an 
altogether harmonious household ; but all little diffi- 
culties are generally settled by the husband, in a man- 
ner better calculated to insure reverence to masculine 
strength than respect for superior intelligence. 
The scarcity of women at present in proportion to 
the men makes polygamy a luxury only to be indulged 
in by the wealthy. Divorce, if it can be called by 
that name, is very frequent among them. All that is 
needed is that the husband tires of his wife, or knows 
of a better one that he is able to procure. Neither 
does it seem to trouble the woman much; she is quite 
sure to have another offer before long ; and a change 
of this kind seems to benefit both parties. One 
rather remarkable and very laudable practice among 
these people is the adoption of young children whose 
parents are dead, or, as often happens, whose mother 
is the only recognized parent. Orphans, so to speak, 
are thus twice as common as among civilized nations. 
These children, whether bought or received as a gift, 
are always taken as good care of as if they were their 
own, especially if they are boys. 
Among the Eskimo employed by the Florence was 
a family that had two children, who passed for brother 
and sister. One, the boy, was a nephew of “ Eskimo 
Joe,” of Polaris fame. He had been brought from 
the Hudson’s Straits Eskimo, some two hundred miles 
to the south. He was a perfect little satan ; and, 
though he gave us much annoyance, he was a never- 
failing source of amusement to us all. The girl, again, 
was a native of Exeter Sound, on the west coast of 
Davis Straits ; still, both were considered as their own 
children, and well cared for. 
Half-breeds are said to be of more irritable temper- 
aments, and less able to bear exposure and fatigue, 
than the full-blooded Eskimo. 
The food of the Cumberland Eskimo consists en- 
tirely of flesh, and in most sections of the sound, 
Pagomys feet id us. In fact, this animal is their prin- 
cipal dependence for food, fuel, clothing, and light. 
The Eskimo will eat a few of the berries of Vaccinium 
uliginosum and Empetrum nigrum , the roots of Pedi- 
\ cularis , and occasionally a little Fuats vesiculosus in 
winter, but this constitutes a very small and unim- 
1 portant part of their food. 
As soon as the ice has fairly left the sound, the 
Eskimo hunter leaves the wintei encampment, with 
his family and such portions of his household goods 
as will be needed, and takes a tour inland or up some 
of the large fjords after reindeer. The larger part 01 
his possessions, including sledge, dogs, harnesses, 
winter clothing, etc., he secretes among the rocks in 
some unfrequented spot. His dogs are put on some 
little rocky islet, to shift for themselves. They eke 
out a scanty subsistence by making good use of their 
time at low tide, Cottus scorpius constituting the 
greater part of their food at this season. 
There are at present so many whaleboats owned by 
these Eskimo, that they experience little difficulty in 
making quite extensive cruises, three or four families 
constituting a boat’s crew. They will load a whale- 
boat to within an inch or two of the gunwale, and 
then set out for a few weeks of enjoyment and abund- 
ance. The squaws do the rowing and the “ captain ” 
stands majestically in the stern with the steering oar, 
while the rest of the men are either asleep or on the 
lookout for game. The cargo consists of their tent- 
poles, the skin-tents, pots, and lamps, with sundry 
skin-bags containing the women’s sewing and skinning 
utensils. Their hunting-gear, of course, forms a quite 
conspicuous portion of the contents of the boat. 
Very few there are at present who have not become 
the possessors of a half-barrel, and this vessel occupies 
a conspicuous place in the boat, and is almost con- 
stantly receiving additions of animal matter in some 
shape ; a few young eiders or gulls will soon be cov- 
ered up with the intestines of a seal and its flesh. 
From this receptacle all obtain a piece of meat when- 
ever they feel hungry. This vessel is never emptied 
of its contents, except by accident or when scarcity of 
material forbids its repletion ; and, as the temperature 
at this season is well up in the “ sixties ” during the 
day, this garbage heap becomes so offensive as to be 
unbearable to any one but an Eskimo. 
They proceed at a very leisurely rate, rowing for a 
few minutes and then stopping for a time, chatting, 
smoking, or eating. When they feel tired they haul 
np on the rocks and have a sleep, and then resume 
the journey in the same vagabond manner. If, while 
thus cruising, any live creature that they think there 
is any possibility they can capture comes in sight, all 
hands become animated, the oars are plied with re- 
doubled energy, guns and spears are in readiness, and 
every one is eager for the sport. Hours are often 
consumed in chasing a half-grown duck or a young loon 
which when procured is but a bite ; but the fun of the 
chase seems to be the principal object, and they enjoy 
it hugely. Thus they journey till they reach some 
suitable locality, when the boat is unloaded, the 
toopiks raised, the lamps put in their places, and all 
is ready for a grand hunt. The men divide and scat- 
ter over the mountains, leaving the camp in charge 
of the women and children ; these busy themselves by 
hunting for and destroying every living creature that 
they can find. 
On the return of the hunters, who perchance have 
brought some skins and a hunk of venison, there are 
