THE ARCTIC 
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collected for food. Millions of sea birds nest on rocky shore 
cliffs but are usually hard to reach. 
The Eskimos catch many birds with simple noose snares. To 
catch nesting birds they place the noose in the nest to catch the 
bird’s feet. The noose is attached to a stake driven in the ground 
nearby. Sometimes long lines with many small nooses attached 
are set out on beaches and ponds where birds gather. 
Sea gulls can be caught with a gorge made of a sharp sliver 
of bone or wood about 8% inches long with a long line attached 
at the middle. The bait is a piece of fish or meat completely 
covering the stick or bone, which when swallowed will turn 
crosswise in the gull’s throat. 
Plant Foods 
Though plant food is not abundant in the Arctic it is by no 
means absent. In the summer there are numerous varieties of 
edible berries, greens, roots, and lichens that can be collected 
along the seacoasts and in the interior if one knows where to 
look. A few varieties of berries may be found even in winter 
under the snow. There is no need to* worry about poisonous 
plants, for with the exception of a single variety of mushroom 
(Fig. 51), none grows in the Arctic. The only problem is to be 
able to distinguish the more palatable and nutritious plants from 
those that have no value as food. Brief descriptions of the 
principal Arctic food plants are given below : 
The salmonberry (Fig. 52), also known as the cloudberry, 
is a low creeping plant, rarely more than 3 inches high. It is 
widely distributed in the Arctic, growing on mossy, peaty soil. 
The leaves are large and wide, with five lobes, and the flowers 
