102 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
they are put into a wide skin covering with the legs and arms 
sewed together downwards. Behind there is a four-cornered 
opening through which moss (the white, dead part of 
Sphagnum), intended to absorb the excreta, is put in and 
changed. At the ends of the arms two loops are fastened, 
through which the child’s legs are passed when the mother 
wishes to put it away in some corner of the tent. The dress 
itself appears not to be changed until it has become too small. 
In the inner tent the children go completely naked. 
Both men and women use snow-shoes during winter. With¬ 
out them they will not willingly undertake any long walk in 
SNOW-SHOES. 
a. The common kind. h. Intended to be used in the way shown in the drawing on the 
opposite page. 
(One-thirteenth of the natural size.) 
loose snow. They consider such a walk so tiresome, that they 
loudly commiserated one of my crew, who had to walk without 
snow-shoes after drifting weather from the village Yiiiretlen to 
the vessel, about three kilometres distant. Finally a woman’s 
compassion went so far that she presented him with a pair ; an 
instance of generosity on the part of our Chukch friends which 
otherwise was exceedingly rare. The frame of the snow-shoes 
is made of wood, the cross-pieces are of strong and well-stretched 
thongs. This snow-shoe corresponds completely with that of 
the Indians, and is exceedingly serviceable and easy to gei 
