ra, Nevada, stated that when it was possible and
that they should by chance meet the bony remains of any Shoshone,
they would bury it, but in what manner I failed to discover as the
were very reticent, and avoided giving any information regarding the
dead. One corpse was found totally dried and shrivelled, owing to
the dryness of the atmosphere in this region.

Capt. F. W. Beechey[60] describes a curious mode of burial among the
Esquimaux on the west coast of Alaska, which appears to be somewhat
similar to lodge burial. Figure 11, after his illustration, affords a
good idea of these burial receptacles.

Near us there was a burying ground, which in addition to what we had
already observed at Cape Espenburg furnished several examples of the
manner in which this tribe of natives dispose of their dead. In some
instances a platform was constructed of drift-wood raised about two
feet and a quarter from the ground, upon which the body was placed,
with its head to the westward and a double tent of drift-wood
erected over it, the inner one with spars about seven feet long, and
the outer one with some that were three times that length. They were
placed close together, and at first no doubt sufficiently so to
prevent the depredations of foxes and wolves, but they had yielded
at last, and all the bodies, and even the hides that covered them,
had suffered by these rapacious animals.

In these tents of the dead there were no coffins or planks, as at
Cape Espenburg, the bodies were dressed in a frock made of eider
duck skins, with one of deer skin over it, and were covered with a
sea horse hide, such as the natives use for their _baidars_.
Suspended to the poles, and on the ground near them, were several
Esquimaux implements, consisting of wooden trays, paddles, and a
tamborine, which, we were informed as well as signs could convey the
meaning of the natives, were placed there for the use of the
deceased, who, in the next world (pointing to the western sky) ate,
drank, and sang songs. Having no interpreter, this was all the
information I could obtain, but the custom of placing such
instruments around the receptacles of the dead is not unusual, and
in all probability the Esquimaux may believe that the soul has
enjoyments in the next world similar to those which constitute their
happiness in this.

The Blackfeet, Cheyennes, and Navajos also bury in lodges, and the
Indi