r being headed with bone or iron; and for fishing,
spears tipped with bone. They also catch fish with nets and lines. All
were armed with knives, which they either keep in their hand, or thrust
up the sleeve of their shirt. They had received from the Loucheux
Indians some account of the destructive effects of guns. The dress of
the women differed from that of the men only in their wearing wide
trowsers, and in the size of their hoods, which do not fit close to the
head, but are made large, for the purpose of receiving their children.
These are ornamented with stripes of different coloured skins, and round
the top is fastened a band of wolf's hair, made to stand erect. Their
own black hair is very tastefully turned up from behind to the top of
the head, and tied by strings of white and blue beads, or cords of white
deer-skin. It is divided in front, so as to form on each side a thick
tail, to which are appended strings of beads that reach to the waist.
The women were from four feet and a half to four and three quarters
high, and generally fat. Some of the younger females, and the children,
were pretty.

It would appear that the walrus does not visit this part of the coast,
as none of these people recognised a sketch of one, which Lieutenant
Back drew; but they at once knew the seal and rein-deer. We learned that
the polar bear is seldom seen, and only in the autumn; and likewise that
there are very few of the brown bears, which we frequently saw on the
coast eastward of the Coppermine River. We had already seen a few white
whales, and we understood that they would resort to this part of the
coast in greater numbers with the following moon.

The habits of these people were similar, in every respect, to those of
the tribes described by Captain Parry, and their dialect differed so
little from that used by Augustus, that he had no difficulty in
understanding them. He was, therefore, able to give them full
particulars relative to the attack made by the other party, and they
expressed themselves much hurt at their treacherous conduct. "Those are
bad men," they said, "and never fail either to quarrel with us, or steal
from us, when we meet. They come, every spring, from the eastern side of
the Mackenzie, to fish at the place where you saw them, and return as
soon as the ice opens. They are distinguished from us, who live to the
westward of the river, by the men being tattoed across the face. Among
our tribes the women only are