. This binding has been so arranged that the whole coat
of mail, when not in use, may be rolled together.

[Illustration: CHUKCH ARROWS. (One-ninth of the natural size.)
_a._ An arrowhead (one-half the natural size.) ]

Along with the spear and the coat of mail the old Chukches used the
bow for martial purposes. Now this weapon is employed only for
hunting, but it appears as if even for this purpose it would soon go
out of use. Some of the natives, however, use the bow with great
accuracy of aim. The bows which I procured commonly consisted of a
badly worked, slightly bent, elastic piece of wood, with the ends
drawn together by a skin thong. Only some old bows had a finer form.
They were larger, and made with care, for instance, they were
covered with birch-bark, and strengthened by an artistic plaiting of
sinews on the outer side. The arrows are of many kinds, partly with
bone or wooden, and partly with iron, points. Feathers are generally
wanting. The shaft is a clumsily worked piece of wood. Crossbows are
occasionally used. We have even seen bows for playthings, with
carefully made, non-pointed arrows. At the encampments near the
winter station we found a couple of percussion-lock guns, with caps,
powder and lead. They were evidently little used, and my attempt to
induce the Chukches to undertake long journeys by promises of a gun
with the necessary supply of powder and lead completely failed. When
the Chukch, who carried our letters to Nischni Kolymsk, was after
his return rewarded with a red shirt, a gun, caps, powder and ball,
he wished to exchange the gun and ammunition for an axe.

The principal livelihood of the Chukches is derived from hunting and
fishing. Both are very abundant at certain seasons of the year, but
are less productive during the cold season, in which case, in
consequence of the little forethought of the savage, there arises
great scarcity both of food and fuel and the means of melting snow.
Of their hunting and fishing implements I cannot give so complete
accounts as I should wish, because they very carefully avoided
taking any of the _Vega's_ hunters with them on their hunting
excursions.

The rough seal is taken with nets, made of strong seal-skin thongs.
The nets are set in summer among the ground-ices along the shore.
The animal gets entangled in the net and is suffocated, as it can no
longer come to the surface to breathe. In winter the seal is taken
partly with nets in "leads" among