the ice, partly with the harpoon
when it crawls out of its hole, it is also taken by means of a noose
of thongs placed over its hole. In order to avoid the loss of the
valuable seal-blood, which is considered an extraordinary delicacy
by the Chukches, the animal is never killed by an edged tool, if
that can be avoided, but by repeated blows on the head. The bear is
killed by the lance or knife, the latter, according to the statement
of a Chukch, being the surest weapon, the walrus and the largest
kind of seals with the harpoon (fig. 1, p. 105), or a lance
resembling the Greenlander's. Even the whale is harpooned, but with
a harpoon considerably larger than the common, and to which as many
as six inflated seal-skins are fastened. In order to kill a whale a
great many such harpoons must be struck into it. Birds are taken in
snares, or killed with bird-javelins, arrows, and slings. The last
mentioned (fig. 3, p. 105) consist of a number of round balls of
bone fastened to leather thongs, which are knotted together. Some
feathers are often fixed to the knot in order to increase the
resistance of the air to this part of the sling. When the sling is
thrown the bone balls are thereby scattered in all directions, and
the probability of hitting becomes greater. Every man and boy in
summer carries with him such a sling, often bound round his head,
and is immediately prepared to cast it at flocks of birds flying
past. Common slings are also used, consisting of two thongs and a
piece of skin fastened to them. The bird-dart (fig. 5, p. 105)
completely resembles that used by the Eskimo. A kind of snare was
used by the boys at Yinretlen to catch small birds for our
zoologist. They were made of whalebone fibres.

Fish are caught partly with nets, partly with the hook or with a
sort of leister (fig. 6, p. 105). The nets are made of sinew-thread.
I procured several of these, and was surprised at the small value
which the natives set upon them, notwithstanding the hard labour
which must have been required for preparing the thread and making
the net. The nets are also sometimes used as drift-nets. The
fishing-rod consists of a shaft only thirty centimetres long, to
which is fixed a short line made of sinews. The extreme end of the
line passes through a large sinker of ivory, to which are attached
two or three tufts each with its hook of bone only, or of bone and
copper, or bone and iron. The hook has three or four points
projecting in dif