File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17537236394).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo13amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Jnuktjuit caribou drive on north side of Dismal Lake near the Narrows. Little monuments of rock, or blocks of turf, are set up in series, often extending for miles and con- verging at some natural ambush. On the Barren Grounds in late spring, the Eskimo some- times carry blocks of snow to make white monuments for the same purpose truthfully say that there are many vast sections of the Canadian northland which could with difficulty even be explorer! without relying upon the herds of barren ground caribou. The hunting of the barren ground caribou as it is practiced by white men and Eskimo who use firearms is in theory a very simple matter. The prime requisites are unlimited patience and much hard work. The field glass or telescope is almost as necessary as the rifle, since the caribou should be dis- covered at a distance. The band is spied out from the highest knolls or elevations and if the country is rough enough to afford even a little cover, the approach is comparatively easy by hunting up the wind, as the caribou do not see very far. On a broad, flat tundra plain where there is no cover, obviously the proper thing to do is to wait for the caribou to browse slowly along and move on to more favorable ground for stalking. During the short days of winter this is often impossible and under any circumstances is trying to the patience. The leputed superiority of the Eskimo hunter over his white confrere seems to be only in the former's willingness to spend unlimited time in approaching his quarry. Our collection embraces caribou from the Chandlar River and various points on the north coast of Alaska, Franklin Bay, Horton River, Great Bear Lake, Coppermine River, Coronation Gulf and Victoria Island. As to musk oxen, the last around Franklin Bay were killed by Eskimo hunting for the whaling ships about fourteen years ago, and some ten years ago an Eskimo sled party got twenty-four musk oxen many days' journey 8

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