The women who stay at home are occupied in making boots and clothing by sewing skins of the seal, reindeer, or walrus; children and puppies have to be fed and played with; then, of course, there is the hunter’s evening meal to prepare: the raw liver of a seal caught during the day is regarded as a great delicacy. A strange superstition demands that women shall do no work while the spoils are being unloaded from the sledge, for it is thought that the supreme goddess Sedna, who created all sea animals, will be extremely angry if some mark of respect is not shown to her dead creatures. Seal and walrus soups constitute the first part of the evening meal, but of these the women do not partake, and as a rule they share only in the last course, consisting of large quantities of frozen meat. The soup is generally passed round in a large horn cup, from which each takes a drink, a proceeding which is followed by the introduction of a large mass of meat that is passed round and bitten by each in turn. A person retiring to rest always takes the precaution of leaving meat near the snow couch, so that he may refresh himself if awake during the night. The Eskimo are, of course, hunters and nothing more; upon animal life they depend entirely for food, clothing, weapons, and locomotion; the cold is intense, the hours of work long and laborious, so it comes to pass that enormous quantities of animal food are essential. [Illustration: AN ESKIMO MAN.] An American explorer who spent many evenings with the Eskimo, who are very hospitable, says: “The men visit one another and spend the evening in talking, singing, gambling, and telling stories. The events of the day are talked over, success in hunting is compared, the hunting tools requiring mending are set in order, and the lines are dried and softened. Some busy themselves in cutting new ivory implements and seal lines.... During these social visits, the host places a large lump of frozen meat and a knife on the side bench behind the lamp, and every one is welcome to help himself to as much as he likes. The first comers sit down on the ledge, while those entering later stand or squat in the passage. When any one addresses the whole assembly, he always turns his face to the wall, and avoids facing the listeners.” The young children are not required to go to bed early, so they have a good time playing on the snow couches, which are covered with skins. “The women sit on the bed in front of their lamps, with their legs under them, working continually on their own clothing or on that of the men, drying the wet foot-gear and mittens, and softening the leather by chewing and rubbing. If there is a litter of pups, it is the women’s business to look after them, to keep them warm, and to feed them regularly. Generally the pups are put into small harness, and are allowed to crawl about the side of the bed, where they are tied to the wall by a trace.”