Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/27

 Animal Tales of the Eskimo. 1 9

majority of these are composed of a few bits of dialogue between two animals, sometimes accompanied, and sometimes not, by a little action, — an incident or two. In others the dialogue is between a man and one or more animals. A few examples will illustrate.

The following is from East Greenland, and has not been trans- lated into English : There were once a Duck and a Ptarmigan which had the shape of men. When the Duck came to the shore, he said to the Ptarmigan, " Why do you go about with heavy stockings in midsummer ? " The Ptarmigan answered, " Why do you go about with itaartit in the middle of summer ? " Thereat the Duck became angry, and said that they should wrestle. Then they took hold of each other and began to wrestle. The Duck dragged the Ptarmigan to the shore, and threw him out into the water. They continued to wrestle in the water, until they got under the surface. Here the Ptarmigan tore the Duck's breast so that he killed him. The Ptar- migan flew ashore and cried for joy, " Kakerkaka ! " (Holm, " Sagn og Fortaellinger fra Angmagsalik," p. 83.)

From Baffin Land : The Owl said to the Snowbird, " They say that you have nothing to pick your teeth with." The Snowbird replied, " And your throat is so wide that one can look right through it." (Boas, "Journal of American Folk-Lore," x. no.)

From Baffin Land : The Lemming said, " Fox, Fox ! do you always run along the beach ? Are you looking for something to eat ? " The Fox answered, " What will he, with his short legs, with his bit of a body ? Who is that round thing, that small-small- legged one ? " (Rink and Boas, "Journal of American Folk-Lore," ii. 129.)

The following, which I have obtained from the party of Smith Sound Eskimo who were in this country last winter, are, I believe, new. A small Snowbird was crying. The Raven, who met her, asked her why she wept. She said, " I am crying for my husband, because he has been away so long a time. He went away to look for food for me, and has not come back." The Raven assured her that her husband was dead ; he himself had seen him drown. " But /will marry you," he said. "You can sleep here under my armpit. Take me for a husband. I have a pretty bill ; I have a pretty chin ; I have good enough nostrils and eyes ; my wings are good and large, and so are my whiskers." But the little Snowbird said, " I don't want you for my husband."

A Raven flew by, above a person, carrying something in his beak. "What have you in your beak, Raven ? " the person asked. "A man's thigh bone," the Raven answered. "I eat it because I like it. I shall swallow it."

Another tale tells of the attack the swordfish made upon the wal-

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