Ellis, in his Voyage to Hudson's Bay, written in the middle of last century, says of the Esquimaux:—"Their snow eyes, as they very properly call them, are a proof of their sagacity. They are little pieces of wood or ivory, properly formed to cover the organs of vision, and tied on behind the head. They have two slits, of the exact length of the eyes, but very narrow; and they see through them very distinctly, and without the least inconvenience. This invention preserves them from snow-blindness, a very dangerous and powerful malady, caused by the action of the light strongly reflected from the snow, |