When spring comes to the Arctic, the area changes dramatically. The sun returns to brighten a world that was long in darkness. With it's return, great thaw begins. Snow melts on the ice, forming vast shallow pools created by wind and current. At the first sign of spring, the Eskimos emerge from their sod-and-wood houses or from their snow igloos. They set up the caribou hide (or canvas) tents in which they will spend the warm moths of spring and summer. There is a holiday spirit in the air. Now there is no night, so boys and girls sleep when they are tired and eat when they are hungry. Children play like pupies. Throughout the long daylight hours, they chase birds or trap foxes. Often, stretched full length on the sea ice, they fish with a bent pin on line. Frequentlythey are rewarded by catching the ugly little fish known as sticklebacks.