KNIVES. SPEARS. 523 



on the whole far inferior to the rifle, still, in hunting, the bow 

 has the one great advantage of silence. Among several of 

 the tribes, arrow- making was a distinct profession. The 

 arrow-heads are of obsidian, about three-fourths of an inch 

 long and half an inch wide, and quite thin. The base is 

 expanded and is inserted into the split end of the shaft, being 

 kept in its place by sinews. The shaft is about two feet and 

 a half long ; when intented for hunting it is expanded at the 

 end, so that when it is drawn out of the wound the arrow- 

 head is extracted also ; but the shafts of war-arrows taper to 

 the end, so that when they are drawn out the head remains 

 behind. The sling does not appear to have been much used. 

 The knives are rudely made of obsidian, and are sometimes 

 fastened in handles of wood or horn. The graining tools 

 for preparing skins are sometimes of bone, sometimes of 

 obsidian. Mr. Wyeth does not describe their form. Awls 

 were made of bone ; large thorns also being sometimes used 

 for the purpose. Boot-diggers are either made of horns, or 

 of crooked sticks pointed and hardened by fire. " The fish- 

 spear is a very simple and ingenious implement. The head 

 is of bone, to which a small strong line is attached near the 

 middle, connecting it with the shaft about two feet from the 

 point. Near the forward end of this head there is a small 

 hole, which enters it ranging acutely towards the point of the 

 head ; it is quite shallow. In this hole the front end of the 

 shaft is placed." The shaft is of light willow, and about ten 

 feet long. When the fish is struck, the shaft is withdrawn, 

 and the string at once pulls the bone end into a transverse 

 position. The fish-nets are made of bark, which gives a very 

 strong line, and are of two kinds, the scoop and the seine. 

 They are, however, unknown among the northern tribes west 

 of the Mackenzie.* The boats of the Shoshonees hardly 

 deserve the name, and seem to be used only for crossing 

 * Richardson's Arctic Expedition, vol. ii. p. 25. 



