36 NATURAL HISTORY OF ARCTIC AMERICA. 



of the pattern here figured. This specimen is from a grave at Exeter 

 Sound, and greatly resembles in pattern the iron seal hari)Oon-heads of 

 the present day. Others were made like the wakus harpoon, but hav- 

 ing barbs, instead of being iron-tipped. A very ingenious contrivance 

 about these old spears is the perfect ball-and-socket joint which unites 

 the echecnnmg, or bone portion (on which the harpoon is placed), with 

 the shaft. The shaft, if made of wood, has a bone tip, which is cupped 

 to receive the rounded end of the eelieemung ; they are kept in place by 

 two thongs of seal-skin, which makes it sufficiently firm to use, but at 

 the same time will allow the eelieemnng to double upon the shaft without 

 breaking when an animal is struck. 



As before mentioned, so few bows and arrows are now in use that it 

 is almost impossible to procure a bow and set of arrows that are actually 

 or liaxe been in use. In the following illustration, no less than eight differ- 

 ent patterns of arrows are represented. We have derived our informa- 

 tion from various sources besides our own observations. We had in- 

 structed some of the most intelligent Eskimo to make for us wooden 

 models of all the different kinds of arrows that they ever knew were in 

 nse. So far as we were able to procure or see the original, these models 

 were faithfullj'- and well executed, and leaves us no reason to think that 

 they in any instance imposed upon us. Some of the aiTows we have 

 seen in the possession of sailors that had bartered for them for a mere 

 song, but would not trade them to us, under the impression that they 

 would briug fabulous sums in the States. They now probably adorn 

 some third-rate gin-shop. 



Of the arrows figured, ]S"o. 1 is made from reindeer antlers, with short 

 wooden shaft, an old and very common form of arrow. No. 2 is perhaps 

 still older. This is also made of reindeer horn. It is more common on the 

 Greenland coast than among the Cumberland Eskimo. No. 3 is the 

 only one of the kind I saw, and this I was unable to procure; the head 

 was of flint, and the next piece of bone, with the wooden shaft lashed iu 

 two places, showing lirobably a scarcity of wood. No. 4 was a rare (?) 

 form of arrow among the Cumberland Eskimo. The head was made of 

 stone, with the forward portion of the shaft of bone and the rest of wood. 

 No. 5 was iron -tipped, a favorite pattern when iron was scarce. No. 7 

 is now the style used by the children, and was probably the next pattern 

 suggested after No. 5, as any pointed piece of iron can be utilized for 

 this form of arrow. No. C has a lance-shaped and somewhat elongated 

 iron head ; such arrows were made only when they could get a considera- 



