NORTH AMERICAN BOWS, ARROWS, AND QUIVERS. 651 



of the arrow heavier tliaii the rear, and also affords a better means of 

 attacliing' arrow-heads or liarpoou barbs of special form. 



(7) The head; or that anterior part of au arrow which makes the 

 wound or produces the result. Before coutact with the white race, 

 aborigines were wont to make their arrow-heads of stone, bone, wood, 

 shell, and even of cold hammered metal. The study of the arrow-head 

 involves the point or blade, the faces of the blade, the facettes and 

 serrations and notches of the expanding blade, the butt or tang for 

 attachment, the barbs, and sometimes the barb piece, which is an extra 

 bit of bone or other substance fastened to the posterior end of the 

 stone head to multi|tly tlie number of barbs. (Plate lv, ligs. 2, o.) 



Kow, each one of these parts may be varied in number, in foini, in 

 material, in artistic tinish; or one or more may be wanting. It will be 

 seen therefore at once what an excellent instrument the arrow may be 

 for the study of the natural history of invention, how it has been 

 influenced by climate and by material resources, how it has been modi- 

 fled for definite functions, and has developed complexity with age. 



It will readily be seen from au examination of the foregoing analysis 

 that the creation of au arrow involves a great many of our modern 

 crafts. In every locality the arrow-maker has shown, first of all, a 

 wonderful acquaintance with the materials at hand, as though he had 

 searched all the resources of the mineral, vegetable, and animal world, 

 and after studying all there was, had selected the best. We are not able 

 now to discover that the savage could have found any better material 

 within his own environment. For the selection and creation of the shaft 

 there was demanded a knowledge of the best kind of woods, and the 

 invention of knives, straightening apparatus, "sandpaper," dyeing- 

 apparatus, and glue or cement of some kind. In fastening the various 

 parts of the arrow together sinew was employed. The savage stripped 

 from the leg or the neck of one of tiie larger mammals a mass of sinew 

 which he allowed to dry. It was then carefully iK)unded and shredded. 

 When he was ready to use this material he placed several of the strips or 

 fillets in his m )uth until they became thoroughly soaked with saliva. 

 Then, holding with his left hand the parts to be attached and one end of 

 the sinew flllet, he held the other part of the sinew in his right hand and 

 revolved the arrow shaft with the left, holding the parts still together 

 until one or two turns were nuide. He could then use the flugers of 

 his left hand in smoothing down the sinew and directing its course, 

 while with the right he held the unwound i^ortions tight and directed 

 the sinew to its position. When the wrapping or seizing was nearly 

 flnished the loose end was carefully drawn under the last turn or two, 

 pulled tight, and cut ott', so that neither end was visible. The whole 

 was carefully rubbed down and allowed to dry. The sinew in drying 

 shrunk very much and bound the parts flrmly together. (I'late i, fig. (».) 



The feathers of the arrow are usually taken from the wing or tail 

 feathers of rapacious birds, though others are sometimes used. The 



