NORTH AMERICAN BOWS, ARROWS, AND QUIVERS. 661 



the reed cane — that is, akiiig tlie southern portion of the United States. 

 It may then be traced through those portions of California wliere the 

 rhus, ehler, and other pitliy twigs abound. In the Eskimo area it has 

 a multitude of structures and functions. 



The foreshaft in the South and Southwest is a slender bit of hard 

 wood sharpened and let into the top of the shaft and having the arrow- 

 head attached to the fore end. The reasons are two. A hollow reed 

 or a very pithy twig affords a very poor attachment for the arrow-head; 

 and, secondly, this slenderer, heavier rod aids the directness of the 

 flight. Indeed, the very long reed arrows of the Apache and Mohave 

 tribes have for that reason insignificant feathers. 



In the Eskimo arrows the heavy foreshafc of bone or ivory serves 

 another purpose. Bone being heavier than wood, when oue of these 

 arrows is shot at an object in the water and the head is detached, the 

 arrow stands perpendicular, and is dragged along by the divided line, 

 the feather bobbing about and enabling the hunter to follow up his 

 game. 



In the harpoon arrow and the harpoon, the foreshaft furnishes an 

 excellent socket piece for the barbed head or the "loose-shaft". There 

 is no doubt, also, that its much greater specific gravity assists in the 

 direct or straight-forward motion of the weapon. Many of these missiles 

 are discharged into the water, in wliich case the ivory foreshaft is of 

 great assistance. 



. It is often said by frontiersmen that the Plains Indians had two ways 

 of mounting an arrow-head with relation to the notch at the nock. If 

 the plane of the arrow-head be horizontal when the arrow is in position 

 for shooting — that is, at right angles to the notch, the missile is a war 

 arrow, to go between the ribs of men. But if the plane of the head be 

 vertical when the bow is drawn, the missile is a hunting arrow for pass- 

 ing between the ribs of buffalo aiul other mammals.* 



"Dodge explains that the Comanches place the notch of the arrow 

 in the same plane with tlie notch of the string so that it may surely 

 pass between the ribs of the animal which are up and down; for the 

 same reason, the blade of the war arrow is perpendicular to the notch, 

 the ribs of the human enemy being horizontal. ( Wild Indians^ San 

 Francisco, 1882, 419.) 



Captain Bourke thinks this is a mistake. He says, " I have seen all 

 kinds in the same quiver." 



There is more authority and reason for the assertion that the barbed 

 arrowheads among these same Indians were for war and tlie leaf-shaped 

 and rhomboidal heads were for hunting, because they could be easily 

 withdrawn from tlie wound and used again; but the Eskimo have a 

 barbed arrow, with ivory or bone barb piece, fitted into the head of the 

 shaft in the most temporary fasliion, so that when shot into an animal 

 the head remains, rankles, and works its way into the flesh. For the 



'On the plaue of the bead cf. Hansard, 212. 



