Explanation of Plate LII — Continued. 



small wooden plug is inserted into the front end of this and perforated. 

 The head is a small triangular piece of bone, barbed on one side, cut away 

 at the butt to form a very short dowel to be inserted into the perforation 

 in the shaftment^ and perforated near the base to receive a lanyard or 

 martingale of braided sinew, which, near the other extremity, has two 

 branches, one of which is attached to the front of the shaft and the other 

 towards the butt end. This arrow operates in the following manner: 

 When this line is unrolled it resembles a kite's tail — the bird to which the 

 barb is attached representing the tail and the spreading bifurcation the 

 point attached to the kite. This line is neatly rolled uji on the shaft to 

 the end of the foreshaft. The barbed head is then put in place ; the line 

 tucked under the coil and drawn tight, but not ffistened. The hunter 

 shoots the game with this arrow; tbe barb penetrates beneath the skin; 

 the sudden movement of the sea otter withdraws the barb head from 

 the foreshaft and loosens the slight fastening of the coil, which is then 

 unrolled, and the bone head, being heavier, sinks in the water, while 

 the light shaft supports the feather above the surface, the whole appa- 

 ratus acting as a drag to the game and also as a buoy to enable the hunter 

 to follow. Total length of shaft. 34J inches. 



Cat. No. 10^07, IT. S. N. M. Kadiak, Alaska. Conccted by W. H. Dall. 



Fig. 5. Shaft, of spruce, cylindrical. Shaftment, llattened. Three black feath- 

 ers, seized with sinew. The nock is Hat; notch, rectangular. The l)arbed 

 head is leaf-shaped, with two small barbs on one side and one on the other. 

 The head is fitted into the end of the shaft, Avhich is seized with sinew. 

 Length, 33^ inches. 



Cat. No. 19382, U.S.N. M. Eskimo. Cook's Inlet, Alaska. Collected by Mr. P:.arly. 



Fig. 6. Shaft, of spruce wood, cylindrical. Shaftment, flattened. Feathers, three, 

 seized at one end with sinew and at the other with siuew thread. The 

 feathers are laid on at the round corners of the flattened shaftment, so that 

 really there could have been another feather at one of the corners. The 

 nock is flat; the notch of the usual U shape. Foreshaft, of walrus ivory, 

 one end cut into the shape of a tenon and inserted in the end of tbe shaft 

 and seized with sinew thread. The front end of this shaft is jierforated 

 and into this is inserted a plug of soft wood. The delicate head has two 

 barbs on either side, and a perforation through the body for holding a 

 sinew cord, which attaches it to the shaft. The head is loosely fltted into 

 the foreshaft by a conical tang. This weapon is shot from a bow into a 

 sea otter or other game. The barbed head becomes fastened in the skin 

 and withdraws from the foreshaft. The ivory head sinks in the water, 

 leaving a feathered shaft bobbing in the air. The whole acts as a drag 

 upon the game and also enables the hunter to follow. Length of shaft 

 and foreshaft, 31i inches. 



Cat. No. 72412, U. S. N. M. Eskimo, Bristol Bay. Collected by Charles McKay. 



