SLING CONTRIVANCES FOR PROJECTILE WEAPONS. 621 



throwing," the discharge, therefore, occurring In' the forward thrust 

 of the sling- lengthened a-rni. This male spear sling occurs in ditierent 

 forms in Australia and in South America. 



; The female spear sling is provided with a groove along the upper 

 side, which terminates in a cavity near the outer end. Into this 

 groove the spear is laid lengthwise, and either its somewhat tapering 

 end or hook set -thereon is inserted into the cavity. (See the second 

 variety of Greenland spear slings.) The spear lies firmly upon the 

 shaft and easily releases itself from the cavity. The use is, in gen- 

 eral, the same as the male spear slings. This class, with various 

 modifications, is dispersed throughout Melanesia (especially in New 

 Guinea), Micronesia, and Greenland. 



Mixed spear slings are intermediate between the other two kinds. 

 In these, at the end of the grooves on the upper side, a hook whittled 

 from the shaft or inserted independently protrudes horizontally, or 

 forward someAvhat obliquely. On this the hollowed end in the butt 

 of the spear is hooked. Its use is the same as in the other kinds. 

 This class has the widest dispersion, being found among the north- 

 eastern Asiatics, American Eskimos, in southern North America, in 

 Central America, and one variety in South America; also very prob- 

 ably in France. The spear slings of the Greenland Eskimos are some- 

 what analogous in construction and use. 



The grips of the spear slings are greatly varied, in many classes no 

 special grip being present; the shaft is grasped at the smoothed end 

 (Australian). With others, on the contrary, care is taken that the 

 hand may have a firm hold, and that the grij) may not slip out of it 

 easily. For this purjjose the shaft at that point is made either rough 

 by indentations or notches (Australian), wrapped Avith hair (Austra- 

 lian), or covered with rosin, in which a shell or stone is often stuck, 

 to make a firm grip easy; a hole is made, in which the forefinger is 

 inserted (Eskimo) ; one or more pegs project from the border, against 

 which the index and other fingers rest (Eskimo, South American) ; 

 or, finally, a grip is set on, in which again finger holes occur (Eskimo, 

 Central and South American). 



The operation of the spear sling is very important, as with it one 

 should be able to send the implement three or four times as far as 

 with the bare hands. The natives of Australia, for instance, hit 

 (|uite accurately at 40 paces;'' at 10 paces their spears still bear de- 

 struction to the victim;' and an Englishman saw a native of Port 

 Jackson (Sidney) aiming the spear sling at a mark 276 feet away.'' 

 While spears can be thrown 50 to 75 feet Avith the bare hand, from 



a Klemm : Unter Menschenfressern. 



b Kleiimi : Werkz. iind Waff<Mi. p. .31 et seq. 



c Laulerer : Austral, u. Tasiiiania. \>. 271.* et .S(mi. 



