SLING CONTRIVANCES FOR PROJECTILE WEAPONS. 627 



also iiKMitioiHMl from I lie Caroline Islands, (he Pliiii|)pines. New 

 Guinea, and Pelew IshiiuL 



In type these shafts were smular to those of New (Juinea, even to 

 the piece attached and the finer execution ( j)l. i. i\g. 14). The 

 spears there ha\e no s[)ine set on, as thosi^ from New (!uin(>a: it is 

 therefore presumed that the shai'j) hutts of the spears are stuck into 

 the hollow at the outer end of (he speai' slin<^'. and are held securely 

 by the first, second, and fourth fin<i"ers of (he ri^ht hand. The prac- 

 tice is, therefore, neai-l}' the same as in Australian s[)ear slina's. An 

 attached jjiece is. of course, superfluous. Re]iort is made of another 

 use of sj)ear slings in the Pelew Islands; the elastic l)aml)oo s])ear 

 is set with its point in the groove of the shaft, the left hand holds 

 the spear toward the outer end and inclines it more or less according 

 to the distance sought. '\\'hen the hand is removed the spear flies and 

 usually falls perpendicularly upon its target." Reports of Chamiso 

 from Yaj:) will probaI)ly be similar, that the spear was shot from the 

 bow with the aid*of a trough-shaped piece of bamboo. 



The third area in which spear slings are found, having much 

 variety in shaft and quite extensive use in hunting on the water, even 

 though it is being supplanted by firearms, is the polar regions.'' 

 The}" are used there among the (liliaks (Annir district and Sag- 

 halin), among certain noi'theast Asiatic races, upon the Aleutian 

 Islands, on the shores of Alaska, on the nor(h coast of America, 

 in Tjabrador. (Treenland, and among (he Eskimos generally. The 

 (Ireenlander, whose artistic spear slings will be considered further 

 on, is here omitted. Accordiiig to the ])ro^'ision for the forefinger,'^ 

 three groujjs are distinguislied : (1) A hole for the forefinger is cut 

 on the side of the shaft to the right from the spear groove; (lM the 

 pocket or canity for forefinger is jilaced on tlie central line of the 

 imder side and, if it goes through, ternunates in (he speai- groove; and 

 {'4) a notch for the forefinger is rut to the right of the gri]), from 

 l:)ehind which ju'otrudes a peg. We find the first group in Labi'atior, 

 Baffinsland, along the entire northern coast of North America, in 

 Alaska, on the Fox and Aleutian islands, as among the (jiliaks. and 

 certain northeast Asiatics. It is usually a broad sti-ip of wood, taper- 

 ing more or less to a point at the outer end. A groo\e for the spear 

 is made on the flat upper side, from the end of which pi'ojects a small 

 bone hook (this is not fastened with gum and bimlings, as in the case 



o Keate, Pelew Islands (178!)), p. 414 ot se(i. ; 188 et seq. 



6 Mason, I'. S. Nationa'l Museum ReiJ., 1884, pp. 27i)-28!). 17 pis. 



c The phiii has hccn .-irranm'd nccordlng to the provisions for the fcjn'lin.ticr. 

 as this is the most distin.sjuishing characteristic of these north-country sling 

 sticks. This division mnk(>s possihlc a simple grouping of (ho difl'erent kinds, 

 and a clear view of their distrihution in these areas, hoth geographically and 

 ethnograi)hicallj;. 



