'Jn2 REroKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, liKKt. 



Lhu- Jiolc. — The opoiiinjLi" tlnouoh the body of the tog-gle head for 

 the rawhide .sling or knider on which the tog'gle head hinges. In very 

 modern exanipUvs and in the heads of small seal harpoons the hole is 

 l)ored straight through, hut in old specimens two much coarser holes 

 are bored, one from each side of the belly inward and upward, meet- 

 ing midway. All sharp edges within and without are carefully 

 smoothed and rounded to protect the line and to facilitate the toggling. 

 The points to be considered concerning the line hole are the shape, 

 size, and method of Ijoring, and its position with reference to the 

 other parts of the toggle head. Line holes run directly through the 

 narrow body tN'pe, but in a curved path through the bell}' of other 

 types. In a few abnormal specimens it stands vertical, but in the 

 great majority of examples it goes horizontally across the body. 

 Holm tigures toggle heads from east Greenland, in which the head is 

 hinged to the foreshaft by means of a rivet. 



Line grooveif. — Gutters or channels extending backward from the 

 line hole in which the rawhide line lies out of the way. In fact the 

 line grooves are backward extensions of the line hole. Their width 

 and depth have relation to the width and thickness of the rawhide line 

 used. In old specimens they are wider and clumsier. 



Barh or spar. — The projection backward in a toggle head at its butt 

 end has for its function to catch into the flesh of the animal beneath 

 the skin, so as to revolve the head ninet}' degrees, and thus to efl'ect 

 the toggling of the head in the wound, as in the fastening of a trace 

 chain. In its way it is as important as the blade, and it will be seen 

 that quite as much ingenuit}" has been spent on this part as on any 

 other. If, for example, when the animal is struck, the spurs of the 

 rear bar!) were covered b}^ the rawhide line the head might not toggle; 

 hence, in a toggle head of the old-fashioned t3'pe the line hole lies 

 below the center of the mass. The entire projection of the toggle head 

 back of the line hole ma}' be called the spur to distinguish it from 

 marginal barbs also sometimes present. 



Shaft socket. — The socket is a conoidai excavation in the butt end of 

 a toggle head, into which the forward end of the shaft or loose shaft 

 tits loosely. It will be readily understood that the socket is centered 

 as exactly as possible. There is little or no variation in this part 

 except of size and neatness. When the toggle head has l)een thrust 

 into a beast the foreshaft or the loose shaft must be withdrawn in 

 order to allow the weapon to do its work. 



Butt. — The butt or rear end of a toggle head is shaped in relation 

 to the barb especially and also to the socket. In fact, the upper por- 

 tion of the butt end is a part of the barb or spur. The exact method 

 of shaping and treating this part seems to depend largely on the mate- 

 rial, whether ivory, antler, or bone. The first named is solid, and 

 the butt is acute angled above and sawed oti' sc^uare below. The other 



