276 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1900. 



for the hand in thrusting. The details of this specimen are carefully 

 worked out by Murdoch (p. 225). 



A sealing harpoon (Cat. No, 56774, U.S.N.M.) from Point Barrow, 

 Alaska, collected by P. H. Ray, is shown in fig. 70. With respect to the 



use of this implement, Murdoch says that as 

 the seals come up for air to their breathing 

 holes or cracks in the ice a harpoon is used 

 which has a short wooden shaft armed with an 

 ice pick, and a long, slender loose shaft suita- 

 ble for thrusting down the small breathing 

 hole. It carries a toggle head, but has onl}- a 

 short line, the end of which is made fast per- 

 manently to the shaft. Such harpoons are 

 used by all Eskimo wherever they are in the 

 habit of watching for seals at their breathing 

 holes. The f oreshaf t is simph' a stout band 

 for the end of the shaft; 

 the loose shaft is of bone 

 and has two holes to 

 receive the end of the as- 

 sembling line, which not 

 only holds the loose shaft 

 in place, but connects 

 the other parts of the 

 shaft so that in case the 

 wood breaks the pieces 

 will not be dropped.^ 

 An old bone harpoon head (Cat. No, 89331. 



U.S.N.M.) from Point Barrow, which is a compro- 

 mise or transition between the barbed harpoon 



head and the toggle head, is shown in fig. 71<:^ 



Two long barbs on the margins are bilateral and 



symmetrical. Blade transverse to line hole, as in 



the small seal dart heads. The shaft socket groove 



is flanked on its margins with slots, through which 



a thong may have passed to complete the apparatus. 



Two specimens are figured by Murdoch. Length, 



4i inches. Collected by P,'h, Ray, U. S, A," 



Murdoch calls attention, in fig. 7l/>, to the similarity of No, 89544, 



U.S,N,M,, to a harpoon head collected l)y Nordenskiold at the 



ancient Onkalon house at North Cape,^ 



' Ninth Annual Eeport of the Bureau of Ethnology, fig. 239, 

 2 Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, p. 220, fig. 209 a and b. 

 =* Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, fig. 211, p. 220, quoting Voy- 

 age of the Vega, I, p. 444, fig. 5. 



b « 



Fig. 71. 

 OLD BARBED AND TOGGLE HEADS. 



Point Parrow. 



Collected by P. H. Ray, after Murdoch. 



Cat. Nos. a, 89331; b, 8954, U.S.N.M. 



OLD TRANSITION HARPOON 

 HEAD. 



Point Barrow. 

 Collected by r. H. Ray. after 

 Murdoch. Cat. 

 r.S.N.M. 



89337, 



