284 REPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1900. 



(p. 138). Unless othei'wise mentioned the specimens described below 

 were collected b}- E. W. Nelson. 



The shaft is of soft wood, tapering backward to a point, oval in 

 cross section, and stained red in the front portion. For the attach- 

 ment of the f oreshaf t a roug-hl}- conical socket is excavated, and on the 

 upper side of this socket a slot is cut through from the outside. In 

 the harpoons whose foreshafts are attached in this way this slot is 

 universal — that is, the tang of the f oreshaf t is not driven into a cavity 

 which it iits, ))ut is set in a cavity with two margins which can be 

 driven close together b}- the shrinkage of the seizing. 



The foreshaft is of whale's bone, nearly cylindrical, and cut off 

 square in front. The tang is conoidal in form and terminates with a 

 shoulder where it joins the body of the foreshaft. A plug of wood is 

 inserted in the front end of the foreshaft, with a socket for the tang of 

 the point. Feathers, none; but on the side of the shaft, just behind 

 the center of gravit}", is a flat piece of antler or bone set on and held in 

 place by a lashing of rawhide thong. This serves as a stop for the 

 end of the harpoon, the latter being driven like a javelin from the 

 hand, without the use of a throwing stick of any kind. 



The point is of bone, flattened on one side and round on the other, 

 much larger than that of the variet}^ hurled with a throwing stick. 

 The shank is a flattened cone. Barbs, three on one margin and two on 

 the other. In all of this class of harpoons the edges or sides of the 

 point are sharp, and the margins of the barb are straight on one side 

 and curved on the other. The line hole is oblong. 



The line is of rawhide thong, one end attached to the point and the 

 other end to the shaft back of the middle by a clove hitch. 



The assembling line .s fastened around the tang of the foreshaft 

 near the shoulder and is continued back underneath the lashings, of 

 different kinds, to near the top end, where it is driven into the wood 

 and forms a smooth fastening. 



Length of shaft, 52 inches. Length of foreshaft, 8 inches. Length 

 of point, -i inches. This specimen is from St. Michael. Collected by 

 E. W. Nelson. 



A toggle head harpoon (Cat. No. 33888, U.S.N.M.) from Norton 

 Sound is shown in flg. 81. The head is of ivory. The noticeable fea- 

 tures about it are: The blade is in the same plane as the line hole; the 

 line hole goes directly across the bod}^ of the head; the shallow socket 

 is exactly behind it and in a line with the saw cut. There is a single 

 barb or spur projecting behind the socket on top of the toggle head. 

 The foreshaft is a long spindle of l)one, tapering in front to lit the 

 socket of the toggle head, and having a short cone at the base for the 

 cavity in the end of the foreshaft. A hole is pierced through the fore- 

 shaft and a loop or becket passed through this opening and around the 

 line, so that when the animal is struck the foreshaft is withdrawn from 



