ABORIGINAL AMERICAN HARPOONS. 



291 



similar to the little seal harpoon heads of ivory — blade of iron, and 

 bifurcated l)arbs, is shown in fig. 86. 



Collected by E. AV. Nelson. This is the last word in the inventional 

 histor}' of the toggle harpoon head. From this point it enters the 

 world-embracing commerce, being cast in metal and 

 sold to island peoples all about the Pacific Ocean. It 

 has no voice in settling the question how far similarities 

 in aboriginal arts argue for contact or sameness of mind 

 and its environments. 



Specimens Nos. 45429 and 45430, in thelJ. S. National 

 Museum, are barbed harpoons from Cape Nome, the 

 northwestern corner of Norton Sound, Alaska. These 

 are similar to the Sledge Island specimens without 

 feathers, one of them having the assembling line of 

 sinew thread and the other of rawhide. 



The measurements of No. 45420 are: Shaft, 45^ 

 inches; foreshaft, 4 inches; point. 3 inches. Measure- 

 ments of No. 4.5430 are: Shaft, 4H inches; foreshaft. 

 4 inches; point, 2f inches. 



A bone toggle head (Cat. No. 46154, U.S.N.M.) of 

 medium size, from Port Clarence, just 

 south of Bering Strait, Alaska, is shown 

 in fig. ST. Body conoidal in form, ellipti- 

 cal in section, and higher than broad. 

 Blade of iron, deltoid in form, set deeply 

 in the slit and riveted Avith bone or wood. 

 Line hole straight through, wider behind 

 and run out into well-defined line grooves. Barbs two, 

 formed by the bifurcation of the back, 1)eing ang;ular, 

 cocked up, and flared out. Socket for the f oi"eshaf t shal- 

 low and having a sharp edge on the butt, which is a single 

 curved surface, nearly perpendicular below, quite elon- 

 gated above the socket. Length, 3| inches. Collected 

 by Dr. T. H. Bean. Of similar character to No. 46154 are 

 many other pieces in the Museum. In fact, when the shape 

 arrives at a certain stage beyond the inventor, it seems to 

 turn into the highroad of mechanical monotonies. 



Plate 11. Catalogue No. 48156 in the U. S. National ]Mu- 



seum, is a barbed seal harpoon projected from a throwing 



stick, from Sledge Island, on the northwestern shore of 



Norton Sound, collected by E. AV. Nelson. The shaft 



is of light pine wood, tapering gentl}" from tip to butt 



and slightl}' flattened in cross section. The tip end is socketed for 



the reception of the tang of the foreshaft. The peculiarity of four 



specimens from this locality is that the socket is split very little on the 



Fig. 80. 



IRON TOGGLE HEAD. 



Sledge Island. 

 Collected byE. W. Nel- 

 son. Cat. No. 44747. 

 U.S.N.M 



Fig. 87. 



TOGGLE HE.\D. 



Port Clarence. 



Alaska. 

 Collected by T. H. 



Bean. Cat. No. 



461.it. V.S.N.M. 



