SLING CONTRTVANCES FOR I'HO.J KCTl MO WKAPONS. (\27 



also iiiciit i()ii('(| IVoiii (lie Ciiroliiic Islands, the IMiili|»piii(s, New 

 (iiiinea, iiiid I'l'lcw Island. 



In (y|)<' (licsc shafts wci-c similar to those of New (Jninea, even to 

 (he j)iece attache<| and the Hnei' exeention (|)i. I. fii!;. 14). The 

 spears there lia\f ii(» spine set on, as those from New (Juinca; it is 

 (liei-efore presumed that the shai'|) hntts of the spears are stuck into 

 the hoHow at llie oiilef end of the s|)eai' slin<>-, and ai-e held seeui-eiy 

 by the first, seeond, and fourth lingers of the ri<?ht hand. The prac- 

 tice is, therefore, nearly the .same as in Australian spear slinirs. An 

 attached piece is, of course, superfluous. Keport is made of another 

 use of spear slings in the Pelew Islands; the elastic hamhoo spear 

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

 the spear tow aid the outer end and inclines it more or less according 

 to the distance sought. When the hand is removed the spear flies and 

 usually falls i)er|)endicularly upon its target." Reports of Chamiso 

 from Ya]) will i>rol)al)ly be similar, that the spear was shot from the 

 bow with the aid of a trough-shaped piece of l)amboo. 



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

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

 though il is being supplanted by firearms, is the jjolar i-egions.'' 

 They are used there among the (iiliaks (Annir district and Sag- 

 iialin), among certain northeast Asiatic races, upon the Aleutian 

 Islands, on the shoi-es of Alaska, on the north coast of America, 

 in T^abrador. (Jreenland, and among the Eskimos generally. The 

 Greenlander, whose artistic spear slings will be considered further 

 on, is here omitted. According to the pi'o\ ision foi" the forefinger,'' 

 three groups are distinguished: (1) A hole for the forefinger is cut 

 on the side of the shaft to the right from the spear groove; (2) the 

 l^jcket or cavity for forefinger is i)laced on the central line of the 

 under side and, if it goes through, terminates in the spear groove ; and 

 (3) a notch for the forefinger is cut to the right of the grip, fi'om 

 behind which jjroti'udes a peg. We find the first gi'(nij) in Labrador, 

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

 Alaska, on the Fox and Aleutian islands, as among the Giliaks, and 

 [ certain northeast Asiatics. It is usually a broad strip of wood, taper- 

 ing more or less to a ])oint at the outer end. A gi-oove for the spear 

 is made on the flat upi)er side, from the end of which j)rojects a small 

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



« Keato, Pelew Islands (1789). p. 414 et seq. ; 188 et seq. 



6 Mason, U. S. National Museum Rep., 1884, pp. 279-289, 17 pis. 



cThe plan lias been arranged according to the provisions for the forefinger. 



as this is the most distinguishing characteristic of these north-country sling 



sticks. This division makes possible a simj)U' grou|»ing of the different kinds. 



and a clear view of tiieir distribution in these areas, l)oth geographically and 



' ethnographical ly. 



