DESCRIPTION OF THE GTJN-HARPOON, SS"9 



wi'ought iron, 24 to 26 inches in length, of 3 inch- 

 es exterior diameter, and 1| inches bore. It 

 is furnished witli two locks, which act simulta- 

 neously, for the purpose of diminishing the lia- 

 bility of the gun missing fire. In plate 19-, is 

 a representation of the harpoon-gun; and fig. 1. 

 and 3. of PI. 18., show the form of the harpoon 

 which is fired from it. The shank of this harpoon 

 is double, terminating in a cylindrical knob, fitting 

 the bore of the gun. Between the two parts of the 

 shank is a wire ring, to which is attached the line. 

 Now, when the harpoon is introduced into the bar- 

 rel of the gun, the ring, with the attached line, re- 

 mains on the outside, near the mouth of the har- 

 poon ; but the instant that it is fired, the ring flies 

 back against the cylindrical knob. Some harpoons 

 have been lately made with a single shank, similar 

 to the common " hand-harpoon," but swelled at the 

 end to the thickness of the bore of the gun. The 

 whale line, which is closely spliced round the shank, 

 is slipped towards the mouth of the harpoon, when 

 it is placed in the gun, and when fired, is prevented 

 from disengaging itself, by the size of the knob at 

 the end. 



