Chap. XV.] 



LEAF ARROWS. 



329 



a toy, 



of the high-peaked Malay roof into a sort of half tower, half 

 spire, representing no doubt an equivalent of the dome. 

 Under the eaves of the houses baskets were hung up for the 

 fowls to nest in. 



Some boys were playing near the village, and, as 

 they had a very ingeniously made model of a 

 spring gun, or rather spring bow, a trap by which 

 a large arrow is shot into a wild pig, on its setting 

 loose a catch. Our guide, a boy, wearing a 

 turban, placed his hand on his turban and said, 

 " Mahommed," and explained to Captain Tizard 

 that the small boys at play, whose heads were 

 bare, were not such as he, but heathen. He 

 was evidently very proud of his religion. 



The Ke Islanders, besides arrows like those 

 of the Aru Islanders, use others which are 

 peculiar. They are light thin narrow strips cut 

 out of the long leaves of what I beheve is a 

 species of Canna. The strips are so cut that 

 the stiff midrib of the leaf forms the shaft of 

 the arrow, and portions of the wings of the leaf 

 are left on at the base of the arrow to act as 

 feathers. The point is simply sharpened with 

 the knife. 



These leaf arrows when dry are hard and stiff. 

 They are very easily made by a few strokes of 

 the knife, and a large bundle of them is carried 

 by the archer. They are shot away at a bird 

 in the bush, and no trouble is taken to find them 

 again, as in the case of other arrows. They are 

 so small and light that they make very little show 

 in their flight, and no noise ; I saw a youth shoot 

 at least a dozen of them at a large Nutmeg 

 Pigeon, without the bird's doing more thnn 

 move its head, and start a little as they flew 

 by almost touching it. 



These Nutmeg Pigeons {Carpophaga concinna) 

 are very large heavy birds. Some of those shot 

 weighed 2 lbs. I got two at one shot as they 

 sat on a branch on a high tree right over my 

 head. They fell one on each side of me with 

 a very heavy thud, and I believe would have 

 stunned me had they not luckily just missed my head, 

 never considered this danger before. 



Mr. Darwin in his Journal * refers to Epeira clavipes, as said 

 * " Journal of Researches," p. 36. 



ARROW CUT OUT 

 OF A CANNA 

 LEAF. 



I had 



