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Morten P. Porsild. 



fere with the strength of the harpoon. In order, here, to preserve the 

 greatest strength possible the hole is led in a highly complicated round- 

 about way (see Figs. 1 and 2). But, here, it must again be taken into 

 consideration that it does not prevent the shaft being detached in due 

 time in the case of a throwing harpoon, wherefore we here find the sym- 

 metrical, well-balanced harpoons with complicated line holes, while this 

 danger is not present in the case of a thrusting harpoon, which may 

 have any appearance if only its main object, the toggling, is secured. 



Fig. 2. Diagrammatic orientation of the planes in Fig. 1. 

 The horizontal line indicates the horizontal plane; the perpendicular lines the 

 vertical planes. The position of the blade, the line hole and the toggling butt 



is indicated. 



The inserted blade may lie in the vertical or in the horizontal plane. 

 The former (cf. Fig. 1, A) Swenander (p. 5) considers to be an old, 

 primitive form which he regards as unpractical on account of the posi- 

 tion of the blade and the limited strength of the harpoon. It is true 

 that the harpoon is old, but it is too widely distributed and occurs in 

 too great numbers to permit of its being called, as a matter of course, 

 unpractical; nor do the reasons given by Swenander for this conclusion 

 hold good. The harpoon is a thrusting harpoon; the fact of its being 

 compressed in the vertical plane is just what gives it strength, and being 

 a thrusting harpoon the line hole may be placed almost as high up towards 

 the dorsal side as wished, without risking failure with the toggling. The 

 position of the blade is far from unpractical. If the blade had been 

 a riveted, cutting, metal blade, it might have been feared that, while 

 revolving in the animal, it would cut itself loose. But Swenander 

 (and as it appears all other authors before him) seems to have over- 

 looked the fact that the blade in this type was a loosely inserted 

 stone blade. And, if so, it is the most practical way of placing it; 

 because, during the process of toggling, the delicate blade runs no 

 risk of being broken, which it undoubtedly would if it were placed in 

 the horizontal plane. Perhaps it will be forced out of its slit, but then 

 the misfortune is not great ; it may afterwards be taken out of the wound 

 and be re-inserted. 



