THE OX-HORN— HOW USED ? 8i 



But all the preceding points dwarf in interest before the 

 term Kfpag ftooc aypavXoto, " the horn of a field ox, or ox of 

 the homestead." i How does the horn of an ox find itself in 

 this galley ? What was its exact use ? Where and how was 

 it employed ? 



Many scholars and fishermen, ancient and modern, have 

 essayed the problem. The reason for the use of the horn 

 passed early out of common knowledge and afforded matter 

 for conjecture from Aristotle downwards. 



To enumerate all the theories would necessitate a list almost 

 as long as Homer's catalogue of the ships. The following, the 

 most important, must suffice for our purpose. 



(i) Y^ipaq was a Httle pipe or collar of horn protecting the 

 line (which passed through it) just at its junction with the hook, 

 and served the same purpose as a " gimp " on a trolling Une.2 

 " This precaution (according to Arnold) was taken so that 

 the fish might not gnaw through the line " — a precaution very 

 similar to our use of wire between the line and the hook, when 

 fishing for tigerfish, tarpon, shark, etc.^ 



A similar interpretation of the word occurred to Aristotle, 

 who ■* held that the lower piece of the line was fortified by a 

 little hollow piece of horn, lest the fish should come at the 

 line itself and bite it off. But the use of Kipac; in the second 

 {Od.) passage appears to rule out Aristotle's and Arnold's 

 interpretations. The fish here are admittedly, not raw-flesh 

 devouring, which might imply size, but small. Why then this 

 elaborate contrivance as precaution against severance of the 

 line ? 



The above explanation of the use of Kipaq derives strong 

 support from the method even now employed in the Nile.^ 

 The native sportsman, as protection against its being bitten 



^ II., 24. 81, and Od., 12. 253. 



* See Merry and Riddell on Od., XII. 251. Doderlein {//., XXIV. 80), 

 following the Scholiast, also gives this same explanation. 



3 T. K. Arnold, Iliad (1852), 20. 80. According to Dugas-Montbel, as 

 quoted here, " To this little tube of horn they attached also a piece of lead to 

 sink the bait, and the horn, being the colour of the sea, had also the advantage 

 of deceiving the fish." 



* Plutarch, De Sol. Anim, 24. 



' The Field, of January 2nd, 1904. 



