OF ARROW-RELEASE. 149 



guard is not required, as the recoil of the string, from 

 the high tension of the bow, is arrested before striking the 

 arm. Some of the old English archers also avoided the 

 use of the arm-guard by using highly strung bows. 



It is recorded that the Demerara Indians of South 

 America practice this form of release ; and from a photo- 

 graph of a Ute Indian in my possession I should infer 

 that that tribe also practiced this release. Col. James 

 Stevenson informs me that when the Navajos shoot at 

 prairie dogs they use this release, so that the arrow will 

 not penetrate the ground if it misses its mark ; and Mr. 

 Daniel S. Hastings informs me that the Chippevva Indians 

 sometimes practice this release. 



I am indebted to Dr. S. J. Mixter for a photograph 

 which he made for me, of an old Micmac Indian in the act 

 of releasing the arrow in the primary way. The man is 

 one of the oldest Micmacs in the Cascapedia settlement on 

 the north shore of the Bay of Chaleur and he informed Dr. 

 Mixter that he often used the bow when a boy, and prac- 

 ticed the release as represented. He also said that the 

 other tribes in that part of Canada in the use of the bow 

 drew the arrow in the same way. A member of the Pe- 

 nobscot tribe at Moosehead Lake gave me the primary 

 release as that practiced by the tribe, and seemed incred- 

 ulous when I told him that there were other methods of 

 drawing the arrow. 



This primitive method of releasing the arrow I shall 

 designate as the Primary release. 



The next form of release to be considered is one which 

 is a direct outgrowth from the primary release. This re- 

 lease consists in grasping the arrow with the straightened 

 thumb and bent forefinger, while the ends of the second 

 and third fingers are brought to bear on the string to as- 



