OF ARROW-RELEASE. 



169 



In regard to the bow-hand, the thumb is sometimes rep- 

 resented as straight and guiding the arrow, and in other 

 cases as braced inside of the bow. In this connection it 

 may be interesting to note that in the earliest Assyrian 

 bows the ends of the bows are straight and blunt, the 

 nocks being a simple groove and the string being tied 



Fig. 27. Assyrian. 



whenever the bow is braced, as in certain modern Indian 

 and Aino practice. Other bows are shown at this period 

 with a nock somewhat oblique, and it is possible that the 

 string might have been looped and slipped into the notch , 

 as in the modern English bow. 



In the later slabs, that is 650 B.C., the ends of the bow 

 are shown abruptly bent, the bent portion in some cases 



Fig. 28. Fig. 29. Fig. 30. 



being carved to represent a bird's head. In the bracing 

 of this bow the string has a permanent loop, and the assist- 

 ance of a second person is required to slip this loop over 

 the point of the nock while the archer is employed in 

 bending the bow, which is done by drawing the ends of 

 the bow towards him, the knee at the same time being 

 pressed in the middle of the bow. (Figs. 28, 29, 30.) In 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XVH 



22 



