152 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [eTH. ANN. 18 
The most curious bird spears are those with a long point of bone, 
ivory, or deerhorn, serrated on one or both sides, inserted in the end 
of the wooden shaft. Set in the shaft, at about one-third of the dis- 
tance from the butt, are three points of bone, ivory, or deerhoru, which 
are lashed in position with their sharp points extending obliquely out- 
ward, forming a triangle. These spears are from 4 to 6 feet in length 
and frequently have handsomely made points. 
Vigure 8, plate L1x, from Nunivak island, is one of these spears with 
a bone point triangular in cross section and 22 inches in length. It is 
grooved along all the angles, which have serrations along them in 
pairs, at intervals of an inch or more, with a series of coarsely made 
serrations near the butt. The points on the shaft are triangular in 
cross section and are barbed along their inner edges. This specimen 
is without feathering at the base of the shaft. 
Figure 9, plate LIX, represents a spear obtained by Mr L. M. Turner 
at St Michael. It has three cormorant feathers on the shaft and 
three barbs, on two of which the serrations face outward and on the 
other they are inward. The point is of ivory, hexagonal in cross 
section, and barbed on two sides. 
Figure 7, plate Lix, from St Michael, has an ivory point, roughly 
oval in cross section, with two sets of barbs on the edges; three 
barbs on the shaft are of deerhorn serrated along their inner edges. 
Figure 11, plate Lrx, from Razbinsky, is a large and heavily made 
bird spear, with a strong point of deerhorn and three heavy points 
on the shaft. 
Figure 10, plate L1x, from St Michael, is another spear of this 
description, having the point set in a slit at the upper end of the 
wooden shaft and secured by a rawhide lashing. Three bone points 
are lashed to the shaft near the butt. 
Bird spears are used for capturing waterfowl, particularly during 
the Jate summer and fall, when the geese and ducks have molted their 
wing-feathers and are unable to fly; also for catching the young of 
various water birds. The object of the three prongs on the shaft is 
to catch the bird by the neck or the wing when the point may have 
missed it. In using the spear but little attempt is made to strike the 
bird with the point, but it is thrown in such a manner that it will 
diverge slightly to one side as it approaches the quarry, so that the 
shatt will slide along the back or the neck and one or more of the 
points will eatch the neck or the wing. 
THROWING STICKS 
The Eskimo are very expert in casting spears with the throwing stick. 
The sinall, light spears used in hunting seals are cast from 30 to 50 
yards with considerable accuracy and foree. I have seen them practice 
by the hour throwing their spears at young waterfowl, and their accu- 
racy is remarkable. The birds sometimes would see the spear com- 
ing and dive just before it reached them, but almost invariably the 
