COOPER] BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TRIBES OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO 207 



q, 354; Mason, f, 213) or 15-20 meter thong (Bove, a, 797; h, 140; c, 

 132; d, Arch., 295; Colini, 160), or thong of various lengths (Weddell, 

 165). The Fuegians' harpoon is so Uke their spear and so Uttle an 

 advance upon it that the presumption is against a European origui. 



Knives. — The Yahgans at the time of the French Cape Horn expe- 

 dition in 1882-83 had only knives made of a sharp-edged mussel shell 

 lashed with thongs to an oblong stone haft (Hyades, q, 299; Colini, 

 161; Myres, ill.), although like the other modern Fuegians they made 

 a chisel-knife out of a hafted bit of iron hoop. Shell knives were used 

 by the Alacaluf also (Fletcher, in Hyades, g, 3). 



Vargas Ponce reported (&, 25) bone knives among the Alacaluf of 

 the Strait. The ''punales de hueso" seen by Cortes Hojea and 

 Ladrillero in the West Patagonian channels may rather have been 

 spearheads, as noted above under Spear, p. 206. 



Stone-headed daggers or knives were found among the Yahgans 

 by L'Hermite (1643 ed., 42, "■ ende steene messen / die scherp snyden," 

 Commelin, ii, 28, Decker's tr., 30, de Brosses, i, 444) and Weddell 

 (181), and among the Alacaluf by Du Plessis (Marcel, a, 492; c, 109), 

 Byron (&, in Hawkesworth, i, 80) and Capt. King (55, 148). The 

 fhnt dagger heads found by Weddell were of the same shape as the 

 arrowheads and were ''inserted in a handle about 9 inches long; and 

 this they probably use as a stiletto" (181). 



According to Father Pietas (Gay, Doc, i, 503), the Chonos had 

 adzes, chisels, and knives of stone. These, however, like the ax- 

 heads which have been found in the Guaitecas Islands were not 

 imlikely of Chilotan origin. 



Capt. Bove dug up in Yahgan territory two large worked flints 

 shaped hke arrowheads (Bove, c, ill. opp. p. 124; Lovisato, a, 199; 

 h, 101-102) and Dr. Halm also found three very large points (Hyades, 

 g, 361, pi. XXX, figs. 9, 10, 11). Of the latter three, two were classed 

 as spearheads by Prof. Mortillet (212), while Dr. Outes believes one 

 to be a spearhead and one at least of the other two to be arrowheads 

 (a, 412, 397-398). Those found by Capt. Bove are classed among 

 the arrowheads by Dr. Outes {a, 397). It is quite possible, however, 

 in view of WeddeU's description above noted, that these flints or 

 some of them may have been used as dagger heads. 



Bow and arrow. — ^A. Distribution: The Ona and his bow and 

 arrow are inseparable. It is his chief and almost his only weapon of 

 war and the chase. 



Among the Yahgans the bow and arrow has occupied a very 

 subordinate position. It has never been reported as used in fighting, 

 except m general melees, when anything at hand, including the arrow, 

 may be employed (Hyades, g-, 374). It was used in games and 

 dances (Th. Bridges, it, 239-240), and sometimes the eastern and 

 northern Yahgans used it to hunt the guanaco (Fitz-Roy, a, 187; 



