hoffmanj QUIVERS — MODERN ARROWS 281 



Professor Mason's remarks 1 pertaining to compound bows do not 

 refer to a certain form which, so far as I am aware, is now found only 

 in Arizona and Nevada, among the Chemehuevi, and in the Orient 

 among, I believe, the Japanese. This bow consists of two distinct 

 pieces of wood, of almost equal size, glued together longitudinally. 

 The most beautiful specimens of workmanship noticed anywhere 

 amongst the Paiute and Chemehuevi were observed at the mouth of 

 several small tributaries to Colorado river, in southeastern Nevada. 

 These bows were graceful in form, being curved in the shape of the 

 traditional "Cupid's bow.'' They are less than 3 feet in length, and are 

 about three-fourths of an inch thick at the grip, but thinner and broader 

 at the curve of the limbs, gradually narrowing down toward the nocks. 

 Two species of wood of equal size were used iu their manufacture, the 

 flat surfaces being glued together lengthwise from end to end, then 

 scraped down to the required dimensions and polished. Ash formed 

 the front, or, more properly, the back, of the bow, while the inner side 

 of the curve was of cedar. Having been glued, the entire back was 

 covered with sinew, the edges of which extended around the lateral 

 edges toward the cedar portion. This backing added to the strength 

 and elasticity of the bow, which was furthermore increased by seizings 

 of sinew strands tied about the bow at the grip, at the nock ends, and 

 at one and sometimes two equidistant points between these places, each 

 wrapping being perhaps as broad as the palm of the hand. 



These bows, like those of the Menomini, were occasionally anointed 

 with deer brains to prevent brittleness and consequent fracture, the 

 extremely high temperature and dry atmosphere during the greater 

 portion of the year being very severe on the elastic properties of the 

 few kinds of wood available for bow-making in the arid southwest. 



The bowstrings used by the Menomini are of sinew, obtained in the 

 way previously described. 



Quivers 



The quivers of these Indians were formerly made of skins with the 

 fur remaining thereon, as well as of dressed buckskin, but they are now 

 fashioned from coarse cloth or flannel, decorated with brightly colored 

 patches, small bells, and other pendants. 



Modern Stoxe Arrowpoints 



As before stated, the Menomini Indians admit having manufactured 

 stone weapons until "several generations ago." But they actually used 

 stone arrows within a comparatively recent period, and these, on account 

 of their rarity and the superstition connected therewith, have been 

 retained to this day and used as amulets by the mita'wok. 



The discontinuance of the manufacture of stone weapons is attribu- 

 table to the introduction of improved firearms, axes, and knives, and to 



1 Smithsonian Report for 1893, pp. 631-679, plates xxxvi-xciv. 



