574 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Boil. 137 



sary to scrape off the bark and season the twigs. The Yuchi do not seem to 

 have had the idea of the foreshaft. The point, lacipd, which was formerly of 

 stone is nowadays made of iron and is bound by means of sinew into a split 

 in the shaft. The arrows are feathered preferably with hawk feathers, as the 

 Indians believe the hawk to be swift and sure in its flight. Turkey tail feath- 

 ers are much used also. The split plumes, two in number, are bound to the 

 shaft at both ends with sinew. One side of the feather is shaved clean of ribs 

 up to within an inch of the outer end. The lower or base end of the quill is 

 then lashed on flat. The outer end is turned down and the turned down length 

 is lashed on. In this way an ingenious twist is given to the feather, which 

 causes the arrow to revolve in its flight, acting on the principle of the rifled 

 bullet. There is some diversity in the length of the arrow shaft and in the 

 size of the arrow head. For killing large game and in warfare the shafts 

 used are almost three feet long with iron triangular arrow heads. But in 

 hunting small game they have simple round sharpened shafts which are sea- 

 soned in heat to make them stiff. The arrows used for shooting fish are some- 

 what different from the ones described above. . . . [They are generally un- 

 feathered shafts with charred points, but the better ones are provided with 

 points like cones made by pounding a piece of some flat metal over the end 

 of the shaft. (Speck, 1909, p. 24.)] Blunt wooden-headed arrows, so common 

 everywhere, were also used for stunning small animals and birds. 



The arrow shaft in all cases is cylindrical, and of the same width through- 

 out. In some cases, however, there is a slight widening at the notch to give 

 a better grip. Several instances were also noticed where there were two 

 notches at right angles to each other. This feature, according to the native 

 idea, makes it possible for the shooter to send his arrow so that the iron point 

 is either vertical or horizontal. In the former case the point passes more readily 

 between the ribs of deer, bison and other animals, while in the latter case 

 it is designed to pass between the ribs of man. The double notching also fa- 

 cilitates adjustment in rapid shooting. An old arrow, one that has seen use, 

 is thought to shoot better and to be more effective in general than a new one. 

 (Speck, 1909, pp. 21-22.) 



According to the same writer, arrows of the Taskigi Creeks were 

 of the same materials but feathered on three sides instead of two 

 (Speck, 1907, p. 110). 



The Seminole arrows described by MacCauley seem to be of the 

 type used in shooting fish : 



The arrows are of cane and of hard wood and vary in length from two to 

 four feet; they are, as a rule, tipped with a sharp conical roll of sheet iron. 

 (MacCauley, 1887, p. 517.) 



One of the oldest and best Creek informants of the writer, a man 

 who was born in Alabama before the removal of his people west 

 and who had spent a large part of his life hunting, when the bow was 

 the principal hunting weapon, gave me the following items regard- 

 ing arrows: 



In hunting birds, squirrels, and other small animals cane arrows 

 were used, but for larger game such as bear and deer they resorted 

 to arrows with iron points, though he was aware that they pointed 

 their arrows anciently with fish bones and flint. He thought that 



