363 



than the middle. The upper (front) end narrows-in slightly 

 from two sides, while on the two other sides it increases, rather 

 than decreases, in thickness ; but towards the extreme point it 

 tapers away, the sides being severely rounded off. The butt 

 end of the piece is conically pointed. 



In the head there is a slit, 2 or 3 mm in breadth, to receive 

 a blade of stone or bone, which must have been pressed home 

 into it. As the extreme end has been worn away or broken 

 ofi', it cannot be determined with certainty whether there was 

 a nail-hole or not; probably not. The blade (and the slit) has 

 a horizontal position, at right angles to the two line-holes, 

 which have been bored transversely through the lower part of 

 the shaft. These holes are similarly shaped and parallel; under 

 each of the four openings there is a distinct but short groove, 

 being a continuation of the inner path of the hole. Through 

 these holes must have passed two straps with which this bone- 

 shaft was fastened in the usual way to the wooden shaft of 

 the lance, at the upper end of which there is generally a 

 firmly attached piece of bone (the foreshaft) with a socket into 

 which the conically tapering end of the bone-shaft fits. 



It should be noted that the base of this loose shaft is 

 not cut off flatly with a tang-like projection in the middle, as 

 is usually the case in the modern lance and harpoon shafts 

 from Ammasalik and West Greenland^), but merely conically 

 pointed. However, we know of several specimens, found in 

 graves from North West Greenland, which have the same basal 

 form as that of the shaft which we have just described^); and 

 vice-versa, a loose bone-shaft has also been discovered (by the 

 Nathorst Expedition) -^1 in North East Greenland with the tang- 

 like projection known from Ammassalik and West Greenland. 



luv. Amd. 13 (PI. XVIi is a flattish weapon head, 35 cm 



M Holm, PI. XIV. Nansen 31; Fabricius 1, 13Ô and fig. 1. 

 *) Swenander, PI. V, fig. 168. 

 ») Stolpe, PI. IV, ßg 14. 



