!50 



G. A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



primary release (MORSE [1. c, 6, figs. i — 3]) requires the use of knobbed arrows, such as are 

 nowhere met with in N. G.. Moreover, ail authors agrée in this, that always two or more 

 fingers cling to the string. In this respect the figs. 5 and 6 of Plevte, representing the arrow- 

 release of a Papuan from North-West New Guinea and a Motu-warrior respect., are also incor- 

 rect, besides being wrongly compared by 

 the author to the Mediterranean release. 

 I am convinced that none of the three 

 positions figured by PLEYTE are used by 

 boni Papuans. Pratt [1904, 4] represents 

 his Tugeri bowman with such a peculiar 

 grasp of the right hand (placing also the 

 arrow to the right of the bow), that his 

 drawing mystifies, rather than illustrâtes, 

 the real opération. 



The archaic release, according to 

 my opinion, is the most effective, as 

 four fingers act on the string. MORSE 

 himself says: "In testing the stiffness of 

 a bow, the string is grasped in this man- 

 ner", but his opinion: "In the use of a 

 bow of any strength, the attrition of the 

 string on the fingers must be very severe; 

 and only a hand as tough and as tho- 

 roughly calloused as the paw of an animal, 

 could endure the friction of the string in 

 such a release'', does not hold good for 

 the flat, nearly 1 cm. broad, rattan string 

 of Papua Tâlandjang, as I found out by 

 expérience. 



The position 

 "ready for action 



pointing downwards (fig. 157). Being asked 



to shoot without any aim, but as far as 



possible, the people of Tobâdi assumed 



the position of fig. 155, also shown by 



Schmeltz [1. c] of the Tugeri. MOLLER 



[1857, 60] from the south coast, and 



HAGEN from the north coast, report that 



the bow is drawn above the head and then 



lowered. In the beginning the string is 



pulled in the direction of the right eye, which aims the arrow, the left eye, however, seldom being 



closed. In further drawing, the shaft- (right) hand is lowered _towards the shoulder (see fig. 156), 



and the right eye only aims over the extrême end of the arrow head ; — of course, as the 



of the bowman, 

 is with the arrow 



Fig. 156. Anow-release : Doré. 



