John Murdoch Study of the Eskimo Bows in the U. S. National Museum

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. For example: They ingeniously remedy the defect [22. The want of elasticity In the material] by securing to the back of the bow and to the knobs at each end a quantity of small lines, each composed of a plat or 'sinnet' of three sinews. The number of lines thus reaching from end to end is generally about thirty; but besides these several others are fastened with hitches round the bow, in pairs, commencing eight inches from one end and again united at the same distance from the other, mak ing the whole number of strings in the middle of the how sometimes amount to sixty. I'bese being put on when the bow is somewhat bent in the contrary way, produce a spring so strong as to require considerable force as well as knack in stringing it and giving the requisite velocity to the arrow. (par_ry's Second Voyage, p.