The bow is an elastic rod or stave which is bent, the two ends being united by a tough string. A bolt is shot from this apparatus, either to pierce, to cut, or to bruise. The first bows were unmodified staves; the latest were made up of several pieces of different kinds of wood glued together and lined on the back with sinew or tough rawhide. The inner layer supplies the element of rigidity; the outer layer or back that of elasticity, and these two layers are held firmly in place by side pieces glued on. The limit of the simple bow is that of the muscular effort required to bend it ; but if the bow be fastened to a stick, as in the bow gun or arbalest, then mechanical devices can be used to bend it, so that its rigidity and efficiency may be increased immensely ; in fact, the different types of arbalest receive their names from the methods of bending the bow. There were three distinct varieties of this weapon — the arbalete a pied-de-hiche^ or hind's foot; the arhcdete a tour^ or rack-and-pinion crossbow, or great-stirrup crossbow ; and the arhcdete a cry ro a eric — lever crossbow in English.

No. 1. Zuni bow. Plain sapling split and little modified ; string of sinew cord.

The Zuni arrows are poorly made 69,574

No. 2. Sioux bow of hardwood. In this example is illustrated the double curve produced by heating and bending 1,769

No. 3. Yew bow of Oregon, overlaid on the back with sinew mixed with glue ; grips covered with buckskin ; nocks ornamented with fur ; string of sinew.

No. 4. Eskimo sinew-backed bow of brittle wood, strengthened by ingenious

wrappings of sinew cord, which is also laid in a cable along the back.

The peculiar curve is that of the northern Asiatic bow. No. 5. Compound bow of the eastern Eskimo, of three pieces of whale's rib,

forming the grip and the wings. These are united with seizings

of sinew thread and rivets, and the whole strengthened by sinew

backing 19,513

No. 6. Crossbow from northern Labrador. Probably a toy, but illustrating a

very primitive type of this weapon. Stock of pine wood; bowstring

of sinew 73,017

No. 7. Chinese magazine crossbow. Darts are placed in a magazine having two

slots and are discharged in pairs. The magazine is tilted, with the