Methods of Arrow Release

7/29/2019 Methods of Arrow Release

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The attention of the readfer is earnestly called to' the conclud-ing paragraphs on pages 55^56, with the hope that observationson the points therein ipentioned may be made and forwarded tothe author, for which, full credit will be given in a future publi-cation on the subject/

Salem, Mass.^U. S. A.


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Brit

ANCIENT AND MODEI# METHODS

ARROW-RELEASEEDWlpD S. MORSE.

Director SeaSodu Academy of Science.

[From the Bulletin oi?*he Essex Institute, Vol. XVII. Oct--Deo. 1885.]

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ANCIENT AND MODERlfMETHODSOF pwARROW-RELEASE.

BY EDWARD S. MORSE.

When I began collecting data illustrating the variousmethods of releasing the/arrow from the bow as prac-ticed by different races, I was animated only by the idlestcuriosity. It soon became evident, however, that someimportance might^Jfesfch to preserving the methods ofhandling a -Wamm which is rapidly being displaced inall parts ofiBffworld by the musket and rifle. Whiletribes stjJHKirvive who rely entirely on this most ancientof weajapns, using, even to the present day, stone-tippedarroj|^ there are other tribes using the rifle where thebow ^11 survives. There are, however, entire tribes andnatiolfcvho have but recently, or within late historictimeHsrabandoned the bow and arrow, its survival beingseenlpnly as a plaything for children.It* as not till I had accumulated quite a collection of

sketches and other memoranda illustrating the methods ofarraw-release, not only of existing but of ancient races,as, shown by frescos and rock sculpture, that I realizedt! t even so trivial an art as that of releasing the arrow

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4 ANJPIENT AND MODERN METHODSvmight possibly$bad to interesting results in tracing the

affinities of pasPflftSes.I am led to publish the data thus far collected, incom-

plete as they are, with the intention of using the paperin the form of a ifljbular to send abroad, with the hopeof securing furtheSanaterial for a more extended memoiron the subject. AMy interest in thalmatter was first aroused by having aJapanese friend shoijrwith me. Being familiar with theusual rules of shootiag as practiced for centuries by theEnglish archers, and nit being aware of more than one wayof properly handling & simple and primitive a weaponas the bow and arrowfrfetwas somewhat surprising tofind that the Japanese practice was in every respect to-tally unlike ours. To illustrile*: in the English practice,the bow must be grasped wim the firmness of a smith'svice; in the Japanese practiceton the contrary, it is heldas lightly as possible ; in both%ases, however, it is heldvertically, but in the English memod the arrow rests onthe left of the bow, while in thefjapanese method it isplaced on the right. In the Englisnfjractice a guard otleather must be worn on the inner and lowtaportion of thearm to receive the impact of the string ; in^e Japanesepractice no arm-guard is required, as by a curious fling ortwirl of the bow hand, coincident with the release of thearrow, the bow (which is nearly circular in section) re-volves in the hand, so that the string brings upfon theoutside of the arm where the impact is so light %iat noprotection is needed. In the English method the bow isgrasped in the middle, and consequently the arrow is dis-charged from a point equidistant from its two iends,while the Japanese archer grasps the bow near its lowerthird and discharges the arrow from this point. This al-together unique method, so far as I am aware, probablyarose from the custom of the archers in feudal times

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OF AEROW-EELEASE.shooting in a kneeling posture from behimthick woodenshields which rested on the ground, imnle all these feat-ures above mentioned are quite unlfte in the two peo-ples, these dissimilarities extend to thewnethod of drawingthe arrow and releasing it. In the fmglish method thestring is drawn with the tips of the first three fingers, thearrow being lightly held between theterst and second fin-gers, the release being effected by* simply straighteningthe fingers and at the same time drawing the hand backfrom the string ; in the Japanese method of release thestring is drawn back by the bent-Khumb, the forefingeraiding in holding the thumsfepjffown on the string, thearrow being held in the crotch at the junction of thethumb and finger. fThese marked and important points of difference be-tween the two nations in the use of a weapon so simpleand having the same parts, namely, an elastic stick, asimple cord, a slender barbed shaft, and used by the twohands, naturally led me to inquire further into the use ofthe bow in various parts of the world, and to my amaze-ment I found not gmy a number of totally distinct meth-ods of arrow-release with modifications, or sub-varieties,but that all ttiese methods had been in vogue from earlyhistoric times. Even the simple act of bracing or string-ing the 'bow varies quite as profoundly with differentraces. /

TheBimplest form of release is that which children theworldjtover naturally adopt in first using the bow andarrow, and that is grasping the arrow between the end ofthe swaightenedthumb and the first and second joints of thebentlbrefinger. I say naturally, because I have noticedthatj^merican as well as Indian and Japanese children in-variably grasp the arrow in this way in the act of shooting.With a light or weak bow, such a release is the simplest

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6 frdENT AND MODERN METHODSand best ; and 'jk.this release it makes but little differenceupon which sideoT%he bow the arrow rests, provided thebow is held verticaw. This release, however, preventsthe drawing of a sgff bow unless one possesses enormous

Figs. 1 and 2. Primary, release.

strength in the fingers. Figs. 1 and. 2 illustrate this re-lease. Arrows used in this release are usually knobbedat the nock, or proximal end of the arrow, for conven-

-V ^_%Fig. 3. Knobbed arrow from Oregon.

ieuce of holding ; and an arrow of this form indicates arelease of this or of a similar nature (Fig. 3).The Ainos of Yezo practice this simple release. Theirbow is short and highly strung when in use, and an arm-4V


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OF ARROW-RELEASE.guard is not required, as the recoil M the string, fromthe high tension of the bow, is arrestaa before striking thearm. Some of the old English ardors also avoided theuse of the arm-guard by using highlyRtriing bows.

It is recorded that the Demerafoa Indians of SouthAmerica practice this form of release ; and from a photo-graph of a Ute Indian in .my possession I should inferthat that tribe also practiced this release. Col. JamesStevenson informs me that when,, the Navajos shoot atprairie dogs they use this release, so that the arrow willnot penetrate the ground if it misses its mark ; and Mr.Daniel S. Hastings informs me^hat the Chippewa Indianssometimes practice this released

I am indebted to Dr. S. f/t Mixter for a photographwhich he made for me, ofMi old Micmac Indian in the actof releasing the arrow iwnhe primary way. The man isone of the oldest Micmjacs in the Cascapedia settlement onthe north shore of the Bay of Chaleur and he informed Dr.Mixter that he often used the bow when a boy, and prac-ticed the release as represented. He also said that theother tribes in that part of Canada in the use of the bowdrew the arrow Jh the same way. A member of the Pe-nobscot tribe at Moosehead Lake gave me the primaryrelease as that practiced by the tribe, and seemed incred-ulous when I told him that there were other methods ofdrawing the arrow.

This^primitive method of releasing the arrow I shalldesignate as the Primary release.The next form of release to be considered is one which

is a direct outgrowth from the primary release. This re-lease cfonsists in grasping the arrow with the straightenedthumb and bent forefinger, while the ends of the secondand/third fingers are brought to bear on the string to as-

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8 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSsist in drawing. Iwgs. 4 and 5 illustrate the attitude of thehand in this release. ^ Mr. Paul Mamegowena, an OttawaIndian, informs me that his tribe practice this release, andhe illustrated the mffliod to me. Through the courtesyof Mr. Frank Hamilpn Cushing I was enabled to makeinquiries of a number of Zuni chiefs in regard to their

Figs, i and 5. Secondary release.Imethod, and the release practiced by them differed in no

\er crespect from that of the Ottawas.Mr. Daniel S. Hastings, formerly civil engineerlon theNorthern Pacific Railroad writes to me as follows regardino-

the Chippewa Indians of northern Wisconsin: "I/havewatched the Indians so as to find out their manner of draw-ing back the bow-string and releasing the arrow, and Ifind they all agree in one respect : they all grasp the arrow

A JJ


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10 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSbeing held vertically or nearly so, the arrow is placed atthe left of the bow. It is possible that originally the bowwas held horizontally, but necessities arising, as in shoot-ing in a forest, or shooting side by side with others closelyappressed, the bow was required to be held vertically.In thus turning the bow-hand in the only way it could beturned conveniently, the arrow would be brought to theleft of the bow vertical^As will be shown further on, the position of the arrow

Figs. 6 and 7. Tertiary release.either to the right or to the left of the bow vertical is de-termined in most cases by the method of release. *-In the primary and secondary releases, however itmakes but little difference on which side the arrow isplaced ; and some tribes, using the bow vertical, place thearrow to the right, and this is probably a quicker 'way ofadjusting the arrow when shooting raoidlv P^i t

, r . , b "jJiuiy. i_,oi. JamesStevenson informs me that Navajo Indians practice threemethods of release, namely, the primary release already


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 11alluded to, the tertiary release, and a variety of the Med-iteranean release, which will be described further on.

During the recent visit of the Siamese embassy to thiscountry, I obtained from its members through the cour-tesy of Mr. Wilberforce Wyke,1merpreter, some inter-esting facts concerning the use of the bow in Siam. Itwas curious to find that the Siamese practiced the tertiaryrelease ; with this difference, however, that one finger onlyis used on the string instead of two. Mr. Nai Tuan illus-trated the method to me-, and explained that little use wasmade of the bow and arrow, its practice being confined tothe shooting of small birds and fishes.Major Snayh of the embassy told me that poisoned ar-

rows were also used, in which case the bow was held hori-zontally, and the bow-hand grasped not only the bow, buta grooved board in which the arrow rested. In the lastcentury, it was customary for the Turkish archer to usea grooved piece of hoKrf^vhich was held in the bow-handdirected towards the flaring. In this grooved piece thearrow ran, and by this contrivance the bow could be drawnmuch further back, even to the extent of bringing thehead of the arrow four or five inches within the bow. Ac-cording to Wilkinson, the ancient Egyptians were familiarwith this curious adjunct to the bow.

E. H. Man, Esq., in his work on the Andaman Island-ers,1 p. 141, says that the inhabitants of Great Andaman" place the arrow in position between the thumb and topjoint of the forefinger, and draw the string to the mouthwith^he middle and third finger." As Mr. Man in thisdescription does not speak of the forefinger as bent and

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On the Aboriginal Inhabitants of the Andaman Islands. By Edward HoraceMan.J&eprinted from the Journal of the Anthropologieal Institute of GreatBritain and Ireland.


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12 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSpressed against the arrow, the release practiced by thesepeople must be the tertiary release.We have thus far considered three methods of release,of which the thumb and bent forefinger appressed formsthe simplest and probably one of the earliest forms ; andthis we have called the primary release. The secondaryrelease differs only in the application of the tips of thesecond finger, or second and third fingers, to the string,and must be regarded as a development of the primaryrelease, though forming a distinct method. The third re-lease differs hi the position of the forefinger, which, insteadof being bent and pressed against the arrow, is nearlystraight, its tip, as well as the tips of the second and some-times that of the third finger, engaging the string. Thisconstitutes the tertiary release.We come now to consider a release which by document-ary evidence has been in vogue anjong the northern Med-iterranean nations for centuries, 'and among the southernMediterranean nations for tens oY,, centuries. It is theoldest release of which we have any_ knowledge. It ispracticed to-day by all modern English, French, andAmerican archers, and is the release practiced by Euro-pean archers of the Middle Ages. This release consists indrawing the string back with the tips of the first, second,and third fingers, the balls of the fingers clinging to thestring, with the terminal joints of the fingers slightly flexed.The arrow is lightly held between the first and; secondfingers, the thumb straight and inactive.

Since this release has been practiced by the Mediterra-nean nations from early historic times, it may with pro-priety be called the Mediterranean release. The followingfigures (Figs. 8 and 9) illustrate this form of release.

In the practice of this release, the attrition of the stringon the fingers is so severe that a leather glove or leather


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 13finger-tips are worn, though some archers are enabled bylong service to shoot with their 'fingers unprotected.Roger Ascham, in his " Toxpphilus," written in 1544,says : "A shootinge glove is chieflye for to save a man'sfingers from hurtinge, that he may be able to beare thesharpe stringe to the uttermoste of his strengthe. Andwhen a mau shooteth, the might of his shoote lyeth onthe foremost finger, and on the ringman ; for the middle

Figs. 8 and 9. Mediterranean release.

finger Which is longest, like a lubber, starteth back, andbeareth'no weight of the stringe in a manner at all;therefore the two fingers must have thicker leather, and thatmust have thickest of all whereon a man lowseth most,and for sure lowsinge the foremost finger is most apt,because it holdeth best, and for that purpose nature hath,as a man would say, yocked it with the thoumbe."Hansard , in his " Book of Archery," states that the Flem-

ings use the first and second fingers only, a method adoptedbyfsome English bowmen. This Fleming variety of the


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14 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSMediterranean release, as we shall soon see, was probablythe usual form in the Middle Ages. Among the many-curious matters of interest concerning archery, which maybe found in Hansard's book, is the description of a quaintblack-letter volume which the author dug out in the RoyalLibrary of Paris. This volume was written at the closeof the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth century.It is entitled " The Book of King Modus," and is a treatiseon the use of the bow in hunting. Among other mattersis a chapter of " Instructions in the Art of Archery ;" andin regard to the release, it says that "you draw the arrowwith three fingers, holding the nock between the forefingerand the next thereto." ;

Associated with this release 1 is the necessity of placingthe arrow on the left of the bow* held vertically. Thisposition is necessitated by the fact, that as the string ispulled back the friction of the fingers which clutch thearrow tends to swing the arrow to the right ; at the sametime the friction of the fingers on the string causes thestring to rotate somewhat to the right, and this tends todisplace the arrow.

In a release of this nature, the arrow mustbe to the leftof the bow vertical; and carved figures, manuscript draw-ings, and sculpture, in which the arrow is representedotherwise in connection with the Mediterranean release,must be incorrect. This release is unquestionably anadvance on the others thus far described, as it 1 enablesthe drawing of a stifFer bow, and is exceedingly delicateand smooth at the instant of loosing the arrow.Mr. John Murdock, who accompanied the United

States Signal Survey Expedition to the northwest 1, coastof Alaska, has kindly furnished me the information thatthe Eskimo of Point Barrow practice the Mediterraneanrelease, using, however, only the first and second fingersin drawing the string. I am also indebted to Mr. Mur-


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OF ARKOW-RELEASE. 15dock for calling my attention to two other referencesconcerning the practice of archery among these Arcticpeople.

Mr. Ludwig Kumlien, naturalist of the Howgate PolarExpedition, says of the Cumberland Sound Eskimo, "Inshooting this weapon the string is placed on the first jointof the first and middle fingers of the right hand." 1The Krause brothers state that the natives of East

Cape, Siberia, do not hold the 4rrw between the thumband first finger, but between the.first and middle fingers. 2

Neither of these descriptions is complete, and yetboth indicate unmistakably the Mediterranean release.It was somewhat surprising to find this release among thetribes of Eskimo, for I had supposed that the arrow-re-lease of this people would be either in the form of theprimary or secondary release. As a confirmation of thisunlooked-for method of shooting among the west-coast

Fig. 10. Point Barrow Eskimo arrow, half size, a, end view.Eskimo at Jeast, Mr. Murdock called my attention tothe shape of the nock end of their arrow, which wasgreatly flattened at right angles to the nock, so that itoffered greater convenience for grasping between the fin-gers. %t is possible also that this peculiar flattening mayhave something to do with the flight of the arrow. Thisflattening of the arrow I have never observed before ; andan arrow of this shape must indicate unmistakably themethod of release employed, for in no other form ofrelease with which I am familiar could the arrow be dis-charged. Fig. 10 gives the appearance of this arrow.

Bulletin of the U. S. National Museum, No. 15, p. 37,2 Deutsche geographisohe Blatter, Vol. I, p. 33.


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16 ANCIENT AND MODEKN METHODSIf Mr. Man's information be correct, then the tribes

inhabiting the Little Andaman practice the Mediterraneanrelease. In his work on the Andaman Islanders beforealluded to, the author says (p. 141) that the Jar'awa, orthe tribes which inhabit the Little Andaman and southernportions of the Great Andaman, "adopt the plan usualamong ourselves of holding the nock of the arrow insidethe string by means of the middle joints of the fore and

Figs. 11 and 12. Mongolian release.

middle fingers, and drawing the string with the same joints."While the four releases thus far described may be con-sidered successive modifications of each other, though Ido not mean to imply that they are so necessarily, therelease which we are about to examine is an entirely in-dependent form, having no relation to the others. In thisrelease the string is drawn by the flexed thumb bent over


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 17the string, the end of the forefinger assisting in holdingthe thumb in this position. Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate thisrelease. The arrow is held at the junction of the thumband forefinger, the base of the finger pressing the arrowagainst the bow. For this reason the arrow is alwaysplaced to the right of the bow vertical.

This release is characteristic of the Asiatic races, such asthe Manchu, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Turk, and doubt-less other cognate peoples. The Persians also practicethis release, which they probably acquired from their prox-imity to, and association (friendly and otherwise) with,Asiatic people of past times.As this release is practiced almost exclusively by Mon-

golian nations, it may be called the Mongolian release.In this release the thumb is protectedby a guard of some kind. With theManchu, Chinese, and Turk, as well aswith the Persian, this guard consists ofa thick ring, which is worn near the baseof the thumb. The thick edge of thering is brought to bear upon the string Chinese thumb-ring.as it is drawn back, and at the same time the string is

quickly released by straightening thethumb. The ring may be made ofany hard material, such as horn, bone,ivory, quartz, agate, or jade. These

^^ rings are often very expensive. I was^^ shown one in Canton that was valuedat three hundred dollars. Fig. 13

Chinese "thumb-ring of jade, illustrates an ordinary horn ring suchHn 8eotion - as the Cantonese use.Fig. 14 shows a Chinese thumb-ring in section, made

of jade. This ring, being used with bows having thickerstrings, is correspondingly larger. The Korean thumb-ringis quite unlike that used by the Chinese, as will be seen

3

Fig. 13.


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18 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSby Fig. 15. The ring is thin, and from its shape is evi-dently used to protect the ball of the thumb. The stringis not engaged by the edge of the ring, as in the Chinese

Fig. 15. Korean thumb-ring.

method, but rests upon the side of the ring.1 The Japanesearcher, instead of using a thumb-ring, is provided with a

Kg. 16. Japanese archer's glove (portion only shown).glove consisting of thumb and two fingers. The wrist ofthe glove is firmly bound to the wrist by a long* band,

1 1 wa9 told by a Korean ambassador in Tokio, that in archery the Koreans aretaught to draw the arrow with either hand, but considered the left hand most effi-cient. In illustrating the method of release he drew the arrow with his left hand.The bow is firmly grasped, and an arm-guard is worn.


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 19which is fastened to one flap, passes through a hole in theopposite flap, thus enabling it to be pulled up like a noose,and then is wound tightly about the wrist several times.The thumb of the glove is much thickened, and is veryhard and stiff (Fig. 16). Its operation is like that of theKorean thumb-ring.

In the Korean and Japanese .practice the first and secondfingers assist in holding the thumb bent on the string,while in the Manchu release only the first finger is so

Fig. 17. Manchu.used, the other three fingers being inactive and closed.There are, doubtless other modifications of this release ; theessential'features however remain the same.A young Japanese from the north ofJapan, in illustratingto me his method of release, drew the string back with thethumb'and interlocked forefinger as already described, andassisted the drawing back of the string with the tips of thesecond and third fingers, as shown in the secondary release.The accompanying figure illustrates the attitude of the

shaft hand of a Manchu as seen from above, which Isketched from a Manchu soldier at Canton. (Fig. 17.) The

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20 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSPersians and Turks use the thumb-ring in the same way.Fig. 18, representing the Persian thumb-ring, is copied froma drawing given in Meyrick's " Ancient Armour." Han-sard, referring to another author, says that "one of the earlyTurkish Sultans occupied his leisure in manufacturingthese rings," distributing them as presents among his favor-ite pashas ; and adds also that the carnelian thumb-ringsmay be easily procured in the Bazaars of Constantinople.Some notes in regard to Persian archery may be found

in " Hansard's Book of Archery," p. 136.The " Archers' Register " published a number of notes

from a manuscript copy of " Anecdotes of Turkish Archeryprocured from Constantinople by Sir Eobert Ainslie, andtranslated by his interpreter, at the request of Sir JosephBanks, Baronet, 1797," from which we quote :

" The bow, instead of being drawn withthree fingers on the string, according toour mode, was drawn by the right thumb,with the arrow placed on the string im-mediately above it. A thumb-piece, orguard of bone, answering the purpose ofour 'tips,' was worn. It'covered the ballof the thumb, one end being made as a

Fig."T^ ring and passed over the joint. A pro-Persiauthumb-ring. -^^ tQugue in ^ .^.^ preveutedthe string slipping off the guard into the angle of thethumb formed by the bent joint. The inside of the guardwas lined with leather. A curious contrivance, consist-ing of a horn-groove several inches in length, fixed ona foundation of wood attached to a leather strap andbuckle, was fastened on the bow-hand. The groove pro-jected inwards. The arrow was laid in this groove, whichrested on the thumb, and was rather higher on the outside,as the arrow was shot on the right side of the bow, onthe contrary side to what it is in England."


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 21There are doubtless other forms of release, but those

already given probably comprise the principal and mostefficient ones.At Singapore I was enabled to secure, through the kind-

ness of D. F. A. Hervey, Esq., of Malacca, a Malay releaseof the Temiang tribe, originally from Sumatra. The bowwas held in an horizontal position (a hole being made inthe centre of the bow through which the arrow passed),the three fingers bent over the string, and the arrow heldbetween the first and second fingers, the thumb straight-

Fig. 19. Temiang release.

ened, and the little finger partially straightened and bear-ing against the string as in the figure (Fig. 19). This wasa weak release, and was used only in the shooting of smallgame and fish. An entirely different form of release isused by this people in shooting fire at the spirit of sick-ness. The bow is perforated as in the bow above men-tioned ; the arrow has a shoulder near the distal end whichprevents it passing through the hole, and the nock is fas-tened to the string. A ball of inflammable material isloosely placed on the end of the arrow, and when the arrowis released it is suddenly checked by its shoulder striking


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22 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSthe bow and the fire-ball is projected into the air by itsmomentum. The release in this act is shown in Fig. 20.The first finger passes above the string and under the ar-

row, the thumb being straightened and the arrow graspedbetween thethumb and finger. This is a most awkward andinefficient release ; and as the descriptions of this and theprevious Malay release were given me by an old man,who was at the time being questioned by Mr. Hervey inthe interest of philology, it is possible that the releases mayhave been incorrectly described.The releases thus far given comprise those forms which

have been studied from life.It now remains for us to examine the releases of ancient

Fig. 20. Temiang release when shooting at spirit of sickness.peoples which are made known to us through illuminatedmanuscripts, frescos, rock sculpture, and other graphicmethods. From the conventional way in which many ofthese are depicted, great difficulty is encountered in prop-erly interpreting the exact method of release intended.In many cases, especially in certain forms of the ancientEgyptian, as shown in the frescos, and early Grecian, asrepresented on their decorative vases, it is well nigh im-possible to recognize any mode in which the arrow couldbe drawn. In some cases the release might be intended


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OF ARROW-EELEASE. 23to represent either of two or three kinds. That many re-leases are represented incorrectly there can be no doubt.In figures of Egyptian archers, the hand is depicted asdaintily pulling the arrow in a way tha^could not possiblyaccomplish the drawing of a stiff bow; and that theEgyptian archer used a stiff bow is seen in the vigorousmanner in which he is represented as bracing it with kneepressed against its middle, while tying the cord above.

It will be best, however, to give a description of thosereleases that can be clearly interpreted, beginning with theAssyrian. I had a brief opportunity of studying the won-derful collection of Assyrian slabs at the British Museum,and also the Assyrian,collections at the Louvre. In thevarious scenes of war and hunting so graphically depicted,the most perfect representations of archers in the act ofdrawing the bow are given.At the outset I met with a very curious and unaccount-

able discrepancy in the form of release employed, and thatw#,s when the archer was represented with his right side,or shaft hand, toward the observer, the hand was with fewexceptions in the attitude of the primary or secondaryrelease ; whereas if the archer was represented with hisleft side, or bow hand, toward the observer, the releasewith few exceptions represented the Mediterranean re-lease. Or^ in other words, as one faces the sculpturedslab the archers, who are represented as shooting towardsthe right,1 show with few exceptions either the primaryor secondary release, while those shooting towards theleft are with few exceptions practicing the Mediterraneanrelease ! .

If in every case the Assyrians were represented on theleft, as one faces the tablet, fighting the enemy on theright, then one might assume that the enemy was prac-ticing a different release. In an Egyptian fresco, for ex-


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24 ANCIENT AND MODEKN METHODSample, where Rameses II. is depicted in his chariot fightingthe Arabs, the enemy is represented as practicing a differ-ent release. While in many cases the Assyrians are onthe left of the picture, in other cases they are on theright, and shooting towards the left. It is therefore diffi-cult to decide which release was practiced by them ; andall the more so, since, with very few exceptions, the re-leases are perfect representations of forms practiced to-day, which have already been described. I have suspectedthat in one or two cases the Mongolian release might havebeen intended, though in no case is the thumb-ring repre-sented, though other details of arm-guards, bracelets, etc.,are shown with great minuteness. -

Taking the releases as they are represented in the SCUlpt-

Fig. 21. Assyrian. . \ures without regard to the discrepancies above noted, itis an extremely interesting fact that all the earlier Assy-rian archers, that is, of the time of Assurnazirpal, or 884B.C., the release represented is the primary one, as shownin Fig. 21 ; while in the archers of the reign of Assurbar-nipal, or 650 B. C, the secondary release is shown, or avariety of it, in which the tips of all three fingers are onthe string, as shown in Fig. 22. Between these two epochsthe sculptures ranging from 745-705 B. C, notably aslab representing the campaign of Sennacherib showingassault on the Kouyunjik Palace, both the primary andsecondary releases are represented. If any reliance can


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26 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSv.

with few exceptions, by all the archers having the bow-hand toward| the observer, there are two varieties shownone in whichUhree fingers are on the string, and another

Fig. 24. Assyrian.

with only two fingers drawing the bow, as shown in theaccompanying figures (Figs. 24, 25). The Mediterra-nean release occurs in Assyrian sculpture as early as 884

Fig. 25. Assyrian. ak,B. C, as shown on a marble slab in the British Museumrepresenting the siege of a city by Assurnazirpal (Fig.26). A curious form is shown in Fig. 27, showing Assur-

Fig. 26. Assyrian.barnipal in a chariot, shooting lions. The string belowis concealed by the archer's arm.is probably intended.

The secondary release


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OF ARROW-RELEASE.In regard to the bow-hand, the thumb is^sgmetimes rep-

resented as straight and guiding the arrow, and in othercases as braced inside of the bow. In this connection itmay be interesting to note that in the earliest Assyrianbows the ends of the bows are straight fand blunt, thenocks being a simple groove and the'Agtring being tied

Fig. 27. Assyrian.whenever the bow is braced, as in certain modern Indianand Aino practice. Other bows are shown at this periodwith a nock somewhat oblique, and it is possible that thestring might have beenlooped and slipped into the notch,as in the modern English bow.

In the later slabs, that is 650 B.C., the ends of the boware shown abruptly bent, the bent portion in some cases

Fig. 30.In the bracing

itPig. 28. Fig. 29

being carved to represent a bird's headof this bow^the string has a permanent loop, and the assist-ance of a second person is required to slip this loop overthe point' of the nock while the archer is employed inbending" the bow, which is done by drawing the ends ofthe bpw*towards him, the knee at the same time beingpresled in the middle of the bow. (Figs. 28, 29, 30.) In


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28 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSthe earlier reign, the arrows are shown with larger nocksand the barbs, long and narrow, with their outer edges gen-erally parallelto the shaft. The nock end of the arrowis bulbous, as before remarked; and if this is correctly-represented it wpuld settle the question as to the primaryrelease being the, one intended. In the later slabs, thearrow has shorter barbs, with the feathers tapering forwardtowards the point, and the nock end of the arrow is notbulbous.A more careful study than I was able to give to thesesculptures may probably modify the general statementshere made concerning the- variations in time of the bowand arrow.

Concerning the practice of archery among the ancientEgyptians, Wilkinson in his classical work mentions onlytwo forms of release. He says their mode of drawing thebow was either with the thumb and forefinger or with thefirst and second fingers. 1 Rawlinson makes the same state-ment. 2 These two forms as defined by these authorswou)d be the primary and Mediterranean releases.

If the representations of the drawings and frescos inancient Egyptian tombs, as given by Rosallini, Lepsius,and others, are to be relied on, then the ancient Egyptianspracticed at least three, and possibly four, definite anddistinct methods of release.

That many of the releases depicted in these old sculpt-ures and frescos are conventional simply, there can be nodoubt ; indeed, some of the releases are plainly impossible,notably that form which shows the archer daintily draw-ing back a stiff bow with the extreme tips of the first twofingers and thumb . Again , the figure of Rameles II. ( see

i Manners and Customs of the Ancient Effyptians, 2nd series, Vol. I 2073 History of Ancient Egypt, Vol. I., p. 471.


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 29Wilkinson, Vol. L, p. 307), which showsthe bow verticalwhile the shaft-hand is inverted, that is, with palm upper-most, is an equally impossible attitude. Other releasesidentify themselves clearly with forms, already described,and with slight latitude in the interpretation of the con-ventional forms we may identify th&se as belonging toknown types.The earliest releases are those depicted on the tombs ofBeni Hassan of the time of Usurtasen I. which according

. Fig. 31. Early Egyptian.

to the conservatwe chronology of Professor Lepsius dates2380 B.C. Kere the Mediterranean release is unmistak-ably shown. The following figure (Fig. 31) from thesetombs, copied from Rosallini's great work, indicates thisform of release in the clearest manner. In these figuresit is interesting to observe that the arrow is drawn to theear, andglso that the archers are represented as shootingwith theTeft as well as with the right hand.Making a stride ofover a thousand years and coming down

to the time of Seti I. (1259 B.C.), we have represented areleafse as well as a mode of drawing the arrow above and

-/- *&


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30 'ancient and modern methodsbehind the ear, which recalls in the action of the arm cer-tain forms of the Mongolian release. (Fig. 32.) It istrue the attitude of the hand might be interpreted as rep-resenting the thumb and bent forefinger as shown in the

Kg. 32. Egyptian. Seti I.

primary release, but the free and vigorous drawing of thebow as shown in the figure could not possibly be accom-plished in the primary form with a bow of any strength.Furthermore, the attitude assumed by the Manchu and

Fig. 33. Egyptian. Eamesea II,Japanese archer in the Mongolian release vividly recallsthis picture of Seti. Egyptologists state that Seti.1. wasoccupied early in his reign with wars in the east and in re-sisting the incursions of Asiatic tribes ; and we venture to


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32 fANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSreally held in an horizontal position, and the release prac-

ticed was the one Ihave designated as thetertiary release. TheEgyptian artist, igno-rant of perspectivedrawing and utterlyTillable to represent abow foreshortened, hasdrawn the bow in avertical position. As afurther proof of this,we find that the tribesof North American In-

jdians and the SiameseJwho practice the terti-ary release usually holdthebow in an horizontalposition. Aii examina-tion of the accompany-ing figures will makethis* clear. Fig. 35 iscopidBfrom the cast re-ferred% in the BritishMuseum^ Fig. 36,from Wilkinson,Vol. i.,p. 307; Fig


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 33cylindrical shaft. Figs. 38, 39, 40, and 41 are copiedfrom Eosallini. Fig. 38 is probably, intended for the pri-mary, Fig. 39 the tertiary probably, and Figs. 40 and 41the Mediterranean form.

Turning now to the practice of archery among the an-cient Grecians, we should expect to find among these peo-

Fig. 38. Egyptian.pie, at least, the most distinct and truthful delineations ofthe attitude of the hand in shooting. Hansard, in his "Bookof Archery," p. 428, says of the ancient Greek archers,"Like the modernTurks/T'ersians, Tartars, and many otherOrientals, they drew the bow-string with their thumb, thearrow being retained in place by the forefinger. Many

^ Fig. 39. Egyptian.sculptures ^tant in public and private collections, es-pecially those splendid casts from the Island of Eginanow in the British Philosophical and Literary Institution,represent several archers drawing the bow-string as I havedescribed.",A study of a number of ancient Grecian releases asshown in rtfck sculpture and on decorated vases revealsonly one release that might possibly be intended to repre-sent the Mongolian method, and this is shown on a Greek5


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34 ANCIENT AND MODEBN METHODSvase (black figures on red) figured in Auserlesene Vaser-bilder. With this exception the releases thus far examinedare as various, and many of them quite as enigmatical, asthose seen among the ancient Egyptians. I puzzled fora long time over these sculptures from the temple of

]g. 40. Egyptian.

Athena to which Mr. Hansard refers, and was forced tocome to the conclusion that, despite their acknowledged ac-curacy, the release was an impossible one. It was not tillsometime after that I learned that the figures had been care-fully restored by Thovaldsen, and the restored parts corn-

Egyptian.

prised the hands and arms, as well as the extremities ofmost of the figures. With this information I had occasionto hunt up a history of these figures, and found the follow-ing in a work by Eugene Plon entitled "Thovallsen his Lifeand Works," republished in this country by Roherts Broth-ers. The figures were restored by Thovaldsen in 1816.Among the restored parts were the hands of the archers."The statues were in Parian marble, and he used so- much


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OF ARROW-KELEASE. 35care in matching the tints of the new pieces as almost todeceive a practiced eye. He was frequently asked by vis-itors to the Atelier which were the restored paints. 'I can-not say,' he would reply laughing ; 'I neglected to markthem, and I no longer remember. Find them out foryourself if you can'" (p. 56). Of the$e restorations,however, it is possible that Mr. Hansard was not aware,though if he had ever attempted drawing a bow in themanner represented in these figures, he would have seenthe absurdity as well as the impossibility of the attitudeand, furthermore, had he been at all familiar with theMongolian release he would have seen that there wasreally no approach to the form as employed by the Man-chu, Korean, Japanese, or Tui'k. ' The following figure(Fig. 42) is sketched from the set of casts in the Mu-seum of Fine Arts in Boston. An examination of these

Fig. 42. Khovaldsen's restoration of hand.

figures will show that the angle made by the shaft-hand inrelation to the hcw-hand is also inaccurate. A release thatmight at firstfeight suggest the Mongolian form is shown inthe accompanying figure (Fig. 43) representing an Amazonarcher, which is painted on a Greek vase of the 4th cen-tury B.C. flffhe forefinger seems to be holding the end ofthe thumb, but the thumb is not hooked over the string asit ou^ht to be. If the hand be correctly drawn it repre-sents quite jwell the tertiary release; and this suppositionis borne out by two sculptures, one from the Temple ofApollo EJpicurius at Phigalia (Fig. 44) , and another from


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36 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSLycia, Asia: Minor. (Fig. 45.) In these two examplesthe hand seems to be in the attitude of drawing the bow,with the fingers partially bent on the string, and the thumb

Fig. 43. Amazon archer.assisting in holding the arrow ; and this is the form ofthe tertiary release. ;The earliest Greek release that I have seen is represented

Fig. 44. Phigalia. v

on a block of stone sent to this country by the Assos Ex-hibition, and now the property of the" Boston Museum of

It is supposed to date about* 2200 B. C.%

Fine Arts.

Fig. 45. Lycia, Asia Minor.

In this figure the hand is vigorously grasping the string,with the first and second fingers abruptly bent, the thirdand fourth fingers apparently having been broken away.(Fig. 46.)


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OP ARROW-RELEASE. 1\ 37If this release really represent a permanent form of

shooting, then this form should have been designated theprimary release ; but, so far as I have learnedMt seems tobe a temporary mode resorted to only under fecial con-ditions. In testing the stiffness of a bow, for example,the string is grasped in this manner. An instance of thisis seen on one of the Assyrian slabs, where the king isrepresented as trying a bow. I was informed by a Zuflichief that when shooting in a great hurry the string wasvigorously clutched by three or four fingers, the arrowbeing held against the first finger by the thumb.The Ainos on the west coast of Yezo also informed me

Fig. 46. Assos.* *that when shootingJn great haste the string was clutched

in precisely this amnner. In the use of a bow of anystrength, the attrition of the string on the fingers must bevery severe ; and only a hand as tongh, and as thoroughlycalloused as^he paw of an animal, could endure the fric-tion of the string in such a release. For convenience ofreference this form may be referred to provisionally as theArchaic release.

In abas-relief in marble representing Herakles drawinga bow, a figure of which is given in Kaj'et's Monumentsde I'Art Ayitique, it is rather curious that the hand is rep-resented As clutching the string in the vigorous manneriust described. The date of this work is put down as thefourth or fifth century B. C. Doubts have been expressed


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3

OE ARROW-RELEASE. . % 39AThe accompanying figures are interesting as/showingtheconventional and even grotesque ways in which the arrowrelease is often represented on early Grecian vases. Figs.47 and 48 are copied from Weiner Vorlage Blotter, SeriesD, Taf. IX, XII. Fig. 47 shows the hand reversed, withthe thumb below instead of above. It is possible to shootan arrow in this way but hardly probable thajb so awkwardand unnatural an attitude would be taken. This releaseis intended to represent the tertiary release. Fig. 48 asdrawn is an impossible release, though this release alsomay be intended to represent the tertiary release, thethumb being straight, and the arrow being held between

Xig. 49. GieoAn. Fig. 60. Grecian.the thumb and fojlfinger, while the second finger, and inFig. 48 the-sddoiid, third, and fourth fingers are on thestring.

In Monuments Inedits., Vol. i., Plate li., is figured thefamous Chaleldian or Achilles vase, supposed to have beenmade in the early part of the sixth century B. C. Herethe archer is shown left-handed. Assuming the drawingto be correct, the release represents the archaic form(Fig. 49).Anothei release figured in the same volume, Plate xx.,

may be ''Intended to represent the tertiary release (seeFi"- . 50). On Plate l., Vol. n., of the same work is fig-


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40 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSured a Grecian vase of the fourth century B. C, on whichare depicted two releases which are probably the tertiaryform (Fig 51). On Plate xviii. of the same volume isfigured an archaic Etruscan vase on which a curious de-

IPig. 51. Grecian.

lineation of an archer is given. The bow-hand is so welldrawn that one is almost inclined^ to imagine that somemechanical device for releasing the arrow is intended bythe curious representation of the shaft-hand (Fig. 52).Three other curious releases are shown in Figs. 53, 54 and

Fig. 52. Etruscan,

55, the latter copied from a Greek vase (black figures onred) supposed to be of the sixth century B. C. All these,though incorrectly represented, are probably intended forthe tertiary release. Fig. 56 is copied from a figure givenin Auserlesene Vaserbilder, representing a Greek vase of

i


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42 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSguard similar to that used by the Japanese it is difficultto determine. (Fig. 57.)

In the Journal of the Eoyal Asiatic Society of Bengal,Vol. VII., Part i., p. 258, 1883, is a communication from.Major General A. Cunningham, entitled "Kelics fromAncieilSPersia in Gold, Silver, and Copper." These ob-jects were found on the northern bank of the Oxus. Judg-ing frorn^e coins, the author regards the deposit as havingbeen madwqot later than 180 or 200 years B. C. Amongthe relics wa.sk,stone cylinder, upon which were representedtwo Persian srodiers capturing two Scythians. The rep-resentations ofkthe hands are too imperfect for one tojudge with any jftecision of the character of the release in-

tended. The attitude of the hand ih%very case, however,suggests the Mongolian release. T^^bow is short, andof a form similar to the Manchu bow of to-day. It is in-teresting to notice that the Scythians are represented asshooting left-handed, and in this connection to recall theadvice which Plato gives in regard to archery,that bothhands should be taught to draw the bow, adding that theScythians draw the bow with either hand. VIn regard to Chinese archery in ancient times, the clas-

sics of China abound in allusions to archery, and therecan be no doubt that the release as practiced to-day isidentical with the release practiced three thousand years


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 43ago. The Analects of Confucius, the Doctrine] of theMean, and other ancient writings bear ample testimony tothe high esteem in which this manly art was held.

In the Shi King, or book of ancient Chinese poetry(translation of Legge) , the following allusions refer to theuse of the thumb-ring, which was also called a'thimble,and also &pdn chi, or finger regulator. ^$

" With archer's thimble at his girdle hang.'And again,

" Each right thumb wore the metalConcerning Japanese archery methoJi in past times,

what little evidencewe have on the subject points to aMongolian form of release. The archers have alwaysformed a favorite "study for the Japanese artist, and manydetails of the bow and arrow and attitudes of the archermay be got fromjpld paintings and drawings. The rep-resentations of thj| hand in shooting, though often drawnconventionally,%are easily interpreted as releasing the ar-row after the Mongolian method. Fig. 58 is copied froma vigorous drawing, showing the attitude of the shaft-hand in the altitude of release. In the Shinto temple atMiyajima is a picture over two hundred years old, inwhich the 'archer's hand is shown in the attitude of the

)?


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ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSMongolian release. A picture of Tanniu, painted onehundred and fifty years ago and supposed to be a copyof a Chinese subject six or seven hundred years old, showsplainly the Mongolian release. In a picture by Keion,seven hundred years old, the archer is represented in theact of wetting with his tongue the tips of the first twofingers flJBhis hand ; and this certainly suggests the Japa-nese fonBlbf the Mongolian release.Among^be Emperor's treasures at Nara is a silver ves-

sel supposedly be of the time of Tempei Jingo (765 A.D.), upon wffich is depicted a hunting-scene. Here therelease, if correctly depicted, suggests the Mediterraneanform. The bowms Mongoloid. The vessel is probablyPersian : it is cerflfjjjpto' not Japanese. The earliest allu-sions to Japanese arcfiery are contained in "Kojiki, orRecords of Ancient Miners," of which its translator, Mr.Basil Hall Chamberlain, say : It is the earliest authenticliterary product of that large dii#sion of the human racewhich has been variously denominfrojd Turanian, Scythian,and Altaic, and even precedes byjat least a century themost ancient extant literary confwsitions of non-AryanIndia." These records take us b^k without question tothe 7th century of our era. In this mfrk allusion is madeto the heavenlyfeathered arrow, to the vegetable wax-treebow and deer bow, and also to the elbow pad. It is diffi-cult to understand the purpose of the elbow pad in arch-ery, assuming the same practice of the bow in ancienttimes as in present Japanese methods, jilt is difficult tobelieve that a pad on the elbow was rfeeded to protectthat part from the feeble impact of the string. If thepad was a sort of arm-guard surrounding the elbow, thenone might surmise the use of a highly strung bow of Mon-golian form held firmly and not permitted to rotate as inthe Japanese style. *^


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 45The peculiar twist given the bow by the Japanese

archer is, so far as I know, unique in archery practice.In Siam, a bow of curious construction is used for throw-ing clay balls. The ball is held in a netting, thefetringof the bow is double, the bow-hand has the thumbpracedvertically against the inside of the bow, so that 4t maynot interfere with the flight of the ball. A peculiar twistis given the bow, so that the ball passes free from it.

I know of no record to show that the Japanese everused a bow of this nature ; in the Emperor's treasure-house at Nara, however, is preserved a curious bow nearlya thousand years old, and this is undoubtedly a bow usedfor throwing clay or stone balls. Instead of a netting tohold the ball there is a perforated leathern piece. Thispiece is adjusted to the cord a third way down the bow,at about the point from whichjhe Japanese archer dis-charges the arrow. WhetherWie Japanese archer ac-quired this curious twir^Plhe bow to protect the feathersfrom rubbing against itsdside, or to escape the painful im-pact of the string, or, which is not improbable, acquiredthis novel twist from fusing the ball-throwing bow it isdifficult to determine.In regard to the release practiced by the various tribes

in India, I have no information.Through the courtesy of the lamented James Fergus-

son, I was permitwfl to examine his large collection ofphotographs of iKlian Temples ; and in a brief examina-tion of these picmres I discovered a few releases in thesculptures. In me Peroor Temple near Coimbatore, aneight-armed God' is represented as holding upright, be-tween the first and second fingers of the right hand, anarrow. It is impossible to conjecture the form of releasein this attitude ; though, if the arrow were carried to thestring in this position, the Mediterranean release wouldbe suggested.

*


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46 ** ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODS4On the southwest face of the temple of Halabeed, My-

sore, an archer is shown with the arrow already releasedthe attitude of the hand, however, suggests the Mediter-ranean form. In the Valconda, a small, ruined templenear Calamapoor, archers are shown having the tips of allthe fingers on the string, in the same position as shown inthe later Assyrian release ; and this would indicate thesecondary release.These data are altogether too few and vague to deter-

mine the form :or forms of release of these people.Concerning ancient methods of archery in America, but

little can be said. Probably the most reliable data are tobe found in the few Mexican records which survived theshocking desecration by the Catholic Church at the timeof the Conquest. 1


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OF ARROW-RELEASE.work, Plates 90 and 93 of Vol. n. show apparenlly* aMediterranean release ; and were there no other teutonsfor believing that these people practiced the tertiary re-lease, it might be assumed that the Mediterranean Releasewas also practiced. The reasons are, first, that in everycase the arrow is pulled to the breast or even * lowerand, second, and of more importance, in every instancewhen the archer is shown with the right hand- toward theobserver, the arrow is below the bow-hand, whereas inevery case when the archer is shown withjjbe left handtowards the observer, the arrow is above the bow-hand.The bow is represented vertically, as in ajlrude and earlyfigures ; but the artist, not being able to represent the bowforeshortened and horizontal, has unqpnsciously indicatedthe attitude of the tertiary release^ byJpreserving the atti-tude of the bow in relation to theJiand.We have seen that the^Medfterranean release has twoforms, in one of which i#M&BTingers are brought intoaction ; in the other on& two fingers are so used. Eng-lish authorities say tMt if one can accustom himself todraw the bow with tvvqlingers, a better release is the re-sult. While the difference between these two forms seems

it

slight, as indeed it ita> yet the practice to-day among Eu-ropean and American archers is to draw with three fin-ders. It was eyjiently not so universally the form inEurope a few cenjuries ago; for at this time, judgingfrom the few examples we have seen, the archers are aUmost always deMcfed drawing with two tingers. It istrue, the directions in the works of these early times aswell as allusionsfto the subject state that three fingers onthe string is thejBroper method of release. Yet the fewsculptures, ivcffy carvings, etchings, manuscripts, draw-ings etc., to which we have had access, almost invariablydepict the two-fingered release.

It would be interesting to know whether the bow has


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t'8 ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSbecqpe stiffer hi later years, requiring three fingers to bendit, |r whether (as more probable) the fingers have becomeweaker, thus requiring more fingers to do the work.

It is interesting to find in these early works a uni-formity in the method of release employed, and that theSaxon,,Norman, Fleming, French, English, Scandinavian,and Italian practiced essentially the same release.Hansar^says (seethe "Book of Archery," p. 77), "Allrepresentation^ of archers which occur in illuminatedmanuscripts of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenthcenturies and I have examined some scores of themidentify the ancient with the modern practice. The pen-and-ink drawings of John de Eous, a bowman as well ascontemporary biogi^pher of that Earl of Warwick who,during the Wars ofithe Ked and White Eoses, was thesetter up and destffe00L of many kings, will furnishamusement and informamontojthe curious. The neces-sary slight inclination of tn^head,and neck 'this layingof the body in the bow,' the drawjfcig with two and withthree fingers are there correcjy delineated. Theymay be found among the manuscripts in the BritishMuseum." \

According to Hansard, Ascham ordered the shooting-glove to be made with three fingers^ "and when Henrythe Fifth harangued his troops previous to the battle ofAgincourt, he endeavoured to exaspeKe their minds bydwelling on the cruelties in store for th^m. Addressinghis archers, he said the French soldiers^had sworn to am-putate their three first fingers, so that they should nevermore be able to slay man or horse."1 i

: %1 Meyrick, in his famous work on "Ancient Armour" (Vol. i., p. 9), in speaking of

the origin of the bow in England, says : " The bow as a weapon of war was cer-tainly introduced by the Normans; the Saxons, like the Talieite at the presentday, used it merely for killing birds. On this account, in the speech which Henryof Huntington puts into the Conqueror's mouth before the battle, ie makes himstigmatize the Saxon as ' a nation not even having arrows.' I


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OF ARKOW-RELEASE.The earliest figure I have met with, illustrating ar^

in England, was copied from the Saxon manuscripts' inthe Cotton Library. These manuscripts are ofeighth century. If the wood-cut contained in St;" Sports and Pastimes " is correct, then the attitudehands shows distinctly the three-fingered Mediterrjrelease. The bow is short and thick, and has a|curve, something like the Soman bow, fromwhich indeedit might naturally have been derived. 1The following examples have come under^my notice in

a very hasty and imperfect survey of the field, principallyderived from books, engravings, and ivmtf carvings, re-productions, etc., in museums.The celebrated Bayeux Tapestry, ' a copy of which

may be seen at the South Kensington Museum, representsthe archers in the attitudeof the/two-fingered Mediterra-nean release, though a few arefRiown using three fingers.Also the following showBie two-fingered form of the Med-iterranean release witChurch, Vestmanlanfigure in wood bymerard's "Arts of txxvii.), also in thea chess piece in ieleventh century;vin., Vol. i.), atury, on the doojcast of which miand, finally, in tinumber of Flore

t exception : a fresco in Kumlao., Sweden, 1492; a sculpturedecht Durer, figured in Som-iddle Ages " (5th Series, Plate

me work (10th Series, Plate xxv.) ;supposed to be of the tenth or

eyrick's "Ancient Armour" (Plateof a Norman of the eleventh cen-

ay of the Cathedral of Amiens, abe seen at the Trocedero MuseumBoston Museum of Fine Arts are a

engravings of the early half of thefifteenth ceutun&pmd these in every case represent in the

i It may be wgip(jpptate here that opportunity has not permitted an examina-tion of sources^.- early Roinan releases. On Trajan's column a few releasesare shown, anil these are of the Mediterranean form.

7


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ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSst manner the two-fingered variety of the Mediter-

release. A curious form of the Mediterraneanle is shown on the door of the Church of the Made-

Vezelay, a cast of which is to be seen at Troce-[useum. In this release the archer has all fouron 'the string, the arrow being held between the

secon^fcand third fingers. I had supposed that this was amistake of the artist, as indeed it may have been, but Col.James Stevenson, in describing to me the methods of re-lease among the Navajo Indians of North America, illus-trated a release , identical with this four-fingered variety.*

In conclusion, |t is interesting to observe that all the re-leases thus far described have been practiced from theearliest historic timefe. kEach release with the exceptionof the primary release, which admits of no variation, hasone or more varieties, the secondary release may havethe second finger, or the second|and third fingers on thestring. Some forms of this release in India and Assyriashow all the fingers on the string^it is hardly probable,however, that these are correctlwppresented. The terti-ary release may have the first S$jHsecond, or the first,second, and third fingers on the strinal The Mediterraneanrelease may be effected with two cjajhree fingers, and intwo instances all the fingers, on the sSi^ng. The Mongolianrelease may have the assistance only oathe first finger as inthe Chinese and Manchu, or the first md second fingers asin the Korean and Japanese, or, if ^jghtly interpreted,the early Persian form, with the secorid and third onlyaiding the thumb ; and if the Mongoliaiarelease describedon page 161 be an established form, tl^n we have here amixture of Mongolian and secondary. AThe persistence of a release in a people |s well illustrated

in the case of the Aino. For centuries the Ainos have

\V.


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 5Vbattled with the Japanese, and must have been mindfl^fofthe superior archery of their enemies ; indeed on all hiwith the exception possibly of the Kamtschadals atnorth, the Ainoshave been surrounded by races pracfthe Mongolian release, and yet have adhered t^primitive methods of shooting.The releases vary in their efficiency and strength,two strongest and perhaps equally powerful re^the Mediterranean and Mongolian ; and it is in^note the fact that the two great divisions of tjjSr humanfamily who can claim a history, and who Jj9e been alldominant in the affairs of mankind, are thejflediterraneannations and the Mongolians. For threeSr four thousandyears, at least, each stock has had its aeculiar arrow-re-lease, and this has persisted througtyflf the mutations oftime to the present day. , Langige, manners, customs,religions have in the course .of centuries widely separatedthese two great divisioniuj$8%tttions. Side by side theyhave lived ; devastating^wars and wars of conquest havemarked their contact ; ^d yet the apparently trivial andsimple act of releasing- the arrow from the bow has re-mained unchanged . J& the present moment the Europeanand Asiatic archer, s|R>ting now only for sport, practiceeach the release whichTftiaracterized their remote ancestors.Want of material wjff prevent more than a passing ref-

erence to a peculiaij* practice of archery which Moseleyalludes to as pedestrml archery. It. is a matter of com-mon record that injwidely separated parts of the world, asSouth America, Clpia, and Africa, the archer uses his feetin drawing the bow. In an " Essay of Archery " by WalterMichael Moseley^792, the writer says : "It is recordedby ancient writes that the Ethiopians draw the bow withthe feet ;" and again, Xenophon speaking of the Caduciansgays : " Thevbacl bows which were three cubits long, and


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ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSarrows two cubits. When they made use of these weapons,tJimr placed their left foot on the bottom of the bow, andbySfaat method they drove their arrows with great vio-

etc.ecorded of the Arabians that they used their bows

maimer above alluded to, by the help of the foot,lease in these cases must be of a most vigorousr ; and when in some accounts the archer is rep-

resenteCas resting on his back, with both feet bracingbow, the string is probably clutched with both

hands, aftJrHhe manner I have provisionally called thearchaic releasl

In the followWP classified list of releases and the peo-ple who practice ntem, it is shown in a general way that theprimary, seconda^pfind tertiary releases are practiced bysavage races to-day, asmell asby certain civilized races ofancient times ; while the J?Heditjerranean and Mongolian re-

time, have always char-t races. The exceptionsfc the Little Andaman

ean release, and theIsland practicing thehe fact that the vari-editerranean release,people who have de-s^method, is exceed-

leases, though originating"acterized the civilized and dominsto this generalization are curioislanders practicing the Medite:inhabitants of the Great Andarntertiary release, are an illustrationous groups of Eskimo practicing tband so far as I know being the ohsigned a distinct form of arrow for t'ingly curious. Mr.- John MurdocMffwho is engaged in acareful study of the Eskimo, has exp2ssed to me a sur-mise that certain arts of the Eskimo mawhave been derivedfrom Greenland through Scandinavia^colonists ; and thismight explain the anomaly.

It may be shown that in tribes in whicj| the bow is butlittle used, and then only for small birr and game, therelease is weak or irregular. The data, hoj^er, are alto-gether too few to establish any conclusions respecting this.

tai.

*!fc.


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OF ARROW-RELEASE. 5CLASSIFIED LIST OF TRIBES AND NATIONSREFERRED TO IN THIS PAPER.

Primary release.RECENT.

Savage.

Secondary release.

Tertiary release.

Ainos of Yezo. .Demerara, S. A.Navajo, N. A.Chippewa, N. A.Micmac, Canada.Penobscot, N. A.Ute, N. A. ?

Ottawa, N. A.Zuni, N. A.Chippewa, N. A.

served.blished.ported.

jjtSiSavage.

Omaha, T&. A. .Sioux.Jg^A. .Arapahoes, N. A.C)eniies, N. A. .AaKniboins, N. A.Comanches, N. A. .rows, N. A.

kfeet.Nalajos, N. A. .feat Andaman Islander

Civilfzd.'" Siamese.

observed,photograph.

observed,

reported.

observed,reported.

published,

observed.Mediterranean release.

Obliged.LEuropean Nations.

Sa&age.J Point Barrow Eskimo.Cumberland Sound Eskimo.East Cape Siberia Eskimo.Little Andaman Islander.

Sobservedand published.

reported,published.


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ANCIENT AND MODERN METHODSMongolian release.V

Irregui,

Civilized.Manchu soldier, China.Cantonese, China.Korean.Japanese.Turks.Persians.

E.Temiangs, Sumatra.

observed.

published.

observed.

"5

later.

ANCIENT.rPrimary release."^fu. Civilized.

Assyrian, early.Egyptian.Grecian?

Secondary release. Wu


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OF ARROW-RELEASE.MONGOLIAH RELEASE.

Civilized.Chinese.Scythian.Persian.Egyptian. ?Greek. ?

Archaic release?Civilized.

Ancient Greek.

It is hardly necessary to call attention to the^importanceof a more systematic study of the methods offarchery andparaphernalia of the archers than has yet been done. Iwould point out the necessity of obsermfg greater care incopying drawings, rock-inscriptions>^e^cos, bas-reliefs,etc., also the minor details, suer* as the position ofthe hand, the shape and diameter pr the ends of the bowand arrow, and the shape gf'tn(Heathers ; also the possi-bility and importance of identifying among ancient objectsand drawings arm-guardsVthumb-rings, arrow-rests, etc.Travellers and explorers ought also not only to observethe simple fact that such and such people use bows andarrows, but they should accurately record, (1) the atti-tude of the shaft hand; (2) whether the bow is heldvertically or horizontally; (3) whether the arrow is tothe riht or to the lelt of the bow vertical ; and (4) , ofwhich no comment has been made in this paper, whetherextra arrows are held in the bow-hand or shaft-hand. Themethod of bracingfthe bow is of importance also.

The remarkable^persistence of certain forms of arrow-release among various nations leads me to believe, that, inidentifying the affinities of past races, the method of usingthe bow may. form another point in establishing or dis-proving relationships. By knowing with more certaintythe character arfd limitation of the forms of arrow-release,


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Documents

Methods of Arrow Release