It is interesting to see how many different forms of bow were used. The English had a six-foot "Jong bow" made of yew or ash, in a single straight piece, that shot arrows the length of a man's arm. The Indians had bows only forty inches on the average, since a short bow was easier to handle in thick forests. They used various kinds of wood, horn or even bone, such as the ribs of large animals. These they generally backed with sinew.

Sometimes they cut spiral strips from the curving horns of a mountain sheep, and steamed them straight. Then they glued these strips together into a wonderfully tough and springy bow. Once in a while they even took the whole horns of some young sheep, that had not curved too much, and used the pair just as they grew. In this case each horn made one-half of the bow, and the piece of skull between was shaped down into a handle. This gave the shape of a "Cupid's Bow," but it could shoot to kill.

The "Long Bow" in Sherwood Forest One of Robin Hood's famous band encounters a savage tusker at close range..