e other gamba bow
in Fig. 26 is very quaint and appears to be of much earlier date. It
is handsomely fluted through the upper two thirds: the lower third
being a simple octagonal. A curious feature is that the distance of
the hair from the stick gradually diminishes from 1 in. at the heel
to 1/2 in. at the point. It has a slight _cambre_, but being of snake
wood is quite poker-like in its rigidity.

[Illustration: FIG. 26.]

As is it impossible to determine the exact date of these bows, one
can arrive at no very safe conclusion as to when the movable nut was
first introduced. Fetis thinks this important modification came from
the East also, and he mentions a cherry wood bow in his possession,
made at Bagdad, which has a distinct head where the hair is inserted,
and a nut fitting into a dovetail notch in the stick.

The first and second of the bows shown in Fig. 25 have a curious
device. The hair is fixed into the stick at both ends, and the nut,
which is quite detached, slips into a slot with a snap, and is held
in place by the pressure of the hair. A glance at Fig. 27 will make
this arrangement clear. These two nuts are the second and third in
Fig. 28, which is reduced one-third below actual size. The ornamental
tip to the middle one looks as though it had a screw, but this is
merely a decoration to balance a finely fluted design on the stick
just above where the "lapping" is usually placed.

[Illustration: FIG. 27.]

[Illustration: FIG. 28.]

A great advance on this was the _cremaillere_ (Fig. 29), which served
to vary the tension of the hair in a more or less satisfactory
manner. This device is still in use in Sweden.

[Illustration: FIG. 29.]

The actual invention of the movable nut travelling on a propelling
and withdrawing screw is attributed to the elder Tourte, but some of
the bows in Mr. Hill's collection having this contrivance appear to
be too remote for this to be the case. It is a point that I fear will
always be shrouded in mystery.

In Plate II. we see a nearer approach to the outlines of the modern
bow. These I should say are the work of W. Tubbs, who worked for most
of the English fiddle makers and dealers. The first one bears the
stamp of Norris and Barnes. This bow is 27-7/8 in. in length, the
other two being exactly one inch longer. The hair in the first and
third is 1/4 in. in width; in the centre one it is full 5/16 in. The
handsome ivory nut of this bow is shown in Fig. 28. They are
e