THE BLOWPIPE
ONE of the least mentioned or understood hunting weapons is the blowpipe. Unlike guns or bows – the effectiveness of which rely on the strength and dexterity of the arms – the blowpipe relies on the power of the hunters’ lungs and control of his throat. Although commonly associated with South American or Pacific cultures, blowpipes did have some small popularity among the hunting cognoscenti in Europe, especially in the 18th century, usually more as a curiosity than as a serious hunting weapon.
The blowpipe or ‘blowgun’ was made in small numbers and was primarily intended for ‘shooting’ small game – birds, rabbits or possibly small fish. The projectiles varied in nature but were likely to have been small pellets, often of clay, or darts. In Europe, the use of poison on darts was rarely if ever deployed, unlike those used in South America or Asia. The Royal Armouries holds one such example of a European blowpipe in its collection.
This blowpipe (or blasrohr in German) is one of a number, at least seven, made for the electors of Saxony in the early 18th century, probably around 1730. It is made with a 5ft (1.6m) octagonal ½in (12.7mm) calibre polished iron barrel, similar in style to gun barrels made in Spain but with a brass mouthpiece and a brass foresight. This example is numbered ‘7’, so clearly a suite of blowpipes had been made for the elector. Two others from this same set survive in the collection of the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History in Dresden, along with accompanying pincer-shaped bullet moulds for producing the clay pellets. These blowpipes could expel both pellets, usually of clay, or steel darts.
The ballistics of these blowpipes are difficult to quantify as the power generated is dependent on the skill and lung capacity of the shooter. But, in general, a skilled user should be reaching a range of about 50yd and generating between 30ft/lb and 40ft/lb of energy from a blowpipe such as this one – enough to kill small game or birds.
Unlike Europe, and especially Germany, the blowpipe as a hunting weapon was never that popular in Britain. Although, in the second half of the 19th century, the blowpipe’s smaller brother, the walking stick blow-tube, was in vogue. Walking sticks generally were a popular fashion item, and they were made with a variety of builtin accessories, such as spyglasses, watches, daggers, guns and, of course, blow-tubes. These blow-tube sticks were hollow and built with a mouthpiece that was, in effect, the knob, often in brass and often disguised as part of the knob. In the 1860s, two well-known London gunmakers were advertising as makers and retailers of such walkingstick blow-tubes: Lang of Cockspur Street and W Jackson of Brewer Street. Both were selling blow-tubes as imitation Malacca canes. Indeed, they both further suggested that these blowtubes were ideal for vermin control, the taking of small birds and for indoor amusements, for which both darts and pellets were available. These walking stick blow-tubes were retailing for around 10 shillings – about £60 in today’s money. These days, European blowpipes, or blow-tubes, are rarely encountered outside a museum.
The blowpipe can be viewed by appointment at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, the national museum of arms and armour. To check current opening times, call 0113 220 1916 or go to: royalarmouries.org