Description
Darts are the most common blowgun missiles. They are usually made from palm-leaf midribs or from wood or bamboo splinters, and they may vary from 4 to 100 cm (1.5 to 40 inches) in length. A conelike bit of pith or a twist of fibre at the base of the dart makes it fit the tube snugly, ensuring that it will fly out of the tube from a puff of breath. Clay pellets or bits of bone are also used as darts. A hunter usually carries his darts in a quiver made of bamboo, basketry, wood, or leaves.
To be effective against quarry larger than small birds, blowgun darts require poison. The darts often are notched so that the poisoned tip will break off in the victim.