Baleen ?

[Flinttim]

John, that being the case, would not the baleen be put to best advantage on the back of the bow, say, in lieu of bamboo ?.Probably no performance gain (baleen vs bamboo) but just another backing to try.
Not sure I'd want to use up the baleen just for "cosmetics" on a bow.

[John Sturtevant]

Tim, keep in mind these are just opinions.  
I have not performed any "testing" to substantiate anything.

I believe the true advantage of horn or baleen on the belly of a bow would be with short bow designs...it's going to take the compression.  
I don't shoot short bows well, so most of what I build is between 60-64".   In a bow of that length I believe it may increase durability, but again it's just an opinion.  
A well tillered bow with a belly of wood seems to last much longer then my interest in shooting one particular bow.

I know it's been used as a backing, but I have never done so.  It's pretty hard to beat good bamboo as a backing I believe.