The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-18
BOOMERANGS.
The Returning Kind Does Not Come
Back to the Thrower's Hand.

Back to the Throwers Hand.
Boomerangs are Of two kinds: re-
turning "Marndwulum wunkun' in
the native lingo, and non-returning,
'Tootgundy Wunkun." The first is
called invariably the Australian BOOM
erang, because it originated among the
natives of Australia, and is used almost
exclusively by them at the present day.
Travellers assert that a native will
leave his home in the morning, armed
only with a couple of returning BOOM
erangs, and will come back at night
carrying large number of birds killed
with these strange weapons. I have no
concern here with the boomerang that
comes not back. This differs little from
an ordinary club, and is of no special
interest. 1t is, however, preferred to
the other by the Australian aboriginal
of to-day. "Marndwullun no good for
fight" he will say IF he no nit i'm
man, might come back, and hit you or
friend beside you"-truly an undeslr-
able quality in the weapon of offence!
In further reference, however, to the
boomerang" it will be understood that
the returning kind is meant. In case
some of my readers may care to try
a little boomerang throwing on their
own account, 1 give a few hints as to
the manufacture of these implements.
The tyro would do we'll to make them
himself, as they are dear to buy, and
many are broken before proficiency Is
attained. Besides, the making of them
is valuable lesson in their peculiari-
ties.
The boomerang is formed of a bent
stick, one side rounded, the other fiat.
The Australians make it from boughs
of the Acacia penduld, or from some
tree of similar growth, giving to the
green wood the desired curvature in the
fire 1t Is necessary to choose very
hard, strong and heavy wood, and the
best plan is to cut piece from nat
ural bend or root Of a tree, and to let
the curve of the boomerang follow the
grain of the wood. One hardly ever
sees two boomerangs Of the same shape
for they vary from slight curve to
nearly right angle. They differ also
in length from Is inches to IL feet,
and in breadth from two inches to three
inches They should be about three
Fights of an inch thick, tapering toward
the ends, which may be either round or
pointed, while the edge must be sharp
ened all around. One side must be con-
vex, the other flat, the sharpness of the
edge along the convexity of the curve
varying in different boomerangs. When
thrown the boomerang travels forward
for some distance, and then generally
returns in an ellipse to within a few
~ tIVA fhysrrr fIA Nm 1er
strikes its mark it falls to the ground.
In throwing, it must be grasped at one
end, stretched back behind the should
err, and then brought rapidly forward
above the head, the inside of the curve
facing the direction in which it is
thrown. 1t may either be hurled up
ward into the air, or downward, so as
to strike the ground at some distance
from the thrower In the first case it
flies with rotary motion, as it's shape |
would indicate, and. after ascending to
a great height, it suddenly returns in
an elliptical orbit to a spot near its
starting point. When thrown down.
ward to the ground it rebounds in a
straight line, pursuing richochet mo-
ton until it strikes the object at which |
1t is cast.
To throw the Australian boomerang |
in such way as to make sure Of its |
doing exactly what one wants is one of
the most difficult feats in the world. |
Alfred w. Hewitt, who has seen the |
natives of Victoria practicing with the
boomerang, mentioned that he ques-
toned some blacks as to whether they |
thought 1t was possible to throw it so
as to insure its returning to the hand
IF the thrower. Seven said no." and
the statement as get |
bollan," /. e., a falsehood; the eighth /
said he once made a boomerang that !
when thrown on a calm day with great
care would gyrate round and round un-
til it descended to the ground not far
from him, moving as slowly as a leaf
falling from a tree; and that he once
AN forward and nearly caught it. He
said also mo kurni (black fellow can
catch a wunkun when he 1ylng-he
would cut his hand OPEN" The throw
ng of boomerangs has always been car
led on in the open air and no Austral-
an native has ever attempted to use
hem in building.-From Parsons