Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-25

matter how extensive a series of gyrations
it may make, it almost always retains suf-
ficient momentum at the finish to bury it
self deeply in soft earth or sand.
On a subsequent occasion Mr.. Hardy saw
Queensland native throw a boomerang
over the course shown in diagram No. i.
In this instance after travelling in a down.
ward direction for perhaps score of yards,
il touched the ground and bounded into the
air, again curving until the ground was
touched second time. Once mora it rose
and curved. and third time 1t touched
the ground; but rising again it curved
off at a totally different angle and sailed
majestically back to the thrower, but not
TO fail at his feet Immediately. 1t circied
almost round him, and eventually fell a
yard or two in front of him.
BoomeranSs for fighting are much larger
and heavier N their construction than the
toy "come-backs,' besides having a greater
convexty on their upper sides, while it
sometimes happens that both sides are con-
vex. They are also straighter in their
make, and have no pereeptible twist, their
mission being to inffict injury and death,
and to return to the thrower. 1t was long
a fond delusion that the native Australian
could cause his boomerang to crack a
mans skull and then return to his hand
the hand of the thrower, that is. This, of
course, is fallacy.
There is absolutely no accounting for the
extraordinary evOlutionS these strange mis-
Siles perform, more or less at the will of
the throwers. In diagram No. we have
view of the perpendicular flight of boom
erang which was thrown by the Queensland
native before referred to. The weapon be-
gan to curve outward the moment it left
the hand of the thrower, then suddenly
Topped and. continuing its peculiar course,
Topped a second time, and eventually made
huge sweep round to its starting point.
The Horned Boomerang.
very interesting type of weapon. COM
mon around the Gulf of Carpentaria is
In +la
count of its peculiar horn or hook project
ing backward from the distaI end, the
whole being cut from one piece of wood.
An exceptional variety is figured but was
probably only used for ceremonial pur-
poses The method of the horned BOOM
erang's use was unknown until recently: 1t
appears to have been thrown in the ordi-
nary way, and used for killing birds in
ffocks We were informed by an old resi-
dent in Carpentaria that the native con-
cealing himself in the reeds. threw the
boomerang high in the air over his head
and it returned falling behind him at
considerable distance among a flock of wild
ducks, killing great numbers, the horn evil
IDENTIFY playing no small part in their de-
struction. Another use to which this pc
culiar weapon is put in fighting is to strike
on the shield and, sliding along its outer
edge, catch against the hook swing round
and deliver a blow on the head of the en-
envy with its other end. Thus, when the
horned" boomerang is thrown skiIlfully,
shield is no protection against it, as it
curves behind and delivers a murderous
blow. =. The largest boomerang in Australia
comes from the neighborhood of Lake
Eyre, and is called by the natives
''Marewurra-" This weapon often reaches
the length of six feet, and is believed to
be used in corroboress. The specimen in
the Sydney Museum is highly ornamented.
In ancient times a weapon not unlike the
Australian boomerang was used in Egypt
and India, but of these comparatively little
is known.
Coming nearer home, in Scandinavian
mythology. Thor's hammer possessed the
quality of returning to it's owner when
thrown, the principle of the comeback"
being not exactly novel.