I I described the use of the spear. The grey rock of the ruoiin- tain was not more moveless than the hunter when, in approach mg his game, he paused hke a statue, while the innocent kangaroo vainly sought to detect an invadtir. Then when, reassured, the quarry relapsed into unwatcb- fukiess, the spearman, keenly eyeing It, and never moving muscle when the kangaroo glanced towards him, advanced until near enough to launch his spear, wdiieh, hurled from the wommerah, pierced through the body of the victim. Without the wommerah the heavy spear was fatal* but at a less distance. Birds were snared by similar stealthy advance with a bough held before the l>ody. Plaemg gi^ass or weeds on his head, and swimming noiselessly towards wild ducks, an expert native, with long wand and noose, would snare and secure more than one before the rest would take alarm. Of the various forms of boomerang, some were made solely for throwing point-blank at birds or beasts.'*^ Otheis -were weapons of war, such as only the strong could use. to the required degree, which was ascertamed by experimeDtuI throwing. Different curvatures, specific gravities, and widths, made the Hight capri- cious. The path of one was not always like that of another which appeared alike in shape ; but the Anatmlian could always futsliion a sound piece of curved wood so as to make it pui^ue the course for which its gravity, and the width he allowed, titted it. Light and broiid, it floated Hlowly to tlie earth. Narrow ami heavy, it linrtled rapidly through its courae. '* It is to be noticed that Sir W. W. Hunter, in the Imperial GasetUfr of India, and Sir W. P. Andrew, in his ** In<lia and Her Neighbours,"' apeak of the bw>merang as the weapon of aboriginal tribes in the «outh of India. But the misaile of tlwae tribes was not like the *' returning" boomerang of Australia. It was akin to those we^ipons for forward pro- gress which the Australians hurled point-blank at game Their rotation wiis rapid, and though the AuRtmlians had a different name for each variety, the term boomerang wa« applied by the colonists to all. Thi» nonienolature was titted to mislead, and has misled, writers in other countries. The author consulted friends, long resident in India, while revising the text. One, A. Fooley Onalow, Escp, did not recollect hearing of the practice of nsing the throwing-stick in India *^* later than about" 1828. All agreed that the returning boomerang was unknown there. Lt. -General W. C. R. Macdonald, CB,, awpuiiiited with nil parts of India, confirmed this statement. The Indian luisi^ile, as exhil>ited in the South Kensington Museum, was sometimes exactly like one variety used in Australia for point-blank throwing. It Hew with a rotatorj* motion (as did the steel quoit used by the Sikha), and great precision of aim w^as ac<iuired with it. The use of the point-blank missile in India may be cite^b perhaps, as a slight corroborative proof that the Australians migrated from Hindostan.
