Identifier: ridpathsuniversa08ridp (find matches)
Title: Ridpath's Universal history : an account of the origin, primitive condition and ethnic development of the great races of mankind, and of the principal events in the evolution and progress of the civilized life among men and nations, from recent and authentic sources with a preliminary inquiry on the time, place and manner of the beginning
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: World history
Publisher: Cincinnati : Jones
Contributing Library: University of Pittsburgh Library System
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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BOOMERANG.
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708 GREAT RACES OF MANKIND. bag, as a rule, holds the larger part ofthe treasure of the Australian family.Of weapons, the principal is the spear.It is made of a shaft of wood, or cane,about ten feet in length. It tapers to apoint, and is carefully barbed. Themanner of hurling it is peculiar. Apiece of wood is so cut as to contain asocket in the end, and into this the buttof the spear is inserted. The woodenpiece, called the wummera, is graspedin the hand of the spearman, and thedart is hurled forward from the socket.It is reported that the skill of the Aus-tralians in throwing the spear is verygreat. Captain Cook has recorded that,at the distance of fifty yards, the nativesare more sure of their mark than civil-ized people would be in sending a riflebullet! Here we reach also that most anoma-lous of aboriginal inventions, the boom-erang. This implement is one of thestrange things of the island. It con-sists, as all the world knows, of an armof wood bent like an elbow and fash-ioned in

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