Page:The Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina.djvu/67

62 of its brittleness, which is its natural characteristic when in a dried state.

The womara, or throwing stick, is made of some light, tough wood, two feet in length. The handhold is round, and rather more than an inch in thickness. Immediately above the handle the instrument bulges out to the width of three inches, tapering from thence to the point, where it terminates in a hook. The broad portion of the instrument on the side the hook is, is slightly concave, the opposite side being correspondingly convex. The instrument is held in the hollow of the hand, and the hook is inserted in the end of the spear, which, of course, makes the spear rest in the concavity, where it is held by the forefinger and thumb. As it stretches along the womara the arm is raised, and drawn back in readiness for the propulsion. When that force is being applied the finger and thumb release the spear, and the missile shoots forth like an arrow on its mission.

They have another light spear, which is also used for killing game at long distances; it is made altogether of wood, and is made of the same length as the reed spear. It is not quite half an inch in thickness, the thickest part being a few inches from the point The end of this spear is terminated by a section of light, pithy wood, six inches long. This wood possesses the least specific gravity of any known timber; it is produced by the grass tree, or, more properly speaking, it is the flower stem of that plant from which it is procured. The pith of this grass-tree section is picked out to the depth of an inch, and the end of the spear is fixed into the hollow so made. When it is firmly secured by gum, this addition on the end of the spear serves