Page:The Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina.djvu/72

67 CHAPTER VIII.

OF WADDIES (BLUDGEONS) THEIR SHAPES AND USES; THE STONE AXE AND HOW FITTED TO THE HANDLE; FIBRE PLANTS AND HOW UTILISED; EMU NETS AND THE MANNER OF THEIR APPLICATION IN THE ENMESHING OF THESE GIGANTIC BIRDS.

Of waddies (bludgeons) the natives have an infinite assortment, only a very few of which, however, possess distinctive characters. Those which do not, are fashioned according to the existing whim of the maker, or the nature of the roots from which they are made; the root-end of small saplings being always chosen for the purpose. Of those possessing—we might almost say—a national character, the shapes of which seem to have come down generation after generation, from the remotest period, the Leawill is the most deadly-looking weapon. It is usually three feet long, and two inches and a half thick, having a pointed head, very similar both in shape and size to a miner's driving pick; in most cases sheoak (Casuarina) is used in the manufacture of this weapon; it is used in close quarters only, and is a most deadly instrument in the hands of a ruthless foe, or in a general melee such as a midnight onslaught.

The Nulla Nulla is another bludgeon which bears a distinctive character, and is found in common with the preceeding [sic] one in all the tribes of the colony. It is more general, however, than the other, because it requires less ingenuity and trouble to fabricate. It is merely a round piece of wood, three feet long and two inches and a half