Page:The Present State and Prospects of the Port Phillip District of New South Wales.djvu/167

 The boomerang and throwing stick have not only been so frequently described, but so often exhibited in the United Kingdom, that it would be superfluous to give a description of either. It is a mistake to suppose that the boomerang is not used in war. The wiwi is an instrument not so well known. It is composed of a slight straight withy, about two feet long, to which is attached a head, made of a piece of wood four inches long, in the shape of two cones joined together at the base, something in this form —



This they strike against the ground, at a little distance to one side of them, whence it rises at right angles to its first direction, and flies with the swiftness of an arrow for about one hundred yards, and at a height of about ten feet from the ground.

The liangle is, I think, described by Sir Thomas Mitchell. It is of the shape of a pickaxe, with only one pick. Its name is derived from another native word, liang, signifying a tooth. It is a very formidable weapon, and used only in war.