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129 records that the bow and arrow was never used in war but only in sport; the people shot »against each other, not at a mark, but for the greatest distance». The statements of Wallis and Wilson are confirmed by later authorities. Ellis says that bows and arrows are never used except for amusement and Gill states that throughout eastern Polynesia bows and arrows were used for sport, not for war.

Since the value of the evidence for the use of the bow and arrow as a weapon in New Britain and New Ireland has been disputed, it may be useful to cite it here. In the earlier half of the eighteenth century Behrens records that the natives of New Britain shot at Roggeveen's expedition with arrows, as well as with lances and slings. Later in this century Bougainville records that the natives of New Britain attacked his ship with stones and arrows. Again, in the earlier part of the last century, Lesson does not record the bow and arrow among the weapons of New Ireland, but in another place when speaking of the bows and arrows of Buka, he says that they were like those of New Ireland and New Britain. From Lesson's account it seems that in the earlier part of the last century the bow and arrow was still used as a weapon though it took so small a place