Mr. Ferguson on the Antiquity of the Kiliee or Boomerang. 23 



A third notice of the Cateia is found in the Argonautics of Valerius Flaccus, 

 where, in an enumeration of the Maeotic nations which rose in arms against 

 Jason, a people are described whose tents of raw hides were carried on waggons 

 from the extremities of the poles of which their young men whirled Cateias. 



" Quin et ab Hyrcanis Titanius expulit antris 

 Cyris in arma viros : plaustrisque ad prselia cunctas 

 Coraletae traxere manus : ibi sutilis illis 

 Et domus, et cruda residens sub vellere conjunx, 

 Et puer e primo torquens temone cateias." 



Val. Flac. Argonaut. 1. vi. v. 83. 



From these notices it may be collected, 



1st. That the Cateia was an instrument of a curved shape, for this is the 

 constant meaning of the adjective pandus. " Carinas pandae," ( Virg. Georg. 

 1. ii. V. 89.) — " Delphines pandi," (Ovid. Trist. 1. iii. v. 9.) — "Fauces pandae," 

 {Stat. Sylv. 1. iii. V. 15.) — " Rostrum pandum," {Ovid. Metamor. 1. iv. v. 57.) 

 — "Rami pandi," {Ovid. Metamor. 1. xiv. v. 37.) — "Juga panda bourn," 

 {Ovid. Amor. 1. i. and Eleg. 1. xiii. v. 4.) 



2nd. That it was a projectile — "e temone torquens." 



3rd. That it was dismissed with a rotatory motion — " torquens," — " soliti 

 torquere." For, although the verb torqueo is frequently applied to the projec- 

 tion of the straight missile, it is always with reference to the rotatory motion 

 either of the amentum, by which several sorts of straight missile were thrown, or 

 of the weapon itself round its own axis. 



These marked characteristics of the Boomerang would, perhaps, furnish 

 sufficient grounds for inferring an identity between it and the weapon under 

 consideration ; for, from recent experience, it might safely be asserted that no 

 instrument having the peculiar shape ascribed to the Cateia could be projected 

 with a rotatory motion, without also exhibiting the great distinguishing property 

 of the Boomerang by a reciprocating flight. But the description of the Cateia, 

 given by Isidore, Bishop of Seville, a writer of the end of the sixth and beginning 

 of the seventh century, renders this line of argument unnecessary. He describes 

 the Cateia as a species of bat, of half a cubit in length, 'which, on being thrown, 

 flies not far, on account of its weight, but where it strikes, it breaks through 

 with excessive impetus. And if it be thrown by one skilful in its use, it returns 



