ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 233 



Prof. Davidson exhibited a specimen of the Boomerang, formerly 

 used by the Indians in the vicinity of Los Angeles. These articles 

 are very rare, and are in fact not known to most of the Indians 

 themselves ; in his intercourse of twenty-two years with the abor- 

 igines on the Pacific coast of the United States, he had not heard 

 of the boomerang. This specimen was procured from the natives 

 by Mr. Samuel Shrewsbury, of Santiago Canon, 25 miles from 

 Anaheim. They exhibited its powers by throwing it, skimming the 

 surface of the ground more than 100 yards and then rising 50 or 

 60 feet in the air ; but they could not make it return, and in fact 

 had never supposed it possible. They had another kind, but so 

 far he had not been able to find a specimen among their people. 



B 



This is made of a hard wood, of close texture, and the elbow is 

 the natural bend of the branch ; its weight is 15 ounces, length 30 

 inches, width 2 inches, and thickness a little over half an inch. 

 The accompanying sketch. A, exhibits the boomerang on a reduced 

 scale, and B exhibits a cross-section, natural size. 



Prof. Davidson stated that a communication relative to the disap- 

 pearance and diminution of magnitude of some of the stars in the 

 constellation of the Lion, had appeared in the San Francisco jour- 

 nals, but on examination he found the stars in their usual places, 

 and of their usual magnitude. 



The President stated that he had called upon M. Pavy to re- 

 new the discussion of the questions brought forward at the last 

 meeting, relative to the currents within the polar basin, and especi- 



