400 ON THE BILLETTA OR GNALEALING WOMERAH, 



of the hand of the spearsman. It is a narrow, rigid, lath-like 

 womerah, seldom exceeding three-quarters of an inch in thickness, 

 either plain, simply coloured, or ornamented with a coloured 

 design, and made of hard or soft wood, more usually the former. 

 The proximal end, as before stated, is cut out for the reception of 

 the hand, but the grasp, like that of so many other Aboriginal 

 weapons, is much too small with comfort, for the fingers of an 

 ordinary white. The spear when shipped lay along the flat face 

 of the womerah, as in the Orroh-orrok, and not along the edge as 

 in the "lath-shaped" weapon. 



From Port Darwin there are two specimens. One is 3' 3" x 2" x ^", 

 made of soft wood, and is wholly stained with red ochre, although 

 otherwise unornamented. The grasp is lashed round with native 

 twine, and affords room for two fingers. The peg at the distal end 

 is dog-tooth shaped, of a light coloured hard wood, and is lashed 

 on witli string and secured by gum-cement. 



The second example from Port Darwin (PI. xi. fig. 1) is 

 3' 3|" X 2" X i", and is precisely similar to the last, but highly 

 ornate on one face of tlie blade only, which is again stained red. 

 The design is a serpentine band in yellow, margined by white 

 pipeclay dots. The string lashing at the grasp is also covered with 

 white pipeclay, but a second lashing at the distal end is yellow. 

 The gum-cement holding the peg in place is covered with pipeclay 

 also. This specimen was collected by Mr. Spalding, now Taxider- 

 mist to the Queensland Museum. 



The third Billetta, from Derby, is rough, and much shorter than 

 the others, measuring 2' 7" x 2" x ^". It also is of soft wood, quite 

 unornamented or even stained, and the grasp is bound with sinews 

 and cord and secured with gum-cement in the usual way. The 

 peg resembles that of the preceding womerahs. It was collected 

 by Mr. W. W. Froggatt. 



The fourth and last example is from King's Sound, and quite 

 similar to the last, except that it is a little shorter, but at the 

 same time a trifle wider. 



The Billetta has been figured certainly four times, but without 

 any details, and once with an entirely erroneous locality. The 



