246 



RKCORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



M 



Fig. 42. 



wliilst the Australian examples were of wood. The 

 flakes or barbs used, however, appear to liave been 

 the same, and any jagged fragment of suitable size 

 was used to fix into the grooves of this fatal form 

 of spear. 



The following quotation from Wilson's'" "Arrow- 

 points, Spear-heads and Knives of Prehistoric 

 Times," is of interest: — "Fig. 191 is one of the 

 peculiar forms restricted in number and locality. 

 Its restrictions in both these regards are so close 

 that the author has not deemed it necssary to 

 assign it a class or give it a name. These forms 

 ax'e confined to Scandinavia and are extremely rare 

 even in that country. The specimen figured is 

 from Sweden, was procured by the author and 

 forms part of the collection in the U.S. National 

 Museum. It is an arrow-point of bone (fig. 42), 

 sharped to a fine point, is extremely hard and stiff, 

 and could pierce equal to any flint weapon. Either 

 side is opened with a deep and narrow groo\e, into 

 which have been inserted tiny bits of flint flakes, 

 with sliarp cutting edges, fastened with bitumen or 

 gum. Some of these bits of flint have been lost 

 out of the original specimen, but enough remains 

 to show its character and effectiveness as a 

 weapon." It may be that this particular arrow 

 had been used and the missing chips left in the 

 body of some unfortunate victim. 



Figures and casual references to the stone-barbed 

 or " death "-spear are fairly numerous, but little 

 information is available as to their manufacture 

 or method of use by the natives. Considering 

 the natives of West and North Australia still make 

 and use these spears, often substituting glass 

 splinters, it would be advisable for travellers, pro- 

 spectors and others to make notes on this weapon 

 before it is too late. 



Collins figures one of these barbed spears, he also gives engrav- 

 ings of gi'oups of natives, and some seven full paged plates are 



!'■ Wil-on— Aim. Rep. Regents Smithsoii. Inst. (U. S. Xat. Mus. Report) 

 for LS97 (1899), pt. i., p. 943, fig. 191. 



