42 Director'' s A7inual Report. 



late in shape, broader at the free end, and often provided with a 

 barb of wood, bone, glass or wire bound firmly to its face. The 

 object of the loose tip is to allow the shaft to break away from the 

 head when the enemy is transfixed, thus rendering the weapon 

 more difficult to extract. The shaft of the koanie is often well 

 ornamented with grooving, and proved weapons are elaborately 

 finished, highly valued, and difficult to obtain. 



Many other forms of spear are found, but are not so well 

 known and general as the ones already described. Stone-headed 

 spears, the product of the north, are much prized. The trigonal 

 flaked head is fastened with resin covered with kaolin and the 

 haft is generally freel}' ornamented. Fishing spears, bident or 

 trident in form, are sometimes carried for use in war and the chase, 

 but should not be classified among the weapons of this paper. 

 Various specimens of the above forms of spears will be found in or 

 near cases i6 and 17. " 



WUMMERAS. 



Closely associated with the use of the concave-butted spears 

 is the Wummera, a device for increasing the velocity and range of 

 the latter weapons by lengthening the arm leverage, on the same 

 principle as that employed with the better known sling. The 

 wummera consists in general of a wooden haft of varying length, 

 upon which the spear lies before trajedtion. At the di.stal end of 

 the weapon a small projecfling peg is situated to engage the hollow 

 depression at the extremity of the missile. To throw the spear, 

 the native stands sidewaj^s, holding the handle of the wummera 

 firmly with the three smallest fingers of the right hand — the arm 

 being directed backwards over the shoulder. Upon this support 

 the spear rests, adjusted to the peg, and retained in position with 

 the finger and thumb of the same hand. One hand only is em- 

 ployed with most spears, but the length of the tirrer or reed spear 

 renders the use of the left hand also necessary to support this form 

 of weapon. Great dexterity is shown in fitting the spear to the 

 wummera, a feat which the native readily accomplishes without 

 removing his gaze from the object of attack. The velocit)- im- 

 parted to the missile by the wummera is great, and an effecftive 

 range of 100 yds. is obtained. 



The possession of this weapon by the Australians is sometimes 

 regarded as rendering the use of any other device of trajeclion 



[182] • 



