BY FEITZ NOETLING, U.A., PH.D. 



77 



The number of spears presei"vecl is far greater than 

 those of the hunting sticks. The Tasmanian Museum has 

 now seven spears (17), which were originally in the posses- 

 sion of Milligan, and perhaps half-a-dozen more are owned 

 by different private persons. The character of all the 

 specimens that came under my notice is so similar that the 

 description or picture of one specimen is sufficient to illus- 

 trate the features of them all. 



In the following table I give the measurements and 

 weights of the seven spears in the Tasmanian Museum, ex- 

 amined in detail by me: — 



The general appearance of all the specimens I examin- 

 ed is much the same ; they represent simply a straight shoot 

 of Melaleuca spec, which was freed of bark and lateral 

 shoots, and ends in a sharp, smooth point at the thicker 

 end. The finish of all is exactly the same, except that one 

 may be a little more knottv than another. If we go int-o 

 details, we observe that the perenna shows an extraordin- 



(17) The register implies that there were originally 10 spears, but 

 three have mysteriously disappeared. 



