80 NOTKS OX THK HIJNTING STICKS, ETC. 



shoots were pulled up with the loot, or whether they were 

 cut off in situ. In either case, the root end was cut off by 

 means of a tero-watta. According to Lync, the green 

 wood was held over or passed through the fii-e "to soften 

 and supple it. The bark was removed by means of a 

 tero-na-watta, and the same instrument was used to 

 smoothen the knots and knot holes. One of the specimens 

 (No. 1265) shows the traces of the work of smoothening a 

 spear in a particularly fine way, and I have taken a photo- 

 graph of *a portion of it. This shows that by means of such 

 a primitive, clumsy instiniment as the tero-na-watta, long 

 regular splinters could be sliced off; the knot holes were 

 smoothed by cutting off short chips. We must assume that 

 the point was produced bv slicing off long, narrow splinters, 

 gradually bringing the thicker end to a tapering point. 

 Scott states that the end of the perenna was hardened by 

 being a short time in the fire, a statement which is corro- 

 borated by Lyne and Raynor. The latter is particularly 

 explicit in stating that they pulled up the young shoots, 

 burnt off the roots (19), and placed the thick end on the 

 fire again till it was slightly burnt ; then thev would rub 

 off the burnt part with a rough sandstone, and repeat the 

 operation till they got a sharp point. If this account is 

 correct in evei-y point, it would appear that the tero- 

 watta never came into use in the manufacture of the point 

 except as a scraper (20), in order to scrape off the charred 

 portion of the wood, and to smoothen it. Considering that 

 three different observers, who are generally very reliable, 

 and to one of whom we are indebted for some of the most 

 important information, have stated that fire was used in 

 the production of the point, we must assume that it really 

 was so. On the other hand, though I very carefully exam- 

 ined the points of the seven spears with a powerful magni- 

 fving lens, I could not discover even a minute trac? of chai- 

 coal. It must, however, be admitted that, though the 

 marks of the tero-watta are very clear and distinct on 

 the hinder portion of the perenna, none are visible on the 

 point, which, as will be seen from the ilhistration, is as 

 smooth as possible. 



Inasmuch as the ^tero-watta was unquestionably used 

 to shape the back portion of the perenna, I question to 



(19) Be it noted tliat Uaynor say? "hurnt off," and not "cut off" the 

 roots. If this was the regular prartlce, th^ tero-watta would not have 

 come into use as a chopper to cut oflE the root end. 



(20) Of course, the word "sandstone" used by Raynor is not correct; 

 it ought to read "flint," or tero-watta. If sandstone had really been 

 used to smoothen the point, specimens of It would have been found on 

 the old cam]) sites. The camping grounds are. however, singularly free 

 of pieces of sandstone, and I never found even a small piece Indicating 

 that It was used for polishing. 



