^^- M)TE.S ON THK HUNTlNi. sTUK.s, Eiv. 



used. Now. how were the nerenna thrown? It is obvious 

 that they were thrown differently from the lughx-ana. The 

 latter was, as we know, thrown with a rotatory motion, like 

 a boomerang, but it is obvious that the perenna eould not 

 possibly have been thrown in such a manner. The perenna 

 must have be^n and was thrown in a straight lins, but the 

 force that sent it to a distance of 40, 50, even 60 yards, and 

 madl' this crude weapon penetrate through thick leather 

 must have been considerable. 



Now, how was the perenna grasjjed, in order to make 

 it such an effective weapon? The ordinary modern man 

 would gi-asp it in his fist, as shown in PI. xi.. fig. 1, but 

 it is very doubtful whether this way of grasping could sup- 

 ply it with such a great energy on being thrown. In fact, 

 in dealing with the manner in which tools and weapons 

 were grasped by archaeolithic human beings, I have become 

 rather" suspicious of fehe way the hand of the modem man 

 involuntarily grasps these same implements. I have como 

 to the conclusion, that it is almost certain that archaeolithic 

 man did things and held instruments in quite a different 

 way from that which a modern man would do or hold them. 



Now, a most remarkable passage in Mrs. Prinseps let- 

 ters gives apparently the key to the problem. This passage 

 runs as follows: — "They threw the spear for our amuse- 

 ment. This is merely a slender stick, nine or ten feet long, 

 sharpened at the heaviest end ; they poise it for a few 

 seconds in the hand, till it almost spins, by which means 

 the spear ilies with great velocity to the distance of 60 

 yards, and with unerring aim." 



They poise the spear in the hand till it almost spins! 

 Now, liow can we intei-pret this peculiar remark ; if the 

 spear was gripped by the closed fist it certainly could not 

 spin. Therefore, we must assume that it was not held or 

 grasped with the closed fist, with which I or any other mod- 

 ern man would grasp the pilum. 



We may further take it that the words "till it almost 

 spins' mean that it rotated round its own longitudinal axis, 

 and not in a circle. Now. such a motion can be jnoduced 

 if the spear were held, as shown in PI. xi., fig. 2. The front 

 part of the spear rests on the middle finger, the hinder por- 

 tion on the base of the first finger, which grasps the spear 

 on its upper side. The thumb presses well against th? 

 lower side, and the moment it is thrown the thumb, by a 

 quick upwards movement, imparts to it a rotating motion. 



