34 ANTHKOPOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF QUEENSLAND. 



conical stone implements, which are found in a portion 

 of the same area traversed by the overland route referred 

 to elsewhere, and especially plentiful along a course taken 

 in a south-easterly direction reaching its extreme centre 

 of development in the valley of the Darling. Etheridge 

 (20) has discussed the matter fully, and has most rightly 

 retained an open mind, but the evidence of their existence 

 is there, even if we are actually unable to understand it ; 

 suffice it to say that the native mind would be always in 

 a receptive condition for such a topic, alwaj^s eager to absorb 

 anything which would work upon his imagination and 

 please his taste, especially if by so doing he incurred the 

 goodwill of his fellow men. Might not this natural 

 propensity be sufficient to account for the presence of such 

 emblems, made in such an unmistakable fashion, or is 

 the evidence sufficient to allow us to regard the develop- 

 ment of phallicism even in an incipient stage, as of 

 independent origin ? My own inclinations turn towards 

 the former. 



In this connection I venture to emphasise the fact 

 already laid down by Rivers (107) and Elliot Smith (122), 

 that the oceanic cultures have been derived mainly from 

 contact with other peoples, and to show how widespread 

 the use of any one particular article can be, take for 

 instance the toy windmill made of coconut fronds, 

 described by Somerville (126) from New Georgia. The 

 same kind of toy turns up again on the Funafuti Atoll, 

 as mentioned by Herlley (52). The windmill is contrived 

 by plaiting four arms of palm pinnule. The identical toy 

 made of Pandanus leaves is again found on Dunk Island, 

 off the Coast of Queensland, where, in addition to its being 

 used as a windmill affixed to a spindle, it is also used as 

 a toy boomerang, and is described by Banfield (10) under 

 the name of " Par-Yir-Ah " ; thrown high, it descends 

 spirally, twisting so rapidly throughout its course that it 

 appears to be a sohd disc. (Plate I, Fig 1.). Roth also 

 records the use of the same toy in the Cardwell District 

 of Queensland, and figures it.* It also occurs at Cape 

 Grafton, as I have since ascertained from Dr. Roth. Then, 



*Roth, W. E. North Queensland Ethnography Bulletin No. 4.. 

 Games, Sports and Amusements, 1902. Plate 32, Fig. 21. , 



