THE ABOBIGIJTES OP AUSTRALIA. 269 



tended to the opposite coasts, they had lost the knowledge of every 

 art connected with water, and were nnahle to make use of or appreciate 

 the advantages which lay before them on the sea shore. Whilst upon 

 this subject I may mention that I have seen, in the settlement of Al- 

 bany, natives who had never before gazed on the sea. In thus treat- 

 ing the subject, however, I am merely venturing an opinion ; it may 

 be correct, or the reverse. 



The extent of the knowledge of the Arts and Sciences existing 

 amongst the Australians may be gaged by their weapons and imple- 

 ments. These are the spear, the wamera or throwing stick, and the 

 kilee or boomerang ; a stone hammer or tomahawk, a short and heavy 

 club or stick, and a rude description of stone-edged knife. 



The spear is merely a straight rod some nine feet in length, as 

 thick as an ordinary walking stick, rather smaller at one end than the 

 other. The sharp and needle like point, at the heaviest end, is hard- 

 ened in the fire. Rather more than an inch from the point of some 

 is fixed a neat wooden barb of about two inches in length. Others 

 again have small and sharp pieces of quartz, fastened in gum, extending 

 some six or eight inches from the point. This latter description of 

 spear is dreaded by the natives much more than the barbed one, as 

 its sharp and uneven edge lacerates the flesh dreadfully, besides leaving 

 pieces of the stone in the wound. The wound inflicted by the barbed 

 spear, is hardly less severe, and, unless the spear-head be driven 

 directly through the part struck, is dangerous in the extreme, for 

 the barb once getting buried in the flesh, it is impossible to withdraw it 

 and the only chance of extrication is to force the whole through the 

 limb : a process, however painful, by no means uncommon. 



The trees from which the spears are made, seldom exceed the thick- 

 ness required, and are found growing in great abundance in the 

 swamps and marshy grounds ; the wood is of a hard and dark descrip- 

 tion, and after being in use for some time assumes the appearance of 

 mahogany. 



The spear is thrown by means of the wamera or throwing stick, 

 which is a flat piece of wood hardly thicker than the cover of a book, 

 some two feet in length, about four inches in breadth in the cen- 

 tre, and gradually decreasing in width, and running to a point at 

 either extremity. At the end held in the hand is a lump of hard 

 resinous substance, obtained from the Grass Tree, which prevents 

 the wamera shipping from the grasp when throwing from it the 

 spear ; at the other point is fixed a little piece of stick, about an inch 

 in length, forming a sort of hook, and which fits into a shallow hole 

 at the small end of the spear. When fixed for throwing, the spear 



