84 THEOWING STICK AND BOOMEEANG. 



stick/ we find nothing- approaching- to either of 

 these instruments in any part of New Guinea yet 

 visited by Europeans : in the absence of any evi- 

 dence to the contrary from Timor, they may be 

 considered as true Australian inventions ; and as- 

 suming the Australians to be the descendants of 

 a colony from Timor, the circumstance of the natives 

 of Melville Island— a part of Australia distant only 

 200 miles from their presumed place of origin — 

 being ignorant of the use of the throwing- stick, 

 is in favour of part of this supposition. But a 

 thorough investigation of the question of the origin 

 of the Australian race, and their dispersion over the 

 continent, although now I believe rendered quite 

 practicable by the great mass of additional informa- 

 tion contributed by voyagers and travellers since 

 Mr. Eyre wrote upon the subject, is not consistent 

 with the objects of this work. 



suggested this remark is exhibited in the British Museum — 

 Egyptian Room, Case 36, 37, No. 5646. 



* The throwing stick is completely represented in the Aleutian 

 Islands, (See in Ethnographical Room of British Museum, a 

 specimen in case 16): in shape it differs from the Australian 

 ones, (which themselves vary in different localities,) but the 

 principle of construction and mode of use are precisely 'the same. 

 In the islands of Tanna and New Caledonia a contrivance is in 

 use to, produce the same effect as the throwing stick in propelling 

 the spear ; but, apart from other considerations, the nature of the 

 instrument (a piece of stiff plaited cord six inches long, with an 

 eye in one end and a knot at the other) is such as quite to 

 preclude the probability of the Australians having derived their 

 throwing stick from this source. 



