252 G. A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



sinks to the ground, Evidently the vulnerability of the organs of the belly to such a weapon 

 is well known to ail. Meanwhile MOSELY [1879, 441] relates also of H. B., that a similar 

 imitation of being dangerously wounded, was given by a man who placed the head of the 

 arrow on his throat. I never heard on the north coast that arrow heads are split before the 

 fight, in order to leave splinters in the wound (HADDON [1894, 47]). 



For the fight at a distance Netherlands New Guinea possesses no slings. 



Javelins of palm wood, which from 6 — 8 feet (HAGEN [1899, 173]), or 7 — 10 feet 

 (FlNSCH [1888, Tj\], in length, form the principal weapon for a great part ofK. W. Land, become 

 scarcer in this territory the more one proceeds to the west. Of the Berlin Harbour district 

 PARKINSON [1900, 29] describes a heavy weapon 2.5 — 3 m. in length, taken by himself at 

 first for a lance, of which the length in more eastern territory also amounts to the same, viz. 

 8 — 12 feet (HAGEN [1. c.]). ERDWEG [1902] is absolutely silent with regard to Tumleo and 

 it is therefore not surprising that the javelin is entirely unknown in the adjacent Netherl. 

 territory and even in the whole of Netherl. N. G. The long spears, which FlXSCH [1888, 354] 

 saw inside the temple of H. B., were probably only fish or turtle harpoons or staves with 

 cassowary feathers, which are used for religious purposes (see Chapter XII). 



The collection contains some short fishing spears (see also Chapter IV, p. 165), in- 

 tended (KRAUSE [1904, 184]) to be thrown from a boat, or staging, at fishes swimming near 

 the surface of the water. The weapons with the prey are afterwards fetched with the boat or 

 by swimming. They hâve a length of 1.90 — 2.25 m. with cane shaft, of which the sharp-edged 

 nodes hâve been somewhat smoothed ; the foremost node, which cornes but seldom into contact 

 with the hand, is generally left untouched, and the colouring in black of the nodes occurs as 

 seldom as with the fishing arrows. A single spear of Tobàdi (N°. 1245) has only one prong, a 

 smooth one, the others hâve from 3 — 6 prongs, kept together by plaited bands. This bundle 

 is jammed into the shaft which is split open, and bound with rattan or other material. Prongs 

 placed in a circle, are not only, as with the arrows, diverging, but also curved outwards. The 

 prongs are three-sided ; the sharp edge which is turned towards the common centre, is provided 

 with barbs (N°. 1247) only in exceptional cases, whilst both the other sharp edges are provided 

 with barbs in pairs or alternatively ; sometimes however, for what reason I do not know, one of 

 the prongs is left quite smooth (N°\ 1249 — 1250). I lay stress on the fact, that three-sided prongs 

 of a bundle ail hâve a flat plane turned towards the circumference, and that the comparatively 

 small barbs are applied to the side-edges of this circumferential plane, therefore not pointing 

 radially outwards, still less inwards. KRAUSE [1904, PL 9], who illustrâtes exclusively fishing 

 spears with barbs or the inner edge of the prongs, has apparently overlooked the N. G. 

 kind. N°. 1258 (PI. XXVII, fig. 41) of the collection has its (blunt) barbs turned outwards; 

 this object, however, with its wooden shaft and feathers glued on, is not intended for 

 practical use, but for festivities, and reminds me of the glued fishing spears, which PaRKINSON 

 [1896, 198] mentions of the Matty and Durour Islands, and which fell to pièces with the rain. In 

 the west the old muzzle-loaders, which were imported for shooting the bird of paradise, are 

 also used as a weapon of attack and defence, and I thus saw at Horna (fig. 42) a young 

 man, who accompanied the women to the gardens, armed with such a gun, which, it was 

 said, represented half the prize of a woman. 



Rattan armours for protection in war hâve, until now, only been met with on the 



