Wonguim of the Australian is not generally understood. Travellers have carried to Europe numerous instruments called boomerangs—such as the Wonguim proper, the Barn-geet, the Kul-luk, the Li-lil, and the Quirriang-an-wun—and many, desirous of experimenting, having examined these, and viewing them all as weapons of the same kind, and such as should possess the same properties, have arrived at conclusions that are erroneous. Before, however, touching further on this subject, it is proper to describe the Wonguim, the weapon which has a return flight.
The most obvious difference of form between the boomerang which returns and that which does not return is in the curve, looking at the flat side of the weapon. Five specimens of the boomerangs which return show the following measurements:—
- Length, twenty-four inches. Drawing a straight line from point to point, and measuring from nearly the centre of that line to the inner curve, four inches and three quarters.
- Length, twenty-four inches. To inner curve, measured in the same way as described above, four inches and a half.
- Length, twenty-four inches. To inner curve, four inches and one-third.
- Length, twenty-two inches. To inner curve, three and three-quarter inches.
- Length, nineteen and a half inches. To inner curve, eight and a quarter inches. (This is a left-hand boomerang.)
Of those which do not return the measurements are as follow:—
- Length, thirty inches. To inner curve, four inches.
- Length, thirty-four inches. To inner curve, four inches and one-third.
- Length, twenty-seven inches. To inner curve, three inches and one-third.
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| FIG. 100. |
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| FIG. 101. |
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| FIG. 102. |
The Wonguim exhibits almost invariably a much sharper curve than the Barn-geet; and this of itself would almost be sufficient to guide the observer in discriminating them, if he had a number of apparently similar weapons placed before him. Considering the Wonguim by itself, there are three characteristics on which it appears to me depends its property of returning to the thrower when projected into the air.
- 1st. The curve of the blade, looking at the flat side, which varies from that shown in Fig. 100 to that of Fig. 101.
- 2nd. The twist, which, much exaggerated, is shown in Fig. 102.
Tins twist is most clearly seen in the heavy weapons, and is that which is observed when the instrument is held in the hand exactly as it would be when
